1998Reputable sourceWell documented
Auto-Tune Changes the Sound of Pop
On the timeline · around 1998 · The Rock & Pop Era
What happened
Auto-Tune, a pitch-correction tool created by the engineer Andy Hildebrand using math from oil exploration, was designed to fix off-key singing subtly. But on Cher's 1998 hit 'Believe,' producers pushed it to an extreme, creating a robotic, futuristic vocal effect — the first commercial record to use Auto-Tune as a deliberate sound.
Why it matters
Auto-Tune went on to define the sound of twenty-first-century pop, hip-hop, and R&B, becoming both a ubiquitous production tool and a lasting artistic signature — and a subject of endless debate about authenticity.