Getting contemporary vocal phrases used to be the preserve of hardware or some fancy editing moves in the DAW. With audio plugins out there to design modern vocal phrases entirely in-the-box, here we check out Antares Auto-Tune Slice.

The studio environment has undergone a radical transformation since the innovative use (and at times, misuse) of vintage hardware samplers by artists from the previous century. Numerous electronic genres continue to rely on mechanical stutters, repetitions, and glitches reminiscent of those sounds, and incorporating them into digital platforms has become pretty simple to do in the box using instruments and audio plugins. These tools set out to create the kind of acrobatic vocal transformations that used to be the preserve of large rackmount samplers with a distinctly limited syllable-count. Who needs poetry when you can get the idea across with an Ah-Yeah! or Come-On!?

What Is Antares Auto-Tune Slice?

Auto-Tune Slice is a versatile tool, blending a precise sampler with a flexible synthesizer. Antares have developed it to allow for voices to be used as instruments, or for transforming diverse samples into entire compositions.

This instrument isn't just a vocal sampler, and it's more helpful to think of it as an ecosystem of audio plugin and library content designed for vocals and melodies. Although this type of tech will lend itself to pop and electronic genres, the collection sets out to be diverse enough to cater to producers across various music genres. Auto-Tune Slice boasts some big hitting users such as Aaron Dessner (Taylor Swift, The National) and Bon Iver, but of course anyone can get hold of it to supercharge their electronic production values.

Using Antares Auto-Tune Slice

The MO is fairly simple, where engineering creators can simply select a vocal sample from its growing library and use that within Auto-Tune Slice, or use their own sources. These can be dragged into the GUI, or re-recorded into Auto-Tune Slice when inserted on an audio track. Its transient detection automatically divides the sample into sections, although there is also a Chromatic mode for some truly old school key mapping of single sounds if that’s your thing.

In the video we use Auto-Tune Slice to inject a new dimension into our own vocal creation. Taking an entire stem, we use it to transform the performance in a way that would have taken loads more time using timeline edits in the DAW. Taking full advantage of its transient detection, we arrange our performance across the keyboard before adding some extra spice with Auto-Tune Slice’s Doubler and native Auto-Tune pitch bending signatures…

Auto-Tune Slice Key Features:

• Precision vocal sampling instrument and flexible synthesizer hybrid

• Optimized for vocals, powerful for beats and instruments

• 14 onboard effects

• Advanced transient detection

• Constantly updated library of exclusive vocal presets