Auto-Tune -- love it or hate it, it's certainly made its mark on pop music. And now it's in a guitar -- the Peavey AT-200 Guitar Featuring Auto-Tune For Guitar Technology, to give its full longer-than-a-Skynyrd-solo title. We'll just call it the Auto-Axe. Rock on!
It looks just like a regular guitar, but push a button on the Auto-Axe and you can play with perfect pitch, the adjustments made live in real time. Peavey reckons you'll never stop playing to re-tune your guitar ever again, and every chord will sound perfect.
The onboard Antares Solid-Tune intonation system monitors the precise pitch of each individual string and electronically corrects pitch to ensure every chord, riff and lick is in tune. Peavey claims it's even smart enough to know when axemeisters intend to manipulate pitch, so bends and vibrato rock as hard as the plank-spanker intends.
Like any self-respecting gadget these days, the Peavey AT-200 Auto-Axe can download apps. Axe apps! You can upgrade the built-in software with new features that can be controlled by any MIDI source, from effects pedals to Auto-Tune iPad and iPhone apps.
Auto-Tune is the pitch-correction software made by Antares Audio Technologies that's designed to digitally adjust a singer's voice so a vocal performance hits all the right notes. It began as a Pro Tools plug-in developed from research into seismic vibrations -- after all, you can't rock much harder than an earthquake.
But from its early days as a dirty little trade secret, Auto-Tune has become better known for making lyrics by Cher, T-Pain and Kanye West go all roboty-wooOOOoooobblyYYYyyyYYyyy.
From multi-tracking to music videos, sploshing flange to samplers, check out our guide to more technology behind the tunes.
The Peavey AT-200 Guitar Featuring Auto-Tune For Guitar Technology takes the stage in July 2012, for around £320.
The Auto-Axe isn't the only high-tech guitar stringing us along recently. Press play on our video below to rock out with the ION Guitar Apprentice for iPad.
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Comments 3
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anonymous 1 February, 2012 11:25
Wouldn't it be more effective to have this in a pedal or something? Few people are guying to buy an entire guitar (one that's not displaying anything particularly unique other than auto-tune) on the basis of this feature that is mostly useful for voice effects. Another alternative is using software editing.
I.e. This is a gimmic, and I find it hard to believe that the designers are planning to sell very many.
anonymous 2 February, 2012 13:23
What happens when one wants to use something other than a stadard tune?
anonymous 2 February, 2012 14:02
I'll stick with my Gibson Dark Fire thanks.