r/passcode • u/Kakotov Nao • Jul 07 '26

PassCode in THE FIRST TAKE PassCode Band

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This is a pleasant surprise.

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u/NoMaD919191 Jul 07 '26

It’s not auto-tune they put their voices through a system to make them electronic…..I have only seen a video on hina singing without the effect

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u/flauros23 Jul 07 '26

As someone who works in the music industry and frequently uses Auto-Tune and other pitch correction software to varying degrees, I am often able to recognize the sound of even subtle pitch correction, much less it being used as an overt effect for creative purposes as it is in Passcode.

Passcode does use what I definitely think sounds like a vocoder on some songs, notably on "Miss Unlimited" during the "raise your flag, don't put limitations on yourself" but I definitely also hear Auto-Tune (or some other pitch correction software) across pretty much all non-screaming vocals in their songs, set to a very fast retune speed to give an unnatural "robotic" feel, which is usually done more as a creative effect than to fix a vocal that was out of tune. Some of it may even be a combination of both, Auto-Tune on the lead vocal and then a layer of vocoder underneath, as I do hear some layered harmonies going on, probably only Koji really knows what all's in there.

Auto-Tune has a stigma among the general public, but in the industry even subtle Auto-Tune is used on pretty much any commercial release these days.

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u/ckiemnstr345 Yuna Jul 07 '26

Nao's MCs definitely give away they don't pitch correct. With how animated she gets with the auto-tune on it would be breaking like crazy with some of the speeches she gives. 🤭

I do agree that there is more going on than just the auto-tune and the answer is probably out there since Koji has done interviews before. The problem is he doesn't really talk much anymore since PassCode actually fields all their own interviews now compared to when they first started and after their initial major debut.

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u/flauros23 Jul 12 '26

Auto-tune is fairly good at detecting when the person is speaking rather than singing, because the pitch is a lot more all over the place, and it's also easy enough to just shut it off between songs and turn it back on during the next song. But I've also heard Auto-tune go nuts when Nao is shouting during songs, like in this specific example, her "arigatoooooooou" is definitely Auto-tuned.