You can use a MIDI keyboard to enter the correct notes of the vocalist’s performance and then use the MIDI notes to guide the pitch correction process. What GSnap does is move this process to post-recording. This is a before-tracking fix that’s only as good as the singer’s note memory. A producer or arranger sits at a piano and plunks out notes for the vocalists, trying to corral errant pitch or wandering harmonies. It’s an automated way of replacing a common studio scene. Its main claim to fame is the way you can use MIDI to adjust your pitch correction, a feature found in a few free plugins. GSnap from GVST is still a solid contender for no-budget plugin users. When free versions of pitch correction plugins emerged, Graham Yeadon was at the forefront. Given that there are 33 other plugins in the package, MAutoPitch is a treasure trove you should check out.

There is a commercial version of MAutoPitch, but the free plugin isn’t crippled in any way, though it doesn’t have all the advanced features that the upgrade has. Being able to dial in wet/dry balance easily gives great-sounding automatic double-tracking (ADT) effects that are a breeze to adjust. Pitch correction has two general modes: subtle error correction and as a special effect, the so-called “T-Pain sound.” MAutoPitch handles both and then some. That it can be mentioned in the same breath as the leaders as a free plugin is impressive. I don’t think MAutoPitch outperforms either of these plugins, but it’s fast and easy to get results. Big-ticket pitch correction packages such Antares Auto-Tune and Melodyne can sometimes take some wrangling to fine-tune.

In fact, ‘simplify’ is perhaps the best way to describe the MAutoPitch approach. What’s more, its interface is one of the most natural and intuitive you’re likely to find in pitch correction software, which by nature is difficult to simplify. One of these, MAutoPitch, is not only a great value at zero dollars, it’s got a few tricks up its sleeve that even the big players in the field don’t have.

Melda Productions offers a 34-effect free bundle that’s a tremendous package, particularly if you’re new to the plugin world.

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