250 bucks. Not terrible - I was expecting it to be much higher, considering how many people have said it works pretty well. But, your buidget probably doesnt have room for 250 bucks to blow simply to get quicker harmonies done... I know mine doesn't, but I don't want Melodyne, either
What software are you using? Generally, in a software package like Cubase, once you have a track recorded, you attach effects to the signal that gets played back - in Cubase, by turning on an "insert", just like on a mixer - and then you select what plugin you want the signal to be processed through, and then edit the parameters of the plugin on a separate panel.
However, some of the free software out there doesn't support VST plugins, as far as I know (I don't think Audacity does, but I believe reaper does - others can weigh in on that)