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Melodyne or Auto-Tune?
Apple’s GarageBand is one of the best free DAWs if you’re a mac user and it’s brilliant for music producers who are just starting out. In this article, we are going to look at the best 5 free auto-tune plugins for Garageband. We're also going to look at the top 5 paid options too!
Contents
What Are The Best Free Pitch Correction Plugins for Garageband?
Here is the complete list of the best 5 free autotune plugins for Garageband:
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Best Free Autotune
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Best hard-tune
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Freemium - $29 for full edition
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Freemium, paid from $11.99/m
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Free Download
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Free Download
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- Graillon 2 (Auburn Sounds)
- VOLOCO (Resonant Cavity)
- MAutoPitch AutoTune (Melda Production)
- GSnap
- GarageBand Pitch Correction
1. Graillon 2 (Auburn Sounds)
Graillon 2 is the best free autotune VST on the market. It's an easy-to-use plug-in that provides amazing results, with a great looking user interface that rivals most paid plugins
- Great formant shifting and easy to use key snapping
- Smoothing and inertia controls, which help to increase the robotic-ness of your autotune
- Professional sounding hard-tuned effects
- Quite good natural tuning effect
- Many easy-to-use features
- Some features of the plugin are limited for free users
- Does not allow for editing individual note pitch
Graillon 2 is the best free autotune VST on the market.
Graillon is an easy-to-use plug-in that provides amazing results. It has a great looking user interface that rivals most paid plugins.The numerous controls make Graillon 2 a very versatile plug in and it can be used to obtain both natural and artificial results.
2. VOLOCO (Resonant Cavity) – Best Autotune App & auV3 Plugin
Voloco automatically adds fantastic, preset autotune to your voice. It works best for hard-tuned, Hip Hop & Rap styles of autotune and isn't recommended for a natural style. Best features of the app are locked behind a subscription payment model.
- Many great sounding hard-tuned effects and fantastic, creative presets.
- Very simple and quick to use
- Support for iOS and use as an auV3 plugin
- Intuitive iOS app that's the best autotune on the app store
- Limited features, no individual note pitch editing
- No good natural sounding autotune option
Voloco might not be the most technical autotune plugin but it is included here because of its ultra-simple design and its wide range of great sounding presets. This plugin is also available as an autotune app.
Voloco works best for creative hard-tuned settings. The super simple design allows users to quickly create great sounds and is a great tool for being creative and getting inspiration.
3. MAutoPitch Autotune (Melda Production)
Great free pick that's simple to use and has an intuitive GUI. Excellent at both hard tuning and natural autotune sound, comes with additional mixing features.
- Great sounding natural autotune sound
- Can autotune real-time
- Fantastic control over auto tune sound, including speed, depth, fine-tune and more
- Awesome interface with great key locking feature
- Great control over the formant shifting
- Width control for mixing
- Inconvenient download
- No individual note pitch editing
MAutoPitch is an extremely capable autotune VST plugin, offering almost the exact same pitch correction features as Graillon 2, but with a bit extra included.
But, it's a pain to install.
MAutoPitch comes as part of a free suite that contains 37 separate effects, analyzers, EQs and more. While some of these plugins are good, it's more of an annoying process to remove the plugins you don't want.
4. GSnap – Open Source Autotune
GSnap is an extremely clever auto tune VST plugin that has the unique ability of being able to ‘snap' to MIDI that is fed into it.
- GSnap is free to use, making it accessible to musicians and producers with tight budgets.
- GSnap has a straightforward and easy-to-understand user interface, which can be beneficial for beginners in music production.
- GSnap offers real-time pitch correction, allowing you to hear the corrected pitch as you record or playback your audio.
- The plugin provides various controls that allow you to adjust the level of pitch correction, the speed of correction, and the scale you want your vocals to follow.
- GSnap supports MIDI input, allowing you to control the pitch correction parameters using an external MIDI controller.
- While GSnap can be effective for basic pitch correction, it lacks some of the advanced features found in commercial autotune plugins. This might limit its effectiveness for professional-grade vocal tuning.
- Compared to more sophisticated autotune plugins, GSnap might not achieve the same level of natural-sounding pitch correction. Extreme corrections might lead to artifacts and an unnatural vocal quality.
- While the simple interface can be an advantage, it might also be a limitation for users who require more in-depth control over the pitch correction process.
- GSnap might not have been updated frequently, potentially causing compatibility issues with newer DAW versions or operating systems.
- Like any audio plugin, GSnap has a learning curve. Users might need to invest time in understanding how to use its controls effectively to achieve desired results.
- Some users have reported that GSnap can consume a significant amount of CPU resources, which might lead to performance issues on less powe
GSnap is an extremely clever auto tune VST plugin that has the unique ability of being able to ‘snap' to MIDI that is fed into it. It also has a very simple interface which makes it easy to use and understand.
Unlike the other free autotune plugins on this list, it shows you how much it's correcting the notes by. However, GSnap isn't as good at detecting pitch as the others on this list, and often corrects things out of key.
5. GarageBand Pitch Correction
- Easy and intuitive design taken straight from macOS GarageBand
- Works seamlessly with iPad since it is an Apple product
- Record, produce, and mix using powerful built-in tools
- Free!
- Works perfectly with iPad due to Apple design
- Great for simple recording and editing jobs
- Lacks in-depth controls of paid DAWs
- Occasional issues loading AU plugins
While it is not technically a plugin it is important to mention GarageBand’s built in pitch correction – which sounds great considering it comes with the software. Pitch correction in Garageband makes it easy to quickly adjust the pitch correction by your desired amount on any audio and push things that aren’t quite right in tune.
In terms of controls, it is the most limited on the list. Only allowing you to lock the notes to the song’s key or just chromatically. That being said it gives a great natural tuning effect.
What Is The Best Paid Pitch Correction Software Garageband?
Here is the complete list of the best 5 autotune plugins for Garageband:
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The Pioneer
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Best Budget Option
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For Creative Sound Design
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$99-$699(Version Dependent) Free 30 day trial for Melodyne 5 Studio
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$69.95 - $299 (version dependent)
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$29.99 (88% off)
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$520 (On sale for $310)
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$99
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1. Melodyne (Celemony)
Melodyne is the best vocal pitching and tuning tool. It's the most used for pitch correction, and can even be used on instrument editing, entire key changes, and sibilance removal.
- Clean and transparent tuning algorithms
- Separate Pitch and Noise control
- ARA integration makes Melodyne extremely fast and streamlines
- Polyphonic control
- Multi-Track pitch correction
- ARA isn't yet compatible with all DAWs
- Polyphonic and Multi-Track pitch correction is only available for Editor and Studio versions.
Melodyne is the best vocal pitching and tuning tool. It's the most used for pitch correction, and can even be used on instrument editing, entire key changes, and sibilance removal.
Melodyne comes in four different versions –
- Essential ($99)
- Assistant ($249)
- Editor ($399)
- Studio ($699)
All of these have the highest quality of subtle and natural pitch correction on the market. However, Melodyne does not offer real-time autotune and isn’t useable in a live setting.
However, Melodyne has a big price tag, and might not be affordable for some, so you might want to check out some Melodyne alternatives.
Check out some our in-depth comparisons of the top autotune plugins with Melodyne:
2. Antares Auto-Tune
One of the most famous music production tools ever made. Popular since the 90s and the reason that hard-pitching T-Pain style has become such a staple in modern music. Also offers seamless natural sounding pitch correcting in real-time
- Powerful, high-quality autotune sound that uses the original Auto-Tune trademarked style
- Great for hard tune style used commonly in rap and hip hop
- Includes graphical note editing, however it's only monophonic
- ARA compatible
- Real-time auto-tune for live performances with no latency
- Brilliant formant shifting and throat modeling
- Very expensive
- Graphical note editing is monophonic
Antares' Autotune in is probably one of the most famous pop music production tools ever made.
It has been popular since the 90s and works in real-time, meaning you can use it for live performances. It also combines automatic tuning with a graphic pitch interface. Antares AutoTune is available in 5 different versions and you can check out our comparison here.
Antares' plugin has the upper hand over Melodyne in terms of real-time vocal pitch control. Melodyne requires a lot of input, however, this generally means it is a lot more transparent and has higher tuning quality. When I tried Antares Auto-Tune Pro I was blown away by how powerful it was but I found that the graphical note editor was not as intuitive or effective as Melodyne’s.
3. Waves Tune
One of Waves’ best-known plugins, offering graphical pitch editing, real-time autotune, and loads of tools for editing your timbral and vocal quality.
- Very low latency and easy on the CPU
- Real-time tuning for Live performances
- Natural and Smooth Sound
- Brilliant formant shifting and hard tuned sound
- No polyphonic note editing or ability to change entire keys/chords naturally
Waves Tune is one of Waves’ best-known plugins, offering graphical pitch editing, real-time autotune, and loads of tools for editing timbral and vocal quality.
Waves Tune’s ability to work in real-timemakes it great for live performance. Thesound quality is very natural, but it also gives you the ability to have a robot voice effect.
Waves Tune is much better for a hard-tuned sound and live autotune than Melodyne. However, Melodyne is better for in-depth, meticulous vocal editing and provides a more natural sound. I found that when I started using both, Waves Tune was much easier to use and navigate.
4. Revoice Pro 4 (Synchro Arts)
Revoice is a top of the range pitch correction plugin that provides very high-quality vocal correction and control.
- High-quality natural vocal tuning
- Great interface for complex vocal arranging
- Graphical interface for highly controlled editing
- Closest to Melodyne in terms of functionality
- Does not work in real-time
- Not as good as the other competitors, although the price is lower
Revoice is a top of the range pitch correction plugin that provides very high-quality vocal correction and control. Revoice’s main strengths lay in fake double tracking, time synching between vocals, and working with vocals in bulk (like backing vocals).
Compared to Melodyne there is tough competition between pitch editing and sound quality however Revoice offers no distinction between esses and breaths which is where Melodyne really shines. Melodyne’s user interfaces is also cleaner and less cluttered than Revoice’s which makes it easier to operate effectively, especially when starting out.
5. Soundtoys Little Alterboy
Simple, versatile pitch shifting that offers a great deal of variety. You can do anything from bringing more dynamics into your vocals to achieving that classic hard tune effect.
- Easy to use interface, with a couple of buttons to alter formant, drive, pitch and mix
- Very creative and characterful sounds, with great sounding pitching and formant - fantastic for sound design
- 3 different mode types that give you different styled sounds. Robot for auto-tune robotic style, transpose for simple transposition etc.
- Great value for money
- Does not work in real-time
- Not a good choice for tuning vocals or instruments, more made for designing sounds.
Little Alterboy is a simple, versatile plug-in, that offers a great deal of variety. You can do anything from bringing more dynamics into your vocals to achieving that classic hard tune effect.
Little Alterboy does not offer nearly as many features as Melodyne or give you anything close to the control it has over pitch. However, it does give you the ability to add more character to your sounds in a way that Melodyne can’t. Where the main emphasis of Melodyne is transparency, Little Alterboy is all about experimenting with standard autotune and creating unique, creative sound design and audio manipulation.
Summary
To recap, here is the complete list of the best autotune plugins for GarageBand:
Free:
- Graillon 2 (Auburn Sounds)
- VOLOCO (Resonant Cavity)
- MAutoPitch AutoTune (Melda Production)
- GSnap
- GarageBand Pitch Correction
Paid:
Autotune plugins are good for making small adjustments to your vocal pitch, creating Hip Hop hard tuned effects, and even altering the sounds of instruments. They’re also useful in many production situations. We've included a wide range of options from beginner to advanced for you to choose from so there should be a pick for everyone.
If you're a beginner a paid option might not be worth it yet, but if you're a seasoned producer, you may want to look into something like Melodyne.
FAQ
Does Garageband Have Autotune?
GarageBand has a built-in autotune which allows you to lock the notes of your vocals to the song’s key. The functions of GarageBand’s autotune are limited to an option to link to key and a 0-100 amount slider. GarageBand has many great built-in features and the autotune is good but limited.
Should I Get A Paid Autotune Plugin or Will A Free One Suffice?
Free auto-tune plugins are great for experimenting and for achieving the hard-tuned hip hop auto-tune effect. If you want to achieve a more transparent and professional-sounding tuned vocal track, then a paid autotune plugin would be the way to go.
How Do I Install An Autotune Plugin in GarageBand?
How Do I Install An Autotune Plugin in GarageBand?
Here's how you can install a plug in in GarageBand:
- Download an AU plug in of your choice.
- Go to Finder\Macintosh HD\Library\Audio\Plugins\Components.
- Drag your downloaded AU unit to the Components folder.
- Enable audio units checkbox in GarageBand > Preferences > Audio/MIDI.
- Close & Reopen GarageBand. You're done.
