How many of you use pitch correction for your own vocals?

Do you use pitch correction on your own vocals?

  • I wouldn't touch that shit with a 10-foot pole.

    Votes: 27 33.3%
  • I only use it when absolutely necessary (time constraints, etc.).

    Votes: 7 8.6%
  • I use it when needed. It's just a tool like EQ, compression, etc.

    Votes: 38 46.9%
  • Yes Please! I'll take all I can!

    Votes: 9 11.1%

  • Total voters
    81
well somewhat .... but Taylor Swift is a perfect example of someone who can't sing without auto-tune.
Even her fans admit she can't sing live ...... which actually means she can't sing.


Despite her being gorgeous I doubt she'd have much of a singing career without being auto tuned every step of the way.

I am no fan of Taylor Swift, but the autotune stuff has dogged her unfairly. My understanding is that her live performances are sung without autotune (which would explain pitchiness from time to time). This has been strenuously emphasised by her. The scuttlebutt started when critic Bob Lefsetz accused her of it. She invited him to inspect her equipment during a live performance to confirm it, and got her sound guy to explain further. The story is a bit different on recordings, where apparently she does use correction from time to time, as well as using autotune as an effect.

I can't see Taylor Swift not being pitch-perfect live as being a major flaw. After all, many of our iconic music legends (e.g. Dylan) were not famed for their tunefulness.

There is a paradox here: if Swift depends on her being autotuned every step of the way, then how would anyone know she can't sing in tune live?
 
Taylor Swift is not the worst offender by a million miles. Go listen to any Brittney Spears garbage. That is some heavy autotuning. And none of these popkunts actually sing live. You know that. There is not a pop princess on earth that actually sings live.
 
My theory is that people have become acclimated to it, but there is a small percentage that can hear any pitch correction of any kind, and they probably grew up singing in the church choir and had some private vocal training like me. The more you know the voice as a musical instrument... one in which you are well acquainted with how it should sound naturally, IMO the easier it is to hear when the vocal is being tampered with pitch wise. But not only vocalists are sensitive to it. The more musically sensitive and the more outstanding the musician regardless of main instrument, the easier it is to hear.

I've had many a song thrown my way with the person sure I wouldn't hear the most subtle pitch correction. I always hear it, and it's not hard for me. It jumps out at me. That is, I don't have to sit there and think about it or strain to try to find the correction. It's as obvious as a blinding light to the eye.

Maybe we should set up a Pepsi challenge for you. :)

Vocal clips w/music playing (as it normally would be in a mix)...and you pick out the ones with pitch correction.
 
Maybe we should set up a Pepsi challenge for you. :)

Vocal clips w/music playing (as it normally would be in a mix)...and you pick out the ones with pitch correction.

I'd like to see that. I agree with his distaste for autotune, but I'm calling bullshit on him being able to identify it when it happens.
 
It seems most on the board are not opposed to using pitch correcting in general, but how it is used. Which is pretty consistent as with other effects (EQ, reverb, etc.) in that the source still matters.

The fix it in the mix mentality and not learning your instrument seems to be the true issue.
 
I'd like to see that. I agree with his distaste for autotune, but I'm calling bullshit on him being able to identify it when it happens.

I'll let him ask for the Pepsi challenge. :)

Hey, I agree...the way autotune is *misused* by so many, is annoying as shit. When they just turn it on and leave it one 100% (live or for recorded tracks)...it's almost guaranteed that anyone with a decent ear will pick out the artifacts in spots throughout the performance/track.
However, using pitch correction only in subtle, small amounts, and in key spots where it becomes completely transparent...is a different thing.

I'm talking about minor tweaks, here-n-there...it's more about fine tuning, like adjusting level or EQ, and not about completely changing something.
 
I am no fan of Taylor Swift, but the autotune stuff has dogged her unfairly.
I don't agree .... I've heard quite a bit of of live stuff from her and it ranges from bad to horrible.
Sorry , but my ears don't have prejudices ..... if she sounded good live I wouldn't say she doesn't.
 
I'm wondering how much the live monitoring has to do with singers having trouble singing or needing autotune...?

I'm talking about the massive arena shows where you have 10-30 thousand screaming fans and the music blasting at full-tilt.
Shit...I'm sure it's hard to hear yourself even with in-ear buds.

When it's a more personal/smaller performance setting...it's a lot easier for the singer, and for the listeners, to hear how well they sing.
 
I'm wondering how much the live monitoring has to do with singers having trouble singing or needing autotune...?

I'm talking about the massive arena shows where you have 10-30 thousand screaming fans and the music blasting at full-tilt.
Shit...I'm sure it's hard to hear yourself even with in-ear buds.

When it's a more personal/smaller performance setting...it's a lot easier for the singer, and for the listeners, to hear how well they sing.

In my humble experience, it's the opposite of that. I've never played the arenas or to crowd sizes that someone like Taylor Swift would, but I've played large mid-level rooms, like House of Blues and similar few thousand capacity places, and small clubs and bars. It's always easier to hear myself in the bigger places. Especially if playing loud. The big places have room for the stage sound to escape and I can hear my own amps, drums, or monitors. Well drums are never a problem, but my own guitar and vocals can be. The smaller places tend to be just a mash of sound and it's difficult to accurately hear yourself even with monitors and your own sound blasting right at you on stage. In-ear monitoring mostly takes care of the room and monitor wedges. That's why they're so popular.

I have to assume that someone at Taylor Swift's level would have impeccable monitoring and soundmen that know what they're doing, unlike the hacks like me at bars and clubs with idiot flunkee soundguys that couldn't care less.
 
I'm wondering how much the live monitoring has to do with singers having trouble singing or needing autotune...?

I'm talking about the massive arena shows where you have 10-30 thousand screaming fans and the music blasting at full-tilt.
Shit...I'm sure it's hard to hear yourself even with in-ear buds.

When it's a more personal/smaller performance setting...it's a lot easier for the singer, and for the listeners, to hear how well they sing.
I've played such shows ..... they monitors are killer ..... for any show like that the monitors are much easier to hear than in clubs and such because they are seriously well designed and set-up monitor systems.

Now ..... I have seen situations where a particular singer simply can't hear monitors no matter how good they are (it's a psychological thing I believe and an entire discussion of its own ) and yet be a good singer.
So that is possible ...... and since I've never worked in person with Swift I can't say that's is or isn't the case with her.

But I've heard her suck enough to know she's not a good singer. For some reason people get all bowed up and defend her ..... I suppose because she's so pretty and helpless looking.






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Now ..... I have seen situations where a particular singer simnply can't hear monitors nomatter how good they are (it's a psychological thing I believe and an entire discussion of its own ) and yet be a good singer.

Yes...it happens even in a studio setting where there's just them and the mic.
It's not always about the level or quality of monitoring.

Well...there's like the big award shows on TV...I hear a lot of "good" singers going off key.
I can only assume they can't hear themselves....because as you say, they certainly have all the best support staff and equipment, so that's not it.
Then I've heard the same singers in more mellower settings, and they have no problem.
 
I'm interested in learning how to do it, since it's a skill you need if you want to be an engineer that's willing to work on most anything.
I only think it's unethical if you claim that you can sing and use an autotuned vocal as proof. Some people are better songwriters than they are musicians and if it helps them make their thing, go for it. Just don't call yourself the next hot shit.
 
Gotta love our membership though....
There's over 700 views of this thread...and only 12 people vote in the poll! :laughings:
 
Maybe....but we have other threads that only get a few views and that's it....why would spam bots pick this one to bomb and not do the same for every thread...?
 
Not everyone that comments also votes. I commented, but I didn't vote. I rarely vote in polls on this site.
 
I get that...and that's what I was noting, the huge gap between viewers and voters. Just seemed funny. :)
Polls are often too generic or too specific with limited choices.

Yea, what he said.

---------- Update ----------

Not everyone that comments also votes. I commented, but I didn't vote. I rarely vote in polls on this site.

Ditto on that too.
 
Maybe....but we have other threads that only get a few views and that's it....why would spam bots pick this one to bomb and not do the same for every thread...?

Keywords maybe? Melodyne and autotune might get their attention? I don't know.
 
I don't agree .... I've heard quite a bit of of live stuff from her and it ranges from bad to horrible.
Sorry , but my ears don't have prejudices ..... if she sounded good live I wouldn't say she doesn't.

So if her live stuff stuff is horrible, then she doesn't use autotune for it, which is what she claims.
 
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