Is the “autotune sound” something that you could recreate with an unaided human voice, or does it involve overtones or harmonics that are beyond the capabilities of any human singer?
Instantaneous pitch shifting is not possible with a larynx.
This is just opinion but I would say probably not. Like the chorus of Cher’s ‘Believe’ or any part of a T-Pain song? I really doubt it.
Of course I reckon the relatively subtle effects of autotune on something like a Ke$ha or Britney record - where it gives the vocals a clear “sound” by fixing up the notes but doesn’t push it into overdrive for effect like Cher did - would be easy to reproduce by a more talented singer (and I say that as a Ke$ha and Britney fan, so that’s not a dig but just the truth).
I dunno, could some of those throat or overtone singers manage it?
This is pretty close.
The original pre-dated AutoTune, being done with recording on tape at different speeds to shift the pitch. This was acapella, tossed off during a concert.
Aaron Neville is probably the closest you can get without machines. The actual note changes are kinda staccato because he closes his glottis to mask changing the notes when he does his stereotypical sound.
The harmonics aren’t a problem really, if you don’t mind using other effects (like multiple singers and odd accoustics) to pull it off. The problem is just the pitch separation (of which Neville gets closest) and just staying perfectly in pitch. I’m not sure who is closest for that last part–probably a really good singer with perfect pitch, which is more rare than most people imagine.
Aaaaand I’m not the first to have that thought:
Bet he could do Poker Face with some practice.