Auto-Tune, a software package made by Antares Audio Technologies, was designed to allow engineers to correct a singer’s pitch, but with the “wrong” settings it can turn the human voice into something that sounds like a finely-tuned warbling robot. Jay-Z’s latest single, “D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune),” rails against the overuse of the program in popular music. The video for the song, which was released a month ago, even shows a stack of Auto-Tune boxes bursting into flames.
It’s not every day that an influential celebrity takes that kind of swipe at a product – much less a piece of software. But despite Jay-Z’s best efforts, Antares says sales are up.
“The Jay-Z controversy is great,” said Marco Alpert, vice president of marketing at Antares. “We couldn’t buy P.R. like this.”
Source: NY TIMES