How to Auto-Tune Using GarageBand

GarageBand sound editing software lets you auto-tune voice recordings.

Auto-tuning is a sound editing technique, introduced by data interpreter Andy Hildebrand in 1996, that is very popular and often used in pop music to make a singer's voice sound more in tune. While it may seem like a complicated technique, the 2011 version of GarageBand, a sound editing and recording software by Apple, is equipped with an automatic tuning setting which allows users to auto-tune voice recordings in a quick and efficient matter. GarageBand is compatible on Mac computers and is included as part of Apple's software bundle iLife.

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GarageBand '11
External microphone (optional)

Instructions

- 1
  
  Connect your microphone to your computer, install its software if necessary and arrange the settings accordingly, following instructions that came with the device. Alternatively, if your computer has a built-in microphone, you can use that instead.
- 2
  
  Open up GarageBand and select "New Project" in the left-hand side bar of the window. Select the "Voice" icon in the "New Project" menu and then click "Choose."
- 3
  
  Type the desired name of your new file and select where you want to save it in the "New Project From Template" window. Leave the "Tempo", "Signature" and "Key" settings as they are. Click "Create" when you are done.
- 4
  
  Select either "Male Basic" or "Female Basic" in the project window, depending on which gender you are.
- 5
  
  Click the "Record" button, which is the one with the red dot on it located next to the play button at the bottom of the screen, when you are ready to record your voice.
- 6
  
  Press the "Stop" button, located in the same toolbar as the "Record" button, when you are done recording.
- 7
  
  Click the "Track Editor" icon, which is in the bottom toolbar and has a scissors design on it. This will open up a "Audio Region" menu on the left-hand side of your project window.
- 8
  
  Slide the "Automatic Tuning" knob from zero to 100. Play around with the "Pitch" and "Key" settings as well if you wish, until you get your desired sound. Do this step while playing the track so you can hear the changes you are making.
- 9
  
  Select "Save" in the "File" menu located at the top of the screen to save your project.