

I'm going to show you how to achieve all three stages, from sounding like a robot, to sounding like a synthesizer, to undetectable perfection. Most pop artists are selected based on their overall marketability (looks, ability to perform, above average vocal talent) as opposed to being chosen based on a supreme skill in singing. The only difference between the second and third stage is how good of a vocalist the artist is.

Let me tell you, they all are, but their mixing engineers are doing such a fantastic job with it you wouldn't know. Then you consider all of the artists you think aren't using it. It's my opinion that the 2010 decade will be considered a "dark age" of music, partially due to this effect that many artists will come to regret in the future. Take artists like Cher or T-Pain, or even Lil Wayne when rapping, who nearly sound like robots during their songs. More artists than you'd realize use this tool undetectably, while others make it very obvious. Autotune is the perfect example of a signal processing method that can be used in overdrive as an effect or used properly in a transparent way to improve a performance.
