Free Autotune: What Your DAW Already Has, Plus Two Free Plugins

You don't have to pay for autotune right away. Pitch correction is often already built into your DAW or app. And if yours has nothing? There are free plugins. Below you'll see what you already have, per program.

First: do you know the key?

Every kind of autotune pulls your voice to the notes of a key. If the key is wrong, it sounds off instead of tight. Check the key of your beat with the free Beat Lab.

No install: autotune in your browser

Want to hear how autotune sounds on your voice first? With our free online autotune you upload your vocal or record right there. You pick the key and how hard, from robot to natural, and listen with reverb and delay on top. Everything happens in your browser.

Is it already in your DAW or app?

• GarageBand: free on the Mac. There it's called Pitch Correction, on your iPhone or iPad Extreme Tuning. Read autotune in GarageBand.
• BandLab: here it's called AutoPitch. Some of the effects are free. Read autotune in BandLab.
• Ableton Live: Auto Shift has been built in since Live 12.1. According to Ableton, it's in all three editions: Intro, Standard and Suite. Read autotune in Ableton Live.
• Logic Pro: Logic itself is paid, but Pitch Correction comes with it. Read autotune in Logic Pro.
• FL Studio: according to Image-Line, Pitcher and Newtone come with the Signature Bundle and up. On Fruity or Producer Edition? Then you don't have them and a free plugin is the way to go.

Two free plugins

Nothing built into your DAW? Then these are two free options:

• MAutoPitch by MeldaProduction: according to MeldaProduction it's free and part of their MFreeFXBundle. It's automatic pitch correction for vocals and other monophonic instruments, with formant shift and stereo expansion on top.
• Graillon by Auburn Sounds: there's a free Free Edition and a paid Full Edition. According to Auburn Sounds, it runs as VST, AAX, AU and LV2 on Windows, macOS and Linux.

Before you download, check that the format works in your DAW. Always download plugins from the maker's own site.

How to set it up

The names differ per program, but it works roughly the same everywhere:

• Pick the key and scale. Root note plus major or minor.
• Set the strength or speed. The harder or faster the correction, the more robotic it sounds. Want it natural? Start gentle.
• One voice at a time. Apple, Ableton and Image-Line all say it: these tools are made for one note at a time. So put it on your solo vocal, not on your whole mix.
• Early in your chain. Image-Line recommends putting Pitcher first, so it gets an unprocessed signal. That's a good starting point for other tools too.

Hearing yourself late while recording with autotune on? Read how to fix latency when recording vocals.

When should you pay?

Auto-Tune with capital letters is actually a product by Antares. You don't need it to get started. The options above will take you a long way. Want a complete vocal chain as a starting point? Check out the vocal presets. Check a preset's description to see if autotune is included.

FAQ

Is there free autotune?

Yes. GarageBand and BandLab have it built in, and MAutoPitch and Graillon Free Edition are free plugins. Ableton Live and Logic Pro have it built in too, but those programs are paid themselves. Without installing anything, try it with our online autotune.

Does FL Studio have free autotune?

According to Image-Line, Pitcher and Newtone only come with the Signature Bundle and up. In a lower edition, use a free plugin like MAutoPitch or Graillon Free Edition.

Does autotune work on rap?

Yes. Put it on your solo vocal and pick the right key. How strong you set it depends on the sound you're after.

Sources: Apple, Ableton, Image-Line, BandLab, MeldaProduction and Auburn Sounds.