Cher used Antares Auto-Tune in 1998 for her song "Believe," and few paid much attention. But lately, the robotic sounding vocal effect has become standard among rap and R&B acts from T-Pain to Kanye West and others. New Yorker pop music critic Sasha Frere-Jones and producer and mixer David Bendeth discuss Auto-Tune and its abusers.

Tell us what you think of Auto-Tune and other pitch-correction tools. Is it ever ethical to use it? Leave a comment.

Soundcheck blog: John Schaefer on Auto-Tune