Robert "Chicken Man" Unwin tries Autotune

REMEMBER THIS MAN?

X Factor hopeful Robert “Chicken Man” Unwin’s audition was voted the worst ever after his high-pitched version of The Bee Gees’ Tragedy in 2004.

But using the same tricks as the show employs, the Mirror turned him from zero to hero to demonstrate how easy it is to alter a contestant’s sound using Auto-Tune technology.

We drafted in producer Andy Strange, who has worked with stars including Elton John and Robbie Williams, to manipulate Robert’s voice.

The chicken factory worker, 38, of North Wales, gave another rendition of Tragedy in Andy’s studio – with several duff notes.

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After a few tweaks on his mixing desk, Andy played back the song.

Suddenly Robert sounded like Barry Gibb. “It’s a huge difference,” he said. “If they’d used that on my audition I could have gone through.

“I often wondered if other songs had been tuned up as they never seemed to change.”

Andy said: “The technology is now common practice. It can’t make you George Michael but it can certainly smooth out any flat notes.”

full article and video here

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http://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/news/2010/08/25/x-factor-auto-tune-con-turns-chicken-man-into-a-bee-gee-exclusive-115875-22511422/