How To Set Autotune Key & BPM In Pro Tools

The Two Most Essential Steps Before Recording Any Song

If you want your vocals to sound professional right from the jump, there are two things you must do before you hit record: set your Auto-Tune key and lock in your session’s BPM. Skip either one, and your track will feel off no matter how good the performance is.

1. Set Your Auto-Tune Key

If you’re doing any kind of singing or melodic rap, the very first step is to put Auto-Tune in the right key. Otherwise, your vocals will sound flat, robotic, or just plain wrong.

Here’s how to do it:
    •    Open the Auto-Key plugin on your beat track.
    •    Hit Listen and play your beat.
    •    Auto-Key will detect the song’s key and send it directly to Auto-Tune with one click.

Now, when you start recording, your tuning is locked in and working with your beat instead of against it.

2. Lock In Your BPM

The second step is just as important: making sure your Pro Tools session matches the tempo of your beat. Setting the BPM correctly makes your workflow smoother — from copying and pasting hooks to lining up delays perfectly on beat.

Here’s the quick method:
    •    Use a BPM finder (I like Virtual DJ).
    •    Drag in your beat, and the software will instantly show the tempo.
    •    In Pro Tools, click the “+” icon in the tempo ruler, type in the BPM (for example, 180), and hit enter.

That’s it — your session is now synced to your beat.