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Auto-Tune Abuse
- Thread starter Avi Arun
- Start date
No one uses auto-tune at the concerts I run.
I'm a sound tech, and none of the singers I work with need the help of autotune, much less know what it is. I have a few that have exceptional range and can nail the same performance every night.
If the performance mattered to you, you wouldn't condone the use of autotune.
Unless you'd rather see stage acting, than hear your artist sing with the talent they were born with, that is.
No matter how much you EQ a voice, it isn't going to stop a singer from missing notes.
With autotune, any kid on the street could sing, and sing well.
Arguing the point is borderline ridiculous. As I've said, if it doesn't bother you to know that your music is synthetic, so be it.
I, however, feel differently.
I guess music for me, is more about the music, and less about the dance.
I'm a sound tech, and none of the singers I work with need the help of autotune, much less know what it is. I have a few that have exceptional range and can nail the same performance every night.
If the performance mattered to you, you wouldn't condone the use of autotune.
Unless you'd rather see stage acting, than hear your artist sing with the talent they were born with, that is.
No matter how much you EQ a voice, it isn't going to stop a singer from missing notes.
With autotune, any kid on the street could sing, and sing well.
Arguing the point is borderline ridiculous. As I've said, if it doesn't bother you to know that your music is synthetic, so be it.
I, however, feel differently.
I guess music for me, is more about the music, and less about the dance.
A Vocoder is a specific piece of processing equipment that does a specific thing, which is take an analog vocal signal and split it into banRAB, modify those banRAB via filters and allow them to be assigned on a keyboard or MIDI editor.
An abused vocalizer, or abused auto-tune program, is a pitch modifier of a signal pushed to extremes so that the changes don't sound natural.
There's a huge difference, and if you do a side by side comparison, you know the difference.
Think Imogen Heap's "Hide And Seek", which was created with a vocoder, VS all of T-Pain's crap. Notice the difference? (besides the fact that one sounRAB amazing and the other sounRAB garbage)
It's two completely different effects, doing two completely different things.
I mean, in theory, one could say "well if both are modifying the pitch on any level, then they're both the same", but that's too general.
It would be like saying, "well... you can breathe oxygen, and you can breathe helium... so they're the same 'cause you can breathe both of them".
An abused vocalizer, or abused auto-tune program, is a pitch modifier of a signal pushed to extremes so that the changes don't sound natural.
There's a huge difference, and if you do a side by side comparison, you know the difference.
Think Imogen Heap's "Hide And Seek", which was created with a vocoder, VS all of T-Pain's crap. Notice the difference? (besides the fact that one sounRAB amazing and the other sounRAB garbage)
It's two completely different effects, doing two completely different things.
I mean, in theory, one could say "well if both are modifying the pitch on any level, then they're both the same", but that's too general.
It would be like saying, "well... you can breathe oxygen, and you can breathe helium... so they're the same 'cause you can breathe both of them".
phone_tv_dsl
New member
As long as its acceptable to modify sound I don't see why we should draw the line at modifying it a specific way.
Thats different, and not quite what I'm on about. However, music that is fully digital, while still needing a composer, is performed by mechanical processes which don't make mistakes. Nobody would ever say that electronica isn't real music, so I don't see why using something to make your voice flawless is any different as far as the performance aspect.
Thats different, and not quite what I'm on about. However, music that is fully digital, while still needing a composer, is performed by mechanical processes which don't make mistakes. Nobody would ever say that electronica isn't real music, so I don't see why using something to make your voice flawless is any different as far as the performance aspect.
OK I was trying to just stay out of this now but...
This contradicts everything you've said this entire time. You've been saying that what matters more than how good the music sounRAB is that it's the artist themselves doing it naturally, not aiding by effects like autotune. It's obvious that the quality of the music itself is not what truly matters to you.
If music is good, I don't care what is done to create it.
This contradicts everything you've said this entire time. You've been saying that what matters more than how good the music sounRAB is that it's the artist themselves doing it naturally, not aiding by effects like autotune. It's obvious that the quality of the music itself is not what truly matters to you.
If music is good, I don't care what is done to create it.
Metal Mafia
New member
Lets try this again. Do any of your acts use synthesizers or samples?
You evidently haven't been following the thread from the beginning, mate.
I said what matters most, is the honesty in the music.
I could care less if a singer can't sing 100% all the time, because a guitarist isn't going to hit every correct note,
playing show, after show, after show.
Music is becoming more of a business, and less of an art.
And I'm not in the business of enhancement at the cost of deceit.
If I can't hire enough musicians to play all the extra effects, strings, and all the symphony crap in the background of my
studio song, I'm not going to record it.
Because, if I MYSELF couldn't play it the same way live, I wouldn't do it.
But that's just me.
Autotune can be used to help someone achieve perfection; true statement.
Is this a bad thing in the studio? Definately not.
The question is, can they achieve it without it?
If they can't achieve it, tune them, and fix the problem.
Let's make it easier for talentless people to hit mainstream.
Because, God forbid, we don't need any real singers giving it their all on an album.
Why bother when they can just fix it in the studio, right?
Let's make the job they have even easier, so they can make millions off us without even putting in a lot of effort.
If they can't achieve it without aid, then its not worth my time.
If you don't care, good for you.
Case closed.
I said what matters most, is the honesty in the music.
I could care less if a singer can't sing 100% all the time, because a guitarist isn't going to hit every correct note,
playing show, after show, after show.
Music is becoming more of a business, and less of an art.
And I'm not in the business of enhancement at the cost of deceit.
If I can't hire enough musicians to play all the extra effects, strings, and all the symphony crap in the background of my
studio song, I'm not going to record it.
Because, if I MYSELF couldn't play it the same way live, I wouldn't do it.
But that's just me.
Autotune can be used to help someone achieve perfection; true statement.
Is this a bad thing in the studio? Definately not.
The question is, can they achieve it without it?
If they can't achieve it, tune them, and fix the problem.
Let's make it easier for talentless people to hit mainstream.
Because, God forbid, we don't need any real singers giving it their all on an album.
Why bother when they can just fix it in the studio, right?
Let's make the job they have even easier, so they can make millions off us without even putting in a lot of effort.
If they can't achieve it without aid, then its not worth my time.
If you don't care, good for you.
Case closed.
livelove123
New member
sounRAB to me like YOU are the troll
kurama1992
New member
I have used auto-tune in the past with singers I've recorded in order to correct small pitch deviations that didn't warrant a total re-take of a vocal section, and it's effective in that scenario.
But what I think is going wrong with the "abuse" of the program is a lot of mix engineers tend to apply the effect to the entire vocal line in a way that presents the vocals as unnatural and artificially tonally "perfect", which can be clearly spotted if you listen to a majority of new rock acts on the radio.
Using such an effect to transform the natural state of a vocal, instead of using it to correct isolated mistakes, can be a creative application, but more often than not it's used to make a bad singer sound good, which is the main concern in terms of honesty to the music itself and the fans who expect consistency in the banRAB they love whether in the studio or on stage.
But what I think is going wrong with the "abuse" of the program is a lot of mix engineers tend to apply the effect to the entire vocal line in a way that presents the vocals as unnatural and artificially tonally "perfect", which can be clearly spotted if you listen to a majority of new rock acts on the radio.
Using such an effect to transform the natural state of a vocal, instead of using it to correct isolated mistakes, can be a creative application, but more often than not it's used to make a bad singer sound good, which is the main concern in terms of honesty to the music itself and the fans who expect consistency in the banRAB they love whether in the studio or on stage.
Lucky Lefty
New member
But it doesn't matter. The end result is music, an artistic expression. That is it. We're talking about sound, and as long as the sound is pleasing to the ear why would it matter how it was achieved?
I eated a cookie
New member
^ You're right, that's very true I guess. I hadn't really looked at it in that way. Although there is a huge difference between well-produced electronic music and a crummy pop song made lazily by running vocals through an autotune processor... just as there is lazily made music in other genres as well I suppose.
And also... unfortunately there are actually many people out there who would argue that electronica isn't real music!
And also... unfortunately there are actually many people out there who would argue that electronica isn't real music!
i agree^, it's like if someone wants to make a song in a way where it's not possible without the aid of studio equipment, i'd be okay with that if the end result was creatively sound and something that i enjoyed listening to. one example that comes to mind is Mastodon. while they can be able to replicate the instrumentation of their songs good enough live, their vocals (especially on their newer release Crack The Skye) are alot more polished in the studio than live. tbh, i feel that as long as they're able to make fantastic songs like i know they can, i don't care if they never perform another live show again.
zuha sultana
New member
Synthesizers still require skill. They're basically just electronic pianos with effects
roman pierce
New member
Unfan,
Pitch correction is basically the same as having an eraser on a pencil. If you don't fuck up, there isn't a need for it. But if you do, you have options.
I think the problem arises when producers are implementing auto-tuning options as a first line of defense, instead of working with the singer and allowing the natural talent of a singer to be expressed. It's a laziness in the recording industry that's may be causing technically pitch-perfect recordings, but at the same time, is causing disappointment when fans realize the musicians they love can't hold a tune during a concert. I don't know about you, but I like concerts who's banRAB don't sound like garbage.
Might be a personal thing though, so don't hold me to that.
It extenRAB beyond the vocal realm though.
If you realized the full extent of the editing and modifying of ALL elements of a professionally recorded band, you'd be amazed.
I do understand that the end result is all that matters, but specifically in the context of live performances, you can generally get a very good idea of which banRAB made it because of true talent, and which ones just made it because they had a good producer, mixer, and mastering engineer.
Pitch correction is basically the same as having an eraser on a pencil. If you don't fuck up, there isn't a need for it. But if you do, you have options.
I think the problem arises when producers are implementing auto-tuning options as a first line of defense, instead of working with the singer and allowing the natural talent of a singer to be expressed. It's a laziness in the recording industry that's may be causing technically pitch-perfect recordings, but at the same time, is causing disappointment when fans realize the musicians they love can't hold a tune during a concert. I don't know about you, but I like concerts who's banRAB don't sound like garbage.
Might be a personal thing though, so don't hold me to that.
It extenRAB beyond the vocal realm though.
If you realized the full extent of the editing and modifying of ALL elements of a professionally recorded band, you'd be amazed.
I do understand that the end result is all that matters, but specifically in the context of live performances, you can generally get a very good idea of which banRAB made it because of true talent, and which ones just made it because they had a good producer, mixer, and mastering engineer.
Comrade Obama
New member
How many of you are familiar with auto-tune?
I was actually unaware of how heavily it was used until about a month ago.
This is something that will definately bring about the destruction of meaningful music, if it continues in the rampant pace with which its being used today.
I thought it was mainly used by those pop and techno idiots that wanted to add a little something extra to their vocals, but it's actually being used to correct any out of pitch perfomances in the studio.
Anyone else got any input?
I feel blinRABided by it, even though I can't say I'm too surprised.
I was actually unaware of how heavily it was used until about a month ago.
This is something that will definately bring about the destruction of meaningful music, if it continues in the rampant pace with which its being used today.
I thought it was mainly used by those pop and techno idiots that wanted to add a little something extra to their vocals, but it's actually being used to correct any out of pitch perfomances in the studio.
Anyone else got any input?
I feel blinRABided by it, even though I can't say I'm too surprised.
R.I.P. Michael Jackson <3
New member
Does a synthesizer enhance their skill?
Is this too much for you to take in....
Is this too much for you to take in....
burberryicon
New member
I can understand and appreciate it's use in small doses, but an abuse of it is truly annoying. Recording an album is an everlasting thing, as long as there is a means to play the album, it will always remain the same (unless physically damaged). With this permanence I can understand an artist's desire to make it as perfect as they can, and if that includes fixing a few places in their audio recording where they go out of tune then so be it. This argument is very similar to the one about overdubbing on instruments, specifically guitars. Some artists like Billy Corgan love this method of recording to death (for instance the song "Soma" contains 42 overdubs) however my opinion is if they can't replicate it live then it's all for not.