Autotune

[MOFO Pro]

I've got a five year old daughter, so when the family's on the road we generally listen to her music on the radio.

Seems as though every hit out there has been obviously pitch corrected (and not in a transparent manner). I can't figure out whether the quality of vocalists as a whole have gotten so bad that there's not a one of them can sing a note, or whether there's just so many that can't, that the casual listen expects to hear the vocals tuned even when it's not necessary, or do people genuinely like the effect?

I find it incredibly fatiguing...

 

[Nightfire]

I dont think its the quality of singers going downhill, I think it's just the "in" thing to do at the moment.

The whole new Kanye West album was deliberately produced with the Auto-Tune effect.


Mike

 

[MOFO Pro]

I dont think its the quality of singers going downhill, I think it's just the "in" thing to do at the moment.

I don't think that no one can hold a tune, but I think the listeners have been pretty much programmed to expect pop vocals to sound like that, which is a shame for real talented vocalists. And I'm also thinking that the initial exposure was due to the advent of the "dancing, pretty, packaging" of the "built" stars where their singing ability was secondary to their looks, and stage presence (or sit-com).

I've noticed the effect is slowly become more far-reaching... starting to influence other gendres...

 

[hakim]

I've got a five year old daughter, so when the family's on the road we generally listen to her music on the radio.

I had no idea that Blue's Clues and the like were on the radio and using Autotune at that! Wow, that is big difference from the days of Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood.

Pop, hip hop and adult contemporary artists on the radio are also using Autotune more frequently. However, I cannot say that its use is entirely for "pitch correction". The oversaturation of Autotune creates an effect and sound that is in high demand now. Effects go in and out of style. There was a time when phasing and tremelo were popular and then it just vanished, the same goes for Autotune, I think. Autotune is a "sound" in demand until the next "new thing".

 

[suprstar]

...Effects go in and out of style....

I hope autotune goes out sooner than later, that robotic sound drives me crazy!

 

[hakim]

I hope autotune goes out sooner than later, that robotic sound drives me crazy!

The interesting thing is that the #1 Album on the Billboard charts is one done completely with the oversaturation of Autotune on lead vocals, Kanye West. So somebody out there, in fact a lot of bodies out there like it.

Knowing that Kanye West is a very business savvy artist I looked into his strategy with this album and it seems to me that this album is not just about singing moody Genesis like songs with Autotune.

As it turns out, 50 cent was going to release an Autotune album scheduled for late 2008. But it seems Kanye beat him to the punch thus indefinitely postponing 50 Cent's newest release, at least that is the word on the street. So the album may not only be a creative break from the artist's norm but also a swift kick in his biggest competitor's balls!

Just think of all that holiday loot... 50 Cent must feel pretty crumby.

 

[MCI2424]

I've got a five year old daughter, so when the family's on the road we generally listen to her music on the radio.

Seems as though every hit out there has been obviously pitch corrected (and not in a transparent manner). I can't figure out whether the quality of vocalists as a whole have gotten so bad that there's not a one of them can sing a note, or whether there's just so many that can't, that the casual listen expects to hear the vocals tuned even when it's not necessary, or do people genuinely like the effect?

I find it incredibly fatiguing...

It is the "in" thing at the moment. Done to death. Hope it ends soon.

 

[deejaytrixx]

I dont think its the quality of singers going downhill, I think it's just the "in" thing to do at the moment.

The whole new Kanye West album was deliberately produced with the Auto-Tune effect.


Mike

I'm glad someone seems to understand. This site is host to a bunch of pro's who hate every trend. But in order to get paid, these things are necessary. Its almost impossible to have a pop hit right now without autotune..its like a badge of honor or something..I got "tuned"..there are more requests for this nonsense than specialty reverb units or mics....

what a world. and yes Im being a bit sarcastic

 

[Yonce N Mild]

I think it's kind of a cool effect but it's been done to death and usually by artists that I would never listen to in genres I don't care for.

I don't get the autotune album thing. It's not like it's a difficult effect to achieve crank the tune knob to 11 and go. Congratulations you have made an auto tune album!

It is also funny to me that rappers are ripping off "the Cher effect" I guess "Do you believe in love" was a big hit in the hood.

Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to go do a flanger album hopefully Kanye doesn't beat me to it.

 

[WhiteStrat]

I'm waiting for Autotune albums to become so normal, that when I realize my "untuned" album, it will be heralded as musical genius. (Currently I just sound like a crappy singer)

 

[hakim]

I think it's kind of a cool effect but it's been done to death...

Yeah its definitely been done to death. Kind of like wah wah in the 60s or flanging in the 70s or chorusing in the 80s and 90s. Its all the same to me, whatever sells records.

I don't get the autotune album thing.

I do, its merely a gimmick, you know a hook. C'mon its not that difficult. Just like John Lennon and ADT or layering Robert Plant vocal tracks while mimicking Jimmy Pages guitar effects. They did this on about 6 or 7 songs.

All the way to Kirk Cobain's over or adequate - depending on how you look at it - use of chorusing. Its all the same to me, just hooks to make people stand out just enough to get a records sold, concert seats filled and the occasional name drop on an amateur musician forum thread.

It is also funny to me that rappers are ripping off "the Cher effect" I guess "Do you believe in love" was a big hit in the hood.

Its not funny or surprising to me. Its a great sound effect and the producers of that album knew it. As for it being a hit in the hood, I doubt Cher got much play on Hip Hop stations but, you don't get 22 weeks on Hot Dance chart, 2,000,000 single sales and a Grammy by appealing to a niche market only. So I'm sure a number of those record sales were in fact from the hood.

Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to go do a flanger album hopefully Kanye doesn't beat me to it.

Have fun! But I think what you will find is that effects don't make sellable music. Interesting sounds help but cannot carry a shitty record into pop stardom.

Below is an interesting note from a news archive:

STOP PRESS! Historical Footnote

Cher's 'Believe' (Dec 1998) was the first commercial recording to feature the audible side-effects of Antares Auto-tune software used as a deliberate creative effect. The (now) highly recognizable tonal mangling occurs when the pitch correction speed is set too fast for the audio that it is processing and it became one of the most over-used production effects of the following years.

In February 1999, when this Sound On Sound article was published, the producers of this recording were apparently so keen to maintain their 'trade secret' process that they were willing to attribute the effect to the (then) recently-released Digitech Talker vocoder pedal. As most people are now all-too familiar with the 'Cher effect', as it became known, we have maintained the article in its original form as an interesting historical footnote.