Friends, in Rock Band and in the real world, I can actually play the drums.  I'm not a terrible rhythm guitar player, either (to say nothing of my ukulele prowess).  However, to my eternal disappointment, you would probably prefer not to hear me sing.  I wouldn't hold it against you.

So, it's for people just like me that Harmonix has seen fit to include iZotope's real-time pitch detection and pitch shifting middleware in Rock Band 3.  No, it won't actually make me a better singer.  But it will make me sound like I am.  From iZotope's press release:

"Rock Band 3 provides players with the option to enable vocal effects commonly used in the music industry, assisting players to sing on key more easily with pitch correction and bringing the tools that pros use into the living room."

I don't know who is more thankful -- me, or the people who have had to listen to me sing in the past.  Either way, Mark Ethier, CEO of iZotope, offers his take on the situation.

"With the production values of video games rivaling that of commercial albums and blockbuster films, consumers expect the same caliber of video and audio quality during dynamic, real-time game play."

"Rock Band is an ideal platform for us to showcase iZotope's technology so we can provide gamers with studio-grade audio effects that professional mixers, sound designers and others in the entertainment industry have relied on for years."

Pitch correction is yet another is what is becoming a long list of innovative features coming to Rock Band 3, from the addition of new instruments like keyboards and more realistic (and, you know, actually real) guitar controllers, to the awesome new Pro Mode.  Game Rant's John Jacques came away from his hands on time with the game powerfully impressed, and Rock Band 3 is the recipient of several Game Critics Awards nominations.  It is clearly the music game to beat this fall.

Singing is arguably the most casual component of the Rock Band experience (and, therefore, probably the scene of some of the most heinous "crimes" committed against the game).  The addition of pitch correction may go a considerable distance toward making the singing portion of the game more approachable (or tolerable) for a great number of people.  As long as it doesn't make everyone sound like T-Pain.  Or Cher.

Ranters, what do you think about pitch correction in Rock Band 3?  Are you more likely to take to the microphone knowing that the game can keep you from sounding like Lemmy from Motorhead?

Rock Band 3 is scheduled to release October 31st, 2010, on Xbox 360, PS3, and Wii.

Source: iZotope, Inc.