While the electric guitar seems like a fairly simple instrument, there are a lot of things to consider with it.

Firstly, the electric guitar on its own requires an amp to work, as well as additional effects units if you want to make things more interesting.

From the earliest days of the instrument, one of the main goals for guitar players was to make them sound less “dry.”

Over time, guitarists and engineers started adding atmospheric effects using different methods.

In the present day, this comes as one of the easiest tasks since you can get your hands on some very simple and effective pedals.

And talking of atmospheric effects, reverb holds an important place in the world of the electric guitar.

The other alternative is the delay (or echo) but the discussion which of these two effects is better is still ongoing.

Reverb still has its strong following and will give your guitar tone just a slight “vintage” twist in there.

With all this said, we’re going to look into the best reverb pedals on the market today. Below, you can find something for everyone’s needs and set budget levels.

Electro-Harmonix Oceans 11

For many decades now, ever since the end of the 1960s, Electro-Harmonix kept pumping out great pedals.

Although fairly known for their impeccable distortions, they still have some other great stuff in other departments to offer.

For this list, we’re looking into their Oceans 11 reverb pedal that, as you might have assumed from its name, comes with 11 different reverberation presets.

But aside from this very versatile feature, we also have an additional mode switch that does further tone-shaping on each of these 11 presets.

There’s even an additional input on the side that lets you use an external switch for that “infinite” reverb that keeps on ringing out in the background.

Boss RV-6

Boss is hard to avoid on pretty much any list of pedals. No matter the effect or the era in rock music, there’ll always be mention of this legendary company.

As far as reverbs go, we’re quite fascinated by their simple, compact, and yet very potent RV-6.

But aside from its basic controls, you can also find a switch for different reverberation modes.

The pedal also comes with a special mode that combines delay and reverb, making a super-atmospheric tone for some of those mellow songs.

You can also use it as a stereo pedal and even pair it with an expression pedal for more tone-shaping options.

Boss RV-500

Now, Boss’s new 500 Series of pedals is just something else.

These are more than just the typical stompboxes that give you a few options and presets. Just take a look at RV-500 and all of its features.

This is like a very detailed and complex digital processing unit that’s focusing solely on reverb.

It would take a lot of time to explain what this pedal does exactly. This fully digital device comes with an impeccable sound resolution of 32 bits and 96 kHz.

There are 12 basic modes as well as 21 reverb types. You can also dial in some of those vintage-inspired tones that resemble tape delays.

There are also other features like MIDI connectivity for more control options.

MXR M300

And MXR also comes as another amazing example of a brand that manages to surpass its competition in many different aspects.

Although compact and simple, their pedals are quite useful, which is also the case with their M300 reverb.

Here, we have a straightforward approach with only three basic knobs and some additional controls that allow you to cycle through 6 different modes, including one that mimics those plate reverbs.

What’s more, you can add some diversity in there using an expression pedal. This is a very useful one for those who adore the reverb effect but don’t feel like using complicated pedals.

Walrus Audio Fathom

While the company is not that big and famous compared to some other that we mentioned on the list, Walrus still makes some of the best pedals on the market these days.

In their arsenal, we can find an amazing and very atmospheric Audio Fathom reverb.

It comes with four modes, all of which provide you with great spaciousness and detailed controls that let you dial in anything from subtle shimmering reverberation and up to those extremely long and psychedelic yet unique-sounding effects.

To add to all this, there’s even a switch that gives you “infinite” sustain when you press on it. It’s a compact pedal, but it’s a real playground for reverb lovers.

Donner Verb Square

When we’re talking about pedals of any kind, things often get really difficult if you’re operating on a budget.

Sure, all these pedals that we mentioned are great, but some of them can get rather expensive.

At the same time, it seems as if all the cheap stuff just isn’t worth it. This is where Donner steps in with their amazing yet affordable pedals.

This is exactly the case with their Verb Square reverb. Packed into a mini-sized casing, it comes with just the essential controls.

It’s not complex, it’s just a “stripped-down” reverb unit that will help you get what you need. Considering its price, this is more than a great deal.

Eventide Space

Lastly, we’d mention another one of those very detailed pedals. The unit in question is Eventide Audio’s Space reverb that comes with so many options that we wouldn’t be able to fit into an entire article.

And this one’s even more detailed and complex compared to Boss RV-500. There’s an abundance of controls, each doing different parameter tweaking depending on the reverberation mode.

It comes with 12 basic reverb algorithms, stereo mode, expression pedal connectivity, as well as USB connectivity for some serious tone-shaping options.

Music production is an expensive business to get into because of the software and hardware overheads.

Finding free plugins and apps out there to give your tech an edge over the competition and improve your music with premium features usually reserved for premium services could be a huge plus to your business.

This is why we compiled this review list of the top 5 free autotune plugins you should consider in 2020 to up your music production game for no out of pocket cost.

We also created a buying guide comparing their features more generally so that you can make an informed decision of which plugin is the best for you based on your needs and the needs of your business.

You could also use the guide to compare plugins you find on your own if you have a specific brand in mind.

Reviews of the Top 5 Free Autotune Plugins

These are the 5 best free autotune plugins we reviewed. We go over their main features and pros, as well as some of the drawbacks so you know exactly what you’re buying.

MAuto Pitch

For visualization and customization, MAuto Pitch is the best free plugin we tried out.

It has a range of features that improve music production on many levels, including fine-tuning sets, configuring formats, and enhancing performance.

The first thing you’ll notice about MAuto Pitch is its interface. Its modern, intuitive visuals are easy to interpret but also organized with the options at your disposal to make your music production work easy.

Namely, the main features MAuto Pitch excels in are its depth, speed, and tuning controls.

Its depth control features give you enhancement functions that allow you to alter sound depth to your specifications. This includes fine-tuning the pitch to get it exactly the way you want it.

The speed control similarly lets you set the parameters for the program to skip the out of tune sounds, jump around, or smooth it out with transition controls. Both the high and low speeds on the MAuto Pitch plugin give you options to customize your experience.

This multi-functionality and control make MAuto Pitch the best plugin we reviewed.

Pros

• Optimal sound, depth, and speed controls
• Modern, intuitive interface
• Enhancement functions that offer tons of customization

Cons

• For the heaviest music production work, MAuto Pitch, which is designed for lighter edits, may not have everything you need compared to premium software options

GSnap

GSnap is a popular option when it comes to vocal pitch tuning and other various effects and is well-known for its adeptness in altering vocal sounds.

Of course, it can mix and produce for instruments as well, but it’s in the vocal range that GSnap shines and may top your personal list if those functions appeal to you and your work, though it doesn’t quite top ours.

The user interface, both in graphics and controls, is easy to use. It has two sides so you can view the original and updated pitches, as well as a MIDI control box that allows you to input and link notes to the track you’re working on.

GSnap has features in the program that guide you through the work that needs to be done, taking you to the areas that need work on its own.

It’s a multifunctional app as well, with 12 control knobs that help you edit effects with a lot of customization. Speed and vibrato knobs are particularly useful, allowing you to use pitch detection and manipulation to make the music sound more organic and in tune.

The gate and threshold knobs are also useful, allowing you to pitch-shift at will and adjust the sound detection so that the plugin reads the sounds differently depending on what you’re producing and for what medium.

This multi-functionality makes GSnap a great alternative pick that might be the top pick for those that focus on thresholds or who want a plugin that emphasizes voice controls.

Pros

• Pitch tuning and effects are more varied than the average plugin
• The interface is sparser than some modern applications but still intuitive
• 12 control knobs give you a ton of features to play with

Cons

• GSnap is not available for Mac

KeroVee

For voice conversion, KeroVee is a great choice.

It comes with a ton of tools and functions that can help you manage pitch correction to your specifications and replace organic voices with mixed mechanical equivalents.

This applies to instruments as well, which can be autotuned on KeroVee as well as on many premium applications.

The display is broken into two sides, which show the initial and mixed signals and allow you to fine-tune the results with knobs on the display.

Pitch adjustment is accurate on KeroVee even to demanding specifications and is perfect for formatting, panning, and transposing sounds.

Its MIDI controller can detect notes automatically and give you corrections that you don’t even need to input manually. Its calibration and nuisance knobs let you remove discrepancies, adjust vibrato, and set the plugin’s correction speed.

KeroVee’s plugin guides and automatic correction software are finetuned for professional autotuning work.

Pros

• Autotuning software offers optimal control
• The interface is simple but functional
• Numerous fine-tuning knobs give you customization and functional pitch shifting, formatting, and calibration options

Cons

• KeroVee is built to finetune vocals, not as much for overhauling huge multi-track instrumentations, so some producers may prefer another plugin

Graillon 2

Auburn Sound’s Graillon autotune plugin hasn’t always been free, but Graillon 2 gives you its premium features at no cost to you.

The Graillon 2 plugin has to be the top choice for autotuning in metallic or robotic sounds with its smooth correction module controls that can adjust the speed of sound changes.

You’ll notice right away that Graillon 2 has a classy interface with a nostalgic color scheme and large decorative font. The central display gives you access to the current sound and intuitively helps you see how the program is correcting it.

Graillon 2 has inertia and speed knobs that reduce pitch correction. It also has a bitcrusher function that gives you access to distorted and robotic sounds that are specific for certain compositions.

The growl sound functions and bitcrusher combined with the vintage interface make Graillon 2 a compelling classic experience with a lot of features.

Pros

• A perfect plugin for autotuning metallic sounds and turning voice samples into artificial sounds
• Nostalgic, high-end interface appearance and intuitive controls
• Bitcrusher function gives you multifunctional distortion options
• Growl sounds and other knobs round out a versatile plugin package

Cons

• The lack of semi-tone jumps and some tricky pitch-shift dial options can take some getting used to for some users

AAS Autotune

We’ve talked about the interfaces on each of these autotune plugins but AAS Autotune is our pick for the best plugin that has no interface at all.

This means that you can only set one correction parameter at a time, but the plugin still works well for certain needs.

For tuning fast sounds, especially robotic ones like autotuned vocals in pop tracks, AAS Autotune works well for the most simplified functions possible.

For some tuning, this can be a useful application, especially if you don’t want to mess with a ton of features.

AAS Autotune can be turned on and do its thing without you nursing it so if your goal is to use software to truly “auto” tune the sounds, AAS Autotune might be the choice for you.

Another bonus to the lack of an interface is that it takes up almost no processing power on your computer, freeing it up for other tasks if you want to work on something else.

Pros

• Low RAM requirements make it easy to run with other applications
• True automatic tuning makes it easy to set up and run without messing with a ton of features
• Fast tuning for metallic sounds or hectic pop tracks is easier with AAS than doing it manually with something else

Cons

• No interface means no frills and fewer options for customization – just make sure you know what you’re getting into

5 Best Free Autotune Plugins: Buying Guide

This buying guide summarizes the main features you should be looking for when comparing these and other autotune plugins.

Interface

The first thing to look for is a plugin that features an interface you can use, since it won’t matter what features it has if you can’t use it efficiently.

Some have classy interfaces like Graillon 2’s decorative font style and some don’t have any interface at all: AAS Autotune, for instance, is just a program that you run on your computer and doesn’t have any windows or extra features.

This gives you a wide array of choices when you’re looking at the interfaces that might work for you.

Since you’re probably using this plugin for work, you need something that you can spend hours on, view the options you need easily, and make your sound design changes with as little hassle as possible.

The good news is that since all these plugins are free, you could theoretically try them out one at a time until you find one you really like.

Control features

How each plugin plays on the traditional features of autotune programs will go a long way to determining which is the right application for your needs.

MIDI controllers, speed, vibrato, gate, and other function knobs (as well as various autotune effects) give the plugins their own identity.

They go from pure minimalism to ultimate multi-functional style tools with as many as 12 knobs to view on increasingly complex interfaces.

What you want to accomplish with this plugin, from voice manipulation to instrumentation conversion, needs to be compared to the desired effects themselves and will largely affect which plugin you choose.

Compatibility

Compatibility is something to check on any plugin before you try and incorporate it into your workspace. GSnap, for instance, isn’t compatible with Mac operating systems.

Some require more RAM than others to run successfully (consider AAS Autotune, for instance, whose minimalism makes it an easy application to run on any computer).

Compatibility may not be on your list of desired features but it’s essential by nature to consider when you’re making your decision.

Uses

This category is separate from the features because, in addition to looking at what the plugins can specifically do, you need to look at how you intend to use them to choose the right one.

For example, one plugin may have more features but may lack another’s accuracy in terms of specific conversions of natural voices to robotic effects or adding vibrato, or another specific function you may need.

You need to compare your intentions to the features to know which plugin will work best for you.

Cost

As stated, all these plugins are free, so this is no concern here.

The Takeaway

Free autotune plugins can be extremely useful additions to any audio mixer or music producer’s toolkit.

Usually, they come at a price, which is why we assembled this list of the 5 best free ones you can use to mix and tune music and sounds without paying a high premium.

Many of these plugins feature versatile features, control knobs, clever interfaces, and tons of customization options.

One of them (AAS Autotune) doesn’t feature any of these things but instead offers a streamlined approach to autotune plugins that lets you run applications quickly and without the hassle of figuring out bells and whistles. No matter which you choose, you’ll be choosing correctly.

Even still, the wealth of options makes MAuto Pitch our top choice for free autotune plugins because of its wealth of features, beautiful interface, and options for fine-tuning compositions to exact specifications.

No matter if you choose one of these or a brand of your own, use our buying guide to compare the main features so you can match the plugin to your audio production needs.

Autotuning complex compositions is difficult but it doesn’t have to be expensive – use this guide to get a premium autotune plugin for your software arsenal without spending a dime.

When recording, producing, or mixing music at home, you can use any kind of professional-level plugins to enhance your work.

What’s rather mind-blowing these days is the fact that you can make it all sound quite professional without having to spend too much.

Home studios have become extremely functional, with some individual artists doing previously unimaginable things, all from the comfort of their bedrooms.

Isn’t that just the best feeling for a musician?

However, things might not be that simple. In order to do so, you’ll have to find a proper collection of plugins.

And although it usually seems pretty simple and like something you can sort out at the input, equalizers are extremely important.

These are the things that you should sort out in the mixing process, all while keeping the recorded input “flat,” which makes it perfect for further processing. And EQ plugins can be a pretty touchy subject.

After all, it takes more than just a simple 3-band EQ to sort things out.

Sometimes you need to add low-pass or high-pass filtering, or even cut out an entire part of the spectrum.

With all this said, we’ve figured that we could look more into this issue and find the best EQ plugins on the market today. After some research, we came up with this list.

iZotope Neutron 3

What iZotope has put out over the years has impressed even the pickiest of producers and mixing engineers out there.

When it comes to EQ plugins, we’d love to mention their Neutron 3, which brings this series of plugins to a whole new level.

Starting with its user interface, we can see some significant changes and improvements, making this plugin way more practical even for not so advanced users.

And the whole interface works hand-in-hand with the new features, like the ability to add up to 12 nodes on the EQ curve and tweaking them as you wish.

Its strongest feature is the addition of the Masking Meter which identifies conflicting frequencies and sorts them out.

Overall, it’s a fully professional and easy to use EQ.

Sonnox Oxford EQ V3

Made by Sonnox, the Oxford EQ V3 is a simpler yet very powerful tool for sorting out the full spectrum frequencies of your project’s individual tracks.

The main idea here was to have a parametric EQ with five individual frequency ranges.

Each range has some detailed controls. And although not as visual compared to some more “modern” plugins, it’s still pretty accessible for many different users.

It also comes with 4 different EQ types and additional amazing features for cutting out unwanted frequencies with precision.

Looking at its features and how it works, it comes up as an amazing choice for a mastering EQ.

Waves PuigTec EQP-1A

If you’re a fan of those realistic-looking plugins that mimic the looks and aesthetics of actual rack-mounted units or other devices, then you’ll love Waves’ PuigTec EQP-1A.

In fact, the plugin is intended as a fairly realistic replica of Pultec EQP-1A, which is a tube-driven equalizing rack-mounted unit.

Even today, these units are made the same way as they were back in the late 1970s. And this plugin manages to capture it pretty well.

It comes with three sections, one for low-end, the other one for high-end boost, and the third one for high-end cutting.

It might be a bit unusual for some lovers of modern plugins, but it’s a real feast for those who love the vintage stuff. Besides, it’s not that expensive either.

SSL Native X-EQ 2

Now, the X-EQ 2 by SSL Native is a pretty complex and advanced equalizer for pretty much any style of music.

It comes with no less than 17 different equalizing types and 9 different filtering options.

With each frequency band, you can switch between many different curve types and apply different parameters to them.

There’s also the so-called “Parallel” mode that helps you replicate those vintage-styled parallel passive EQ circuits.

And the best part is that it features impressive 24 frequency bands for you to play with. Along with its incredible algorithms, you’ll be able to do wonders with this plugin.

Voxengo PrimeEQ

But if you need something simple and affordable that will still offer precise equalizing, then you can go with Voxengo and their PrimeEQ plugin.

It’s designed as a simple parametric EQ for individual tracks that lets you do even some very detailed tone-shaping.

Interestingly enough, it can handle up to 32 individual parametric filter bands, which is more than impressive for a plugin of this price level.

The interface might not be the prettiest one but it’s extremely simple and functional for users of all skill levels.

It also comes with 13 different filtering types and even has the history of your edits, enabling the undo and redo options.

FabFilter Pro-Q 3

If you need a great EQ plugin for your home studio that will enable you to do all the detailed edits from the comfort of your bedroom, then we’d advise you to go with FabFilter’s Pro-Q 3.

It’s not the cheapest one, but it’s still within the reasonable price limits.

Now, this plugin offers more than just simple EQ processing, since it’s also capable of advanced filtering.

It comes with a total of 24 custom frequency bands with some advanced equalizer curve-shaping options.

It also comes with some very practical features, like the Auto Gain which looks into multiple channels and does its own gain correction.

This is an extremely useful tool for any mixing process.

Slate Digital Eiosis AirEQ

Lastly, we would like to mention Slate Digital and their Eiosis AirEQ.

Looking at its user interface, it’s pretty clear that it combines modern principles with some vintage features.

And what’s rather interesting, it has a collection of five very creative features labeled as Earth, Air, Water, Fire, and Strength, each covering different frequency ranges or other tone-shaping properties.