Waves sells you a license and then charges you to keep it working. Auburn Sounds (Graillon) sells you the expanded version (Vocoder, pitch shifting) to professionals, while giving the pitch correction away for free as marketing. Melda gives away MAutoPitch to lure you into their $50 bundle.
If you want a free oscilloscope and more visual control: waves tune realtime free better
For years, Waves Tune has been a staple in the digital audio workstation (DAW) ecosystem. From pop vocals to hard-tuned rap hooks, its two primary iterations—Waves Tune (graphical editing) and Waves Tune Real-Time (live tracking)—have helped millions of engineers lock in pitch. Waves sells you a license and then charges
| Feature | Waves Tune Real-Time | Graillon 2 (Free) | MAutoPitch (Free) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | | $29 + WUP fees | 10 (Free) | 10 (Free) | | Latency (44.1k) | ~2.5ms (requires buffer 128+) | 0.5ms (Winner) | 1.2ms | | Natural Singing | 6/10 (Warbly) | 8/10 (Smooth) | 7/10 | | Hard Tune (Robot) | 7/10 (Ringy) | 9/10 (Glitchy/Modern) | 6/10 (Less aggressive) | | Vibrato Preservation | 4/10 (Kills it) | 8/10 (Retains) | 7/10 | | CPU Usage | Moderate | Low | Moderate | If you want a free oscilloscope and more
The verdict: wins the "better" category for most users because it solves the two biggest complaints about Waves: latency and vibrato destruction. Part 5: The Moral Question – Why Free is Legitimately Better You might be suspicious. "How can free be better than a paid industry standard?" Because the business models have changed.