Does BTS Use Autotune?

The K-Pop band BTS uses autotune heavily in the studio and on the stage. The band members don’t have the best vocal technique and tend to need the help of autotune. Also, the intense choreography on the stage, as well as the high notes in their songs, make the songs very challenging to sing.

BTS uses very heavy pitch correction and autotune in the studio. The producers use autotune to the degree that the vocals sound highly robotic and unnatural. The reason behind this is to blend the vocals of different members well and reach perfection, but perfection is inhumane, so the sound is on most BTS songs.

BTS (방탄소년단) 'Black Swan' Official MVBTS (방탄소년단) ‘Black Swan’ Official MV

One of the greatest examples is their song “Black Swan.” The song almost sounds like a Daft Punk song with heavy effects and autotune on vocals. The song has been heavily criticized as it sounds like robots are singing it. 

The band’s songs have high-pitch notes, which are challenging to sing, even for educated and talented singers. So, it is almost impossible for these young guys without proper vocal techniques to sing those notes successfully while performing intense dance choreographies. In this sense, they do not have any other choice but to use heavy autotune.

BTS 방탄소년단 'Life Goes On' | *AUTOTUNE VS NO AUTOTUNE* (Genius)BTS 방탄소년단 ‘Life Goes On’ | *AUTOTUNE VS NO AUTOTUNE* (Genius)

The comparison video clearly shows that the band members are not very successful singers without autotune. K-Pop bands are mainly famous for their dances, catchy melodies, and looks instead of their musical talent or great vocal techniques, which is the case with BTS.

BTS Can’t Sing (With Proof)BTS Can’t Sing (With Proof)

Also, in the last video, it is clearly seen that the vocal cords of band members are damaged, probably because of poor vocal technique. Without autotune, they can not sing in tune or loud enough. 

That is why most K-Pop bands, including BTS, also use the lip-synch technique in most of their shows. It is about how they look and dance instead of how they sound or whether the performance is authentic or not. So, the band and the producers use all kinds of techniques, including autotune, pitch corrections software, heavy effects, lip-sync, etc., to make the music sound decent.

BTS Featured Image by: Carolin von Petzholdt, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons