Last Updated on December 22, 2020 by
I'm looking for a VST plugin that allows me to change the speed of an audio file, but not the the pitch of it. Ala a a DJ taking songs together and matching the BPM to splice. For example, if I want to remix a track but make take the original vocals and make it like 15 bpm faster. When free versions of pitch correction plugins emerged, Graham Yeadon was at the forefront. GSnap from GVST is still a solid contender for no-budget plugin users. 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.
Auto-Tune is everywhere and everyone is using it…
From slight pitch correction to some cool robotic sounds, pitchcorrection software can be extremely useful.
T-Pain made this effect very popular, but it’s also beenused by a lot of other artists such as Daft Punk, the Black Eyed Peas, andmore.
Auto-Tune can be used to achieve a lot of different effectsand you don’t need to spend hundreds of dollars on the Pro version of theSoftware since there are a lot of free ones available.
In this post I’ll go over the best free pitch correctionplugins available for Windows, Mac and even Linux.
Let’s get started!
Related: I also wrote an Article about the best Pitch-correction/auto-tune plugins in general, not just free ones.
1. GSnap – (Windows)
GSnap is one of the best free pitch correction plugins outthere…
The reason behind this is because of its capability tocontrol the notes that it snaps to through MIDI.
This means that if you need to corrects a singer’sperformance through pitch correction you can play the notes on a piano and feedthese notes into the plugin…
GSnap will now use those notes as a guide and will correctthe pitch to whatever notes are in the MIDI file.
This will also prevent unwanted snapping to other notes.
If you don’t want to control the plugin through MIDI, thenyou can set any scale you’d like or control it by turning certain notes on oroff.
The interfaceis fairly easy to use and understand:
On the left you can see the original notes and the ones it’ssnapping to, which will not only give you a visual representation of what’sgoing on…
But also allow you to fine tune everything more easily.
It has a 12-knob control system which is divided in thefollowing way;
Detection: Min Freq, Max Freq, Gate, and Speed knobs.
Correction: Threshold, Amount, Attack, and Releaseknobs.
MIDI: Pitch bend, Vibrato, Vib Speed, and Calibrateknobs.
All of these knobs allow you to edit everything withprecision and accuracy.
One thing I find very useful in this plugin is the gate…
The gate gives you the ability to select on what parts theplugin actually affects the sound…
E.g. If you only want to affect the louder parts, or moreimportantly, if you don’t want the plugin to trigger on any unwanted noises onthat track and just the vocals.
This is an incredible plugin, especially since it’s free andit can do anything from robotic sounds all the way to a very subtle correction withoutbeing noticed.
You can download it here.
Are you looking for a new DAW? Here’s a list of the best DAWs currently available!
2. Graillon2 – (Win/Mac)
The first thing you will notice when looking at Graillon2,is the way its interface is designed…
It has this vintage vibe to it which is just fantastic tolook at.
It’s a very intuitive plugin to use and its color schemewhich makes it easy to navigate.
It is a very visual plugin since it has a display where youcan see the notes that are being played as well as where Grallion2 issnapping/correcting them to.
This plugin is specifically designed for vocals and thepitch shifting can be smoothly adjusted from minus 12 to plus 12 semitones.
One cool feature is the “preserve formants” knob which, intheory, helps you preserve the tone and characteristics of the vocal trackwhile shifting the pitch.
In some cases, this ends up creating some issues, so makesure to play around with these settings to see what happens.
The speed knob is also pretty useful since it helps thenotes “stick” a little longer, reducing the pitch correction jumps.
However, don’t go overboard with this effect since notes canend up sticking too long…
Grallion2 also allows you to choose how fast or slow thesnapping occurs; this is done by adjusting the “smooth” knob.
Basically, it allows you to control how fast the notes willjump from one another.
By adjusting the controls on the “bitcrusher” section, youshould be able to achieve some pretty cool growl sounds.
The typical controls such as dry/wet, low-cut and outputlevel adjustment are also included.
Lastly, the Pitch Correction module can be drivenby MIDI, just like with GSnap.
If you like the vintage look on this plugin and you need agood all-rounder, then Graillon2 may be the one for you.
There is one important note though: It’s notcompletely free but rather “freemium”.
Basically, you won’t get its full functionality unless youbuy it.
With the free edition you only get the “pitch shifting” and“pitch correction” features.
If you want the full version then it will set you back about$25.
You can download it here.
If you’re looking for the best free VST plugins in the world, I have a list of 225 of them.
3. MAutoPitch – (Win/Mac)
Melda Productions is a renowned audio plugin company thatcreated other free plugins such as the MRing Modulator, the MFlanger, MTremolo,and more…
You can find all these plugins in another post I wrote aboutthe bestFree Modulation Plugins.
Even Deadmau5, who is a very famous electronic musician,uses these plugins, which is a testament to their quality.
This plugin comes with the typical pitch correction softwareoptions such as depth, detune and speed…
However, it also includes some additional controls such as a dry/wet knob, a width knob which will allow you to control the stereo spread, and the keep- and shift-formants knobs.
You may not know what shifting the formants does, so here’sa really quick explanation:
It allows you to make the sound deeper or higher, in otherwords “more masculine or feminine”…
However, keep in mind that this can alter the pitch if yougo too far.
MAutoPitch allows you to choose between different scales so that you can quickly adjust it to your song…
These scales are;
Chromatic, major, minor, and pentatonic.
It also provides you with a visual display of what notes arebeing detected by the plugin.
Even though it does have some amazing features and isdefinitely worth using, there are some cons to it:
First of all, the free version comes with a banner onthe bottom that is a bit annoying to look at…
If this isn’t something that annoys you too much, then byall means download it!
Also, the pitch correction isn’t the best since there’s someunintentional snapping to unwanted notes…
Even after you set the notes and the scales perfectly andall the settings are in place.
The MAutoPitch plugin also includes a limiter which shouldhelp you keep your sound from clipping.
All in all, it’s a great free plugin that could make a greataddition to your arsenal!
You can download it here.
Looking for Vocoder VSTs? Here’s a post I wrote about the best ones.
4. KeroVee – (Windows)
KeroVee was created back in 2010 by the Japanese company“g200kg”.
The whole point behind this software was to create a superprecise vocal pitch adjustment plugin without focusing too much on the othereffects that can be achieved; like a robotic sound.
This is why KeroVee is an excellent alternative for anyonewho just wants to apply some subtle and precise adjustments to their vocaltracks.
Similar to Gsnap and Graillon2, you have the option to routethe MIDI notes to KeroVee.
This will allow the plugin to use these notes as a guide andcorrect them properly which is essential to tell the plugin exactly what notesthe singer should be on.
On the left you can see which notes are being played and whereKeroVee is correcting them to.
Using MIDI to guide the plugin is great, however this mighttake some time to set up…
This is why KeroVee also allows you to select which notesyou want it to correct to, or not, through a simple clickable interface…
Simply click on them to enable or disable them and that’sit!
KeroVee shares a lot of parameters with most other autotuneplugins, however there is one that’s unique to it which is the “nuance”one;
The “nuance” knob lets you select whether ornot to keep the vibrato of the original sound, making the vocals sound morenatural while still being autotuned.
Note: If set to max, even the smallest vibrato willtrigger the correction, resulting in a mechanical sound.
There are loads of other typical controls and functionsavailable with this plugin like Tunespeed, formant shifting, panning, volume,etc.
Like I mentioned earlier, KeroVee is excellent for finetuning the vocal track and doesn’t really emphasize too much on achievingrobotic sounds, etc.
If this is what you need, an autotune plugin designed fordetailed vocal adjustment, then definitely check this one out!
You can download it here.
Looking for free guitar VST plugins? Here are the 15 best ones.
5. X42 Auto-Tune – (Win/Mac/Linux)
X42 Auto-Tune is intended to correct the pitch of a voicesinging (slightly) out of tune.
It works by resampling and looping the signal and does notinclude formant correction, which means that it should be used to correctsmall errors only and not to really transpose a song.
Even though it is a very simple pitch-correction plugin, itactually does a decent job at what it’s supposed to do.
The interface is very easy to navigate; however, it doesn’tlook too great, at least not when compared to Graillon2, but this doesn’t meanthat it’s at all complicated to use.
Just like with GSnap and Graillon2, X42 Auto-Tune can becontrolled via MIDI and it will adjust the pitch to whatever notes youset it to.
If you don’t want to go through all the work of laying downa MIDI track, you can input a fixed number of notes in any key and the pluginwill correct to the notes on that key.
It comes with a “Bias” knob which controls how longthe original note lasts before it corrects it to either the ones youselected from the scale or the ones input through MIDI…
This allows it to go off-tune more than would be the caseotherwise.
The “Bias” control is essential since it won’t instantlysnap the notes to the one selected on the scale, giving it a more naturalsound.
Similar to the “Bias” control you also have the option touse the “Offset” control…
This one gives you the option to adjust how far from thenote the singer is allowed to go before it corrects it.
Both of these parameters are designed to keep the vocalrecording sounding more human and natural.
If you’re looking for a very simple and easy to usepitch-correction tool that focuses mainly on subtle changes, then X42 Auto-Tunemight be a great alternative for you.
You can download it here.
Looking for free Piano VSTs? Here’s a post I wrote about the best ones.
6. Auto-Tune Evo – (Windows)
Auto-Tune Evo by Antares Audio Technology has been releasedin February of 2018 and has been raising in popularity ever since then.
It’s got a great set of features such as pitch correction inreal time, for live performances, vibrato controls and Humanize.
Auto-Tune Evo was created, like most auto tune plugins, withvocals in mind…
However, it works great with most monophonic instruments;e.g. bass.
It has two basic modes; Automatic and Graphical.
With Automatic Mode you give Auto-Tune some basicinformation about the track and that’s it, it will do the rest.
With the Graphical Mode you can go through the entiretrack manually and tell Auto-Tune exactly where it needs to apply somecorrection and how much.
While using the Graphical Mode might be a lot morework and definitely not for everyone, in my experience I’ve found that you geta much more transparent sound.
Free Pitch Shifting Vst
The common artifacts associated with tuning tend to be lessnoticeable.
Automatic Mode is excellent if you’re going for that T-Painstyle of sound, or if you just want to quickly adjust a track…
While Graphical Mode, on the other hand, will definitelygive you better results if you don’t want the effect to be as obvious and ifyou need to have more control over it.
It really comes down to what sound you’re going for and howmuch time and work you want to invest into it.
Regardless of what mode you’re going to be using, the firstthing you’ll need to do is set up the “Input Type”.
The Input Type control gives Auto-Tune some informationabout the track that it’s going to work with…
The Input Types are; Soprano, Alto/Tenor, Low Male,Instrument and Bass Instrument.
Another feature is the Key and scaleselection where you can tell Auto-Tune the precise key of the song.
Lastly, the Formants control will keep as much of theoriginal characteristics of the vocals if switched on.
Auto-Tune Evo is just great, and it’s free…
If you want a versatile and good-sounding plugin which is goodfor both beginners and advanced producers, then definitely give it a try.
You can download it here.
Looking for free Drum VST plugins? Here are the best ones.
7. AutoTalent – (Linux)
If you’re a Linux user, then this one’s definitely for you!
Autotalent is an open-source and real-time pitch correctionplugin which allows users to specify the notes that the singer should behitting…
Autotalent will make sure that they do.
Not only can it correct the pitch but it can also be used tocreate such effects like the T-Pain effect.
This will make the vocals sound more like a chiptune.
Even though the interface looks extremely simple, thisplugin is quite powerful…
You can use it for some light pitch correction or to achievea full robotic auto-tune.
It includes all of the typical parameters as otherauto-tune plugins such as; Formant shifting, selecting a scale or notes for theplugin to use or to exclude, and more.
However, it provides one feature that most auto-tune pluginsdon’t… The Vibrato section.
Free Pitch Change Vst
This section can help you add some vibrato to thevocals to give it a more natural sound.
All in all, Autotalent is an extremely useful and completeauto-tune plugin, plus it’s for Linux users who have a lot fewer alternativeswhen it comes to plugins and music production software.
You can download it here.
8. Voloco – (Windows, Mac)
If you’re looking for an Auto-Tuner that is capable of slight- and in-depth correction, then Voloco might not be the right one for you.
It’s designed to be used as a creative tool, which is why you only get access to 6 presets that you can’t even edit and that’s it.
Each of these presets affects the audio in a slightly different way.
However, they are all optimized to achieve the “T-Pain” auto-tuned vocals.
Naturally, since it doesn’t feature any more controls than changing the presets, setting the Key and adjusting how much correction you want, Voloco is extremely easy to use.
The interface is super clean and easy to understand which, if you’re new to auto-tuners, is great news.
Voloco is a fun plugin to have, especially for coming up with new ideas, but it’s not the most in-depth auto-tuner.
Still, I find it easy to recommend!
Lastly, you can also download a mobile version for your phone that you can use to sing over other songs you have on your device and Voloco will adjust your voice to the song’s key.
You can download it here.
Top 3 Choices
Out of all the Auto-Tune plugins on this list I’d have tosay that Graillon2, GSnap and Auto-Tune Evo are my toprecommendations.
They offer a lot of features, they sound great, and they give you more control over the track itself than most other plugins.
Learn how to use AutoTune properly
Even though there’s nothing wrong with learning how to use this kind of software all on your own, learning from someone can be quite useful as well.
Here’s a course about vocal music production where they also teach you how to use Autotune, Vocoders, etc.
Conclusion
Quality software doesn’t necessarily need to come at apremium price…
All of the plugins on this list are more than capable ofdelivering excellent pitch-correction while still offering other features…
And all of this completely for free…
Since they are free, I’d recommend you try them all out andchoose the one that suits your needs the most.
I hope this information was useful!
Have a great day!
Frequently Asked Questions
Is autotune Evo free?
The Auto-Tune Evo VST demo is available to all software users as a free download with potential restrictions compared with the full version.
Can autotune be used live?
Yes, with the progression of vocal technology, companies like TC Helicon, ART and Boss have developed several Live Autotune & Pitch Correction Vocal Processors that work essentially like foot-pedals used on stage to turn on/off autotune.
Does Auto Tune change your voice?
Autotune corrects the pitch of your voice, essentially making you sound better and on key.
Pitchproof by Aegean Music is a new free pitch shifter plugin for PC & Mac that simulates the characteristic of classic pitch pedals!
Aegean Music has recently released Pitchproof, a new free pitch shifter plugin for PC & Mac (VST/AU/AAX). It’s a pitch “pedal” simulation that offers the most of what is great in guitar harmonizer pedals.
What Is Pitchproof?
Pitchproof is a free audio plug-in that can shift the pitch of the input. The effect is meant to combine old styles of pitch shifting with the quality you expect from modern plug-ins. The result is this pitch “pedal” simulation that has most of what is great about guitar harmonizer pedals, and still preserves the signal’s integrity.
The Blend control will let you use a fully shifted output, or the dry and wet signals mixed (a harmony). The Pitch menu lets you select pitches like +7 or -7, or harmonies which are intelligent pitch shift effects. These harmonizer effects are intended to be played in a certain major or minor scale. So selecting C (major that is) scale for Key, which doubles as Am (A minor), means you should play only the notes A, B, C, D, E, F, and G for the most harmonized results. Key is not important for non-harmony settings. Detune is good for getting a more natural effect, only a little is needed (a little up or down from the center position).
On the bottom there are some other options. You can choose mono, for lower CPU usage, or stereo for stereo inputs. Transient Fix can be on or off, on is recommended but if you have strange glitches you may try turning it off. If you have a strong attack to your input it will clearly preserve that better, but if you have a fade in to notes, like a pad it won’t have a noticeable effect. It’s got a guitar tuner! That’s right, since it detects pitch anyway we decided to display it as a tuner and it can be made stationary in the bottom right if it is an eyesore.
Pitchproof is now available for free for VST/AU/AAX
Free Pitch Changing Vst Free
More information here: Pitchproof