Kanye West has reacted to criticism of his heavy use of Auto-Tune on new album 808s & Heartbreaks, claiming that the software has actually made him a better singer.
"I get a lot of backlash for using [Auto-Tune] because it's a tool people use when they can't sing," says West. "What it does for me, if I sing off-key, it really points that out. It points out the bad notes. So what I have to do is sing more perfect".
Whether West is implying that he re-records parts "more perfectly" once Auto-Tune has made him aware of their imperfections isn't clear, but this seems a strange argument when you listen to the way that he uses the software.
Rather than going for straight pitch correction, West frequently employs Auto-Tune as a clearly audible effect; whereas some artists might try and hide the fact that they use it, he makes it obvious.
Bottom line: we still don't know if he can sing or not.
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