Watch this page for new developments and noteworthy events.
For more in-depth news, application tips, and assorted other interesting stuff, check out the latest Antares Newsletter.
5/28/09 We're totally jazzed that the PBS science program NOVA ScienceNOW will be featuring a segment on Dr. Andy and Auto-Tune on their season premier episode on June 30th at 9PM ET/PT (please check your local listings for the time in your area).
Host Neil deGrasse Tyson and a NOVA production crew visited us last fall to film interviews with Dr. Andy and demonstrations of Auto-Tune, including an attempt to correct some of Neil's enthusiastic, but far from in-tune singing (tune in to the segment to see and hear the result).
A nice feature about the segment can be found on the NOVA ScienceNOW Website.
And here's a cool video teaser for the episode that'll give you a taste of what's in store. Check it out, and then be sure to tune in on June 30 for the whole story.
4/22/09 We have launched the Antares Online Community. The Antares Online Community is a place where Antares product users (and hopefully soon-to-be users) can gather to exchange information, compare notes, and get to know other Antares users from around the world.
When you register as a community member (a process that takes only a few moments), you not only gain the ability to participate in the Antares Community Forum, but you can create a personal home page where you can upload a variety of media and customize to your heart's delight.
Whether it's audio examples of your music, videos of performances, or photos of your studio setup, you can easily share with other community members (as well as those of us here at Antares). You can also communicate with other members by posting comments on their home page walls or sending private messages.
So, if you're an Antares user, or are just thinking of becoming one, take some time to look around. Then join us. And be vocal.
4/1/09 We have today announced our intent to start thinking about the possible development of our revolutionary new Direct Mind Access (DMA™) musical composition technology. Designed to free would-be composers, songwriters, musicians, and drummers from the tedious study and practice that have traditionally been required for the development of musical skill, DMA technology will allow anyone to transfer the music (or voices) they hear in their head directly to any DMA-compliant DAW.
Read all about it here.
2/22/09 We've created an Antares Page on Facebook, as well as a dedicated Auto-Tune Page. If you've got a Facebook account, drop by, say hello, and become a fan.
2/13/09 Continuing months of unprecedented coverage of Auto-Tune in the mainstream media, the current (February 16th) issue of TIME Magazine features an extensive article by TIME's assistant managing editor and music critic, Josh Tyrangiel. Featuring quotes from interviews with T-Pain, producer Rick Rubin, and our own inimitable Dr. Andy, the article provides yet another perspective on why Auto-Tune has become what is probably popular culture's single most well-known piece of music production technology.
You can read the article here.
In addition to the magazine story, TIME and Tyrangiel have produced a podcast that combines the information from the article with musical examples from artists like Cher, T-Pain, Kanye West, and more. You can download the podcast from the iTunes Music Store or download or listen to an mp3 version here.
1/27/09 We've posted Auto-Tune Vocal Effect and pitch correction demos for Auto-Tune EFX. Check them out.
1/2/09 The New Year is here, and with it comes expanded availability of Auto-Tune EFX. Auto-Tune EFX will now be available at authorized Antares dealers worldwide.
Learn all about Auto-Tune EFX, download a fully functional 10 day trial version, then purchase your copy from your local Antares dealer or our online store.
12/9/08 We've produced a video tour of the AVOX 2 Antares Vocal Toolkit. The video provides an overview of each of the 10 unique vocal processing tools that comprise AVOX 2, complete with audio examples of each of them in action. Check it out!
11/7/08 We are pleased to announce the availability of Auto-Tune EFX, an extremely affordable and easy-to-use tool for real-time pitch correction and creating the Auto-Tune Vocal Effect (i.e., the T-Pain/Cher-style effect).
Powered by the same ground-breaking Evo™ Voice Processing Technology as Antares' Auto-Tune Evo, the latest generation of the worldwide standard in professional pitch correction, Auto-Tune EFX makes Antares-quality pitch processing accessible to anyone engaged in computer-based audio recording.
Designed to make almost everything automatic, Auto-Tune EFX provides two different flavors of the Auto-Tune Vocal Effect as well as real-time pitch correction. Just select your desired effect type, set the key and scale of your track, and Auto-Tune EFX does the rest. For songs with complex chord progressions or modulations, you can optionally set up custom scales or use your host's automation facility to allow the processing of virtually any vocal line.
10/22/08 We have released the first major updates to Auto-Tune Evo. In addition to the usual assortment of minor issues, we have also added some feature enhancements that will further streamline your pitch processing workflow.
Key features in the updates include:
All Versions
• Added a new Options dialog checkbox to turn on or off the display of the Output Pitch Curve (i.e., the green curve) in Graphical Mode. Added the ability to assign a key to toggle this state in the Key Binding options.
• Disabled auto-scrolling in Graphical Mode while using one of the graphical editing tools (e.g., drawing a curve by hand).
RTAS and TDM (Mac and PC)
• Implemented automatic delay compensation when using AudioSuite.
• Added the following settings to the saved session data: window width and height, and the undo stack and zoom state in Graphical Mode.
Audio Units
• Added the ability to respond to the QWERTY number keys, thereby enabling the Key Binding functions.
• Added the following settings to the saved session data: undo stack and zoom state in Graphical Mode.
VST (Mac and PC)
• Added the ability to respond to the QWERTY number keys in SONAR and SoundForge, thereby enabling the Key Binding functions (PC only - obviously).
• Added the following settings to the saved session data: undo stack and zoom state in Graphical Mode.
For the complete list of changes, refer to the Read Me files that accompany each version.
These are free updates for current Auto-Tune Evo owners. Download them here.
10/07/08 Our friends at Groove 3 Inc are producing a superb collection of training videos that cover virtually all aspects of getting the most out of the power of Auto-Tune Evo. And they've been kind enough to let us make the first two, Welcome to Auto-Tune Evo and What's New in Auto-Tune Evo, available for free here on our web site.
Head on over to the Auto-Tune Evo product page to give them a look, and then check out Groove 3 Inc for more in-depth training on all the cool features of Auto-Tune Evo's Automatic and Graphical modes.
9/3/08 Minor maintenance releases of Auto-Tune Evo TDM (Mac+PC) and VST PC are now available. The TDM versions fix a problem that could sometimes prevent Auto-Tune Evo from appearing as an available plug-in in 88.2 kHz and 96 kHz sessions, even though one or more 321 chips were available. The VST PC version fixes a problem associated with the installation of the latest Pace drivers. All three versions change the default setting of Auto-Scroll to "Off." These are free updates for current Auto-Tune Evo owners. Download them here.
8/18/08 We are proud to announce the availability of Auto-Tune Evo, the next generation of the worldwide standard in professional pitch correction. Auto-Tune Evo represents the most substantial advancement in power and ease-of-use since Auto-Tune’s original introduction in 1997.
While Auto Tune’s patented technology has always provided unmatched speed, accuracy, and audio quality, for Auto-Tune Evo, Dr. Andy has gone back to the proverbial drawing board to create a seriously evolved voice processing technology that takes advantage of the hugely more powerful computers that are now the norm for digital audio recording.
The result is Evo™ Voice Processing Technology, offering powerful new features and capabilities along with pitch detection and correction that is substantially more accurate and reliable over a much wider range of audio input quality.
Auto-Tune Evo is available now for TDM (Mac+PC), RTAS (Mac+PC), VST (Mac+PC) and AU (Mac). Boxed copies will be available at your local Antares dealer later this month.
Upgrades to Auto-Tune Evo are available to registered Auto-Tune owners (including owners of AVOX AT and the TDM Production Suite). To upgrade, head on over to the Antares Software Upgrade page and follow the directions there.
Learn all about Auto-Tune Evo, download a fully functional 10 day trial version, or purchase a copy from our online store.
8/18/08 The Auto-Tune Vocal Studio, a comprehensive, money-saving bundle of powerful vocal processing tools, is now available.
The Auto-Tune Vocal Studio combines the Native or TDM versions of Auto-Tune Evo, the latest generation of the world standard in professional pitch correction, with AVOX 2, the Antares Vocal Toolkit, to provide everything you need to produce world-class vocal tracks. At a price that represents a substantial savings over the prices of Auto-Tune Evo and AVOX 2 purchased separately.
The Auto-Tune Vocal Studio is available exclusively at authorized Antares dealers in a Native version for RTAS (Mac OS X and PC), VST (Mac OS X and PC) and Audio Units. Also available is Auto-Tune Vocal Studio TDM, which includes Auto-Tune Evo TDM (Mac OS X and PC).
6/2/08 The June 9th and 16th issue of The New Yorker features an article by staff writer and pop-music critic, Sasha Frere-Jones examining the dramatic impact of Auto-Tune on the music industry. The article, which prominently features our own Dr. Andy Hildebrand, traces Auto-Tune's history as a pitch correction tool, its emergence as a striking vocal effect, and its current position as T-Pain's tool of choice for what has become one of the signature vocal sounds of our time. As Frere-Jones puts it:
"In the same way that the dry, flat drum sounds in Fleetwood Mac’s “Rumours” will forever say “mid-seventies,” T-Pain and Auto-Tune will forever remind people of the late aughts."
Along the way, you'll also discover Dr. Andy's answer to the age-old question: Is Auto-Tune Evil?
The New Yorker Auto-Tune article is currently available online here.
Check it out!
5/30/08 Harmony Engine Vocal Modeling Harmony Generator has been nominated for the 2008 TEC (Technical Excellence and Creativity) Award in the category of Outstanding Technical Achievement in Signal Processing Software. This is Antares' ninth nomination in the last 10 years years.
The TEC Awards were established by MIX magazine in 1985 to honor outstanding achievement in the professional recording and sound production industry. They are currently administered by the Mix Foundation for Audio Excellence. The nominations are made by a panel of approximately 114 audio industry professionals. Qualified Mix subscribers will determine the winners via an online ballot beginning August 1, 2008. The winners will be announced at a ceremony to be held Friday evening, October 3 at the Westin St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco, on the second night of the Audio Engineering Society (AES) Convention.
4/22/08 We've posted the first audio demos for MUTATOR, ARTICULATOR, and ASPIRE. Check them out.
4/11/08 We are proud to announce the release of AVOX 2 - the second generation of the Antares Vocal Toolkit. AVOX 2 is available for native plug-in formats including RTAS (Mac and PC), VST (Mac and PC) and Audio Units (Mac).
Building on the power of the original AVOX plug-in bundle, AVOX 2 adds an additional five state-of-the-art vocal processing modules, including Harmony Engine Vocal Modeling Harmony Generator, to give musicians, producers, and engineers the power they need to create stunning vocal tracks in any musical style as well as design unique vocal effects for audio post-production applications. All at the same price as the original AVOX.
New plug-ins in AVOX 2 include:
Harmony Engine Vocal Modeling Harmony Generator: A real-time harmony generating plug-in that puts professional-quality harmony arrangements within reach of any songwriter, producer, musician or engineer. The quickest, easiest tool for creating realistic harmonies.
MUTATOR Extreme Voice Designer: MUTATOR provides a combination of tools for creating unusual, weird, or downright wacky voices. With high-quality pitch shifting, throat modeling, pitch-tracking ring modulator-based “mutation,” and a mind-bending Alienization function, MUTATOR is the perfect tool for unique special vocal effects and post- production sound design.
ARTICULATOR Vocal Formant and Amplitude Modeler: The alien offspring of a vocoder and a modern-day version of the venerable talk box, ARTICULATOR lets a user extract the formant and amplitude information from a vocal (or other dynamic source) and apply it to any other audio track. Perfect for talking guitars, singing synths, and a wide range of special effects.
WARM Tube Saturation Generator: Based on Antares’ legendary Tube plug- in, WARM warms up vocals with Antares' world-renown tube modeling technology, while being so processing-efficient that it can be used on every track in a project with negligible impact on CPU usage.
ASPIRE Aspiration Noise Processor: ASPIRE is the world's first tool for modifying a voice's breathiness independently of its harmonic content. Whether reducing a bit of vocal rasp or adding a bit of smokiness, ASPIRE allows the modification of the amount and quality of a voice’s aspiration noise (the component of every voice that’s the result of air passing over the vocal chords) without otherwise affecting the vocal’s harmonic characteristics.
AVOX 2 will be available shortly at your local Antares dealer. In the meantime, you can learn all about AVOX 2, download a fully functional 10 day trial version, or purchase a copy from our online store.
Upgrades to AVOX 2 are available for purchase and download by current owners of the original AVOX, AVOX AT, and Harmony Engine. See the Antares Software Upgrade page for details.
Note: If you purchased and registered a copy of AVOX or AVOX AT after March 12, 2008, you are entitled to a free upgrade to AVOX 2. To get your free upgrade, you must still complete the upgrade process at the Antares Software Upgrade page.
3/14/08 MusicPlayers.com has posted an in-depth (and extremely positive) review of Harmony Engine (complete with their own audio examples) and given it their "WIHO" (Wish I Had One) Award.
1/8/08 Maintenance releases of Auto-Tune 5 AU and TDM (Mac) and VST
PC are now available. The AU version provides improved compatibility
with Apple Logic 8. In addition, all three releases squash a few minor
bugs. These are free updates for current Auto-Tune 5 owners.
12/7/07 The informative Italian web site Audio News Room is featuring a review of Harmony Engine along with an interview with Antares's own Marco Alpert. Check them out:
Harmony Engine Review in English
Review in Italian
Interview in English
Interview in Italian
8/24/07 The first review of Harmony Engine is in and it provides some great insight into what makes Harmony Engine so special. To quote reviewer Brent Hoover:
Vocal harmonies are hard. They are challenging to sing, time-consuming to arrange, and usually essential to many pop styles. The Harmony Engine puts quality vocal harmonies more within the grasp of those of us without great vocal gifts, or deep pocketbooks for hiring session musicians. The entire approach makes creating harmonies more musical and creative and less about drudge work or trial-and-error.
Read the whole review over at audioMIDI.com.
7/12/07 We are proud to announce the release of Harmony Engine - Vocal Modeling Harmony Generator for native plug-in formats including RTAS (Mac and PC), VST (Mac and PC) and Audio Units (Mac). Harmony Engine is a real-time harmony generating plug-in that puts professional-quality vocal harmony arrangements within reach of any songwriter, producer, musician or engineer.
With four independent harmony voices, a variety of powerful harmony generating modes, humanization features for natural sounding performances, and a flexible real-time preset system for harmony and vocal type, Harmony Engine provides incredibly easy-to-use tools to quickly and easily produce virtually any vocal arrangement you can imagine. Harmony Engine will be available shortly at your local Antares dealer. In the meantime, you can learn all about Harmony Engine, download a fully functional 10 day trial version, or purchase a copy from our online store.
7/5/07 With release of Harmony Engine rapidly approaching, we've posted the manual for download. Check it out to get a more detailed idea of what Harmony Engine is all about.
5/21/07 While all the Auto-Tune 5 reviews that have been appearing in the press these last few months have been universally glowing, we recently read one by Houston Haynes over at AudioMIDI.com that, while as glowing as usual, also described some very creative ways that Auto-Tune 5 helped Houston solve some real-world production problems. As the folks at audioMIDI have been kind enough to let us link to it, we encourage you to check it out here.
5/1/07 Maintenance releases of all versions of Auto-Tune 5 for Mac and PC are now available. These releases bring the features from the previous TDM and RTAS updates to all the other versions as well as add additional workflow enhancements to make your pitch correction process even easier.
Highlights of the new versions include:
Auto-Scrolling in Graphical Mode
We have added a control to enable and disable auto-scrolling when the host transport is running in Graphical Mode.
Increased Maximum Buffer Size
For ease of working in large projects, the maximum buffer size for tracking in Graphical Mode has been increased from 999 seconds to 7200 seconds (i.e., 2 hours).
Set Option Defaults
We have added the ability to set your preferred Options dialog parameter values as the default settings for new instances of Auto-Tune 5.
Improved Curve/Line Selection
The ease with which near-vertical pitch correction lines and curves can be selected for editing has been improved.
Scroll Wheel SupportFor ease of navigation, if your mouse includes a scroll wheel and your host passes it to plug-ins, it is now recognized in Graphical Mode.
Bypass "Clear All" Warning
Tired of being asked if you really mean it? In Graphical Mode, the Clear All function warning dialog can be bypassed by pressing a modifier key (host dependent) while clicking the Clear All button.
Faster Instantiation
Time is money. Auto-Tune 5 will now instantiate faster on some hosts.
These are free updates for all Auto-Tune 5 owners. So if you haven't yet upgraded, now would be a great time to move up to the undisputed pitch correction leader.
4/26/07 Our friends at Grooveboxmusic.com have produced a superb collection of training videos that cover virtually all aspects of getting the most out of the power of Auto-Tune 5. And they've been kind enough to let us make the first two, Welcome to Auto-Tune and What's New in Auto-Tune 5, available for free here on our web site.
Head on over to the Auto-Tune 5 product page to give them a look, and then check out Grooveboxmusic.com for more in-depth training on all the cool features of Auto-Tune 5's Automatic and Graphical modes.
4/16/07 Maintenance releases of the AVOX bundle and individual AVOX plug-ins are now available. These releases resolve a few host compatibility issues and provide faster plug-in instantiation in some hosts.
These are free updates for current AVOX, AVOX AT and individual AVOX plug-in owners. Get them here. (If you are an AVOX AT owner, you need only download the appropriate AVOX bundle.)
12/11/06 We have released Auto-Tune 5 for TDM for PC. Please see the news item below for demo and upgrade information. Boxed copies of Auto-Tune 5 TDM should be arriving at your local Antares dealer shortly.
12/11/06 Maintenance releases of Auto-Tune 5 TDM Mac and RTAS (Mac and PC) are now available. These releases squash a couple of minor bugs and add the ability to toggle auto-scrolling on and off in Graphical Mode. These are free updates for current Auto-Tune 5 owners. (Equivalent releases for VST and AU will be coming in the not-too-distant future.)
11/27/06 We have released Auto-Tune 5 for RTAS and VST for PC. Please see the news item below for demo and upgrade information.
11/16/06 Auto-Tune 5, the next generation of the worldwide standard in professional pitch correction, is now available for TDM, RTAS, VST and AU for Mac OS X.
Building on the great sound quality, transparent processing and ease of use that have always distinguished Auto-Tune, Auto-Tune 5 adds even better pitch detection, a sleek new user interface, and a host of new features and productivity enhancements that make it even easier to get the seamless, natural results Auto-Tune has always been known for.
Auto-Tune 5 is available now for Mac OS X (Universal Binaries). The PC versions will be available shortly. Boxed copies will be available at your local Antares dealer later this month. Check back often for updates.
Upgrades are available for registered Auto-Tune users. To upgrade, head on over to the Antares Software Upgrade page and follow the directions there.
Learn all about Auto-Tune 5, download a fully functional 10 day trial version, or purchase a copy from our online store.
11/14/06 We have released Mac/Intel compatible versions of AVOX RTAS, VST and AU for Mac OS X.
These are free upgrades for all current owners of AVOX products (i.e., AVOX, AVOX AT, AVOX AT TDM and individual AVOX plug-ins). Simply download them here and install them.
Note: Although the Mac/Intel OSX versions are not yet included in boxed copies of AVOX, you may purchase a boxed copy from your Antares dealer and use the enclosed Registration Code to authorize a copy of the Mac/Intel versions downloaded from our software updates page.
Learn all about AVOX, download fully functional 10 day trial versions, or purchase AVOX plug-ins from our online store.
11/1/06 You can pick up a variety of cool Antares apparel and other assorted stuff at the new Antares Swag Shop. We'll be adding new items from time to time, so check back often.
6/20/06 AVOX has been nominated for the 2006 TEC (Technical Excellence and Creativity) Award in the category of Outstanding Technical Achievement in Signal Processing Software. This is Antares's eighth nomination in eight years.
The TEC Awards were established by MIX magazine in 1985 to honor outstanding achievement in the professional recording and sound production industry. They are currently administered by the Mix Foundation for Audio Excellence. The nominees are selected by a panel of approximately 200 audio industry professionals. The award winners are selected by a vote of Mix Magazine readers and will be announced at the 2006 AES Conference in San Francisco.
5/10/06 We have released a maintenance update to the Auto-Tune TDM Production Suite. The update features a new version of Microphone Modeler TDM that plays nice with Pro Tools 7 along with some other minor tweaks.
This release is a free update for all current Production Suite owners. Download it here.
Please Note: This download is intended for Production Suite owners only. If you are not a Production Suite owner, installing this software can seriously mess up other Antares plug-in authorizations on your computer. Don't do it.
