T-Pain is saying good-bye to a dear friend -- Auto-Tune.

The R&B hitmaker tells Billboard.com today (July 20) that he is officially trading in the audio production software for his own invention, the T-Pain Effect. The software is a joint effort with iZotope that gives users access to his "whole vocal chain" of effects, 50 beats and a full complement of recording and distribution software.

T-Pain Ditches Auto-Tune: 'You Can't Stick with One Thing Forever'

Before inventing the T-Pain Effect, the rapper/producer played a crucial role in introducing Auto-Tune into hip-hop. Soon it created a ripple effect into pop music, which had previously experienced Auto-Tune in a big way via Cher's "Believe" in 1998. The trend simmered when Jay-Z -- disturbed by the countless number of rappers jumping on the Auto-Tune bandwagon -- took it upon himself to declare the trend dead via his track "D.O.A." ("Death of Auto-Tune") on "Blueprint 3." It just hasn't been the same for T-Pain's Auto-Tune-filled career since then.

In an ode to the vocal effect, here are 10 great Auto-Tuned tracks that we'll never forget.

"Buy You A Drank"

T-Pain Feat. Yung Joc

It's only fair T-Pain holds a slot on our list, after all he did revive the trend in the 2000s. T-Pain showed the world the power of Auto-Tune with his Hot 100 No. 1 "Buy You a Drank (Shawty Snappin')."

"Bed Intruder Song"

The Gregory Brothers & Antoine Dodson

With hundreds of millions of YouTube views, it's fair to say that behind T-Pain, Auto-Tune the News may be the most well-known example of the vocal effect. The Gregory Brothers, who are behind the Auto-Tune the News series, created 2010's biggest viral sensation by Auto-Tuning Antoine Dodson's heated TV rant about "hiding yo' kids, hiding yo' wife."

"Believe"

Cher

Long before T-Pain brought Auto-Tune "back," Cher -- the ultimate musical chameleon -- had mastered it and moved on. In late 1998, her "Believe" single, which featured her oft-impersonated Auto-Tuned vocals, hit the airwaves. Soon enough, the single made its 4-week reign at No. 1 on the Hot 100, going on to become one of the best-selling singles of all time (1.8 million physical copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan).

"Love Lockdown"

Kanye West

Kanye West's fascination with Auto-Tune was anything but subtle on his 2008 breakup album, "808s & Heartbreak." He traded his rhymes for sung vocal parts on the electropop meets R&B release -- a departure he made clear on the album's first single, the tribal-leaning "Love Lockdown"

"Woods"

Bon Iver

On his 2009 "Blood Bank" EP, Bon Iver followed up the sweet folk jams of debut "For Emma, Forever Ago" with… Auto-Tune? Bon Iver's Justin Vernon proved that the vocal effect is not just for rappers, creating an especially haunting effect on his track "Woods," which, in turn, inspired a rapper (Kanye West's "Lost in the World").

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