Very Aggressive Autotune!

diggy_dude said:
A lot of us hate overuse of compression too. The "loudness wars" are every bit as obnoxious as AutoTune abuse, and a lot of people complain about it regularly too. The key word here is "abuse". No one is really complaining about using AutoTune appropriately.

Besides, compression isn't an "effect". Its proper use is to constrain levels to give a more balanced spectrum. Every record in the last 3 or 4 decades has compression on it. The difference is, you can't hear it when done well.
Click to expand...

Agreed. I just don't know if the "loudness wars" will ever truely be settled. We are a society of "super sized" fries and LOUD music now..... It's frustrating because I am not very good at getting my songs LOUD like most "commercial" songs. I get asked so often why my music is so "quiet". grrrr
 
phriq said:
Agreed. I just don't know if the "loudness wars" will ever truely be settled. We are a society of "super sized" fries and LOUD music now..... It's frustrating because I am not very good at getting my songs LOUD like most "commercial" songs. I get asked so often why my music is so "quiet". grrrr
Click to expand...

You should read Bob Katz. He explains how radio stations use compression to comply with FCC regulations while broadcasting the loudest signal possible. He demonstrates how, when record producers use similar techniques, it interacts with the radio station's processing in peculiar ways to make the music sound weaker, not stronger. The loudness wars people are actually creating the opposite result of what they're trying to accomplish.
 
diggy_dude said:
You should read Bob Katz. He explains how radio stations use compression to comply with FCC regulations while broadcasting the loudest signal possible. He demonstrates how, when record producers use similar techniques, it interacts with the radio station's processing in peculiar ways to make the music sound weaker, not stronger. The loudness wars people are actually creating the opposite result of what they're trying to accomplish.
Click to expand...

Is that a book? I would be interested in reading it..
 
I may have to get that... Reading alot of books lately. Protools 101, Modern Recording Techniques....I know NOTHING on mastering though, so I may pick that up. Thanks for the suggestion.
 
phriq said:
I may have to get that... Reading alot of books lately. Protools 101, Modern Recording Techniques....I know NOTHING on mastering though, so I may pick that up. Thanks for the suggestion.
Click to expand...

That book will make you paranoid about stupid stuff like dither noise and jitter distortion in digital-to-analog converters if you're impressionable. Don't worry too much about all that, most people can't even hear it. Just stick to the things you can do something about within reason and budget, like how to use your tools correctly.
 
diggy_dude said:
That book will make you paranoid about stupid stuff like dither noise and jitter distortion in digital-to-analog converters if you're impressionable. Don't worry too much about all that, most people can't even hear it. Just stick to the things you can do something about within reason and budget, like how to use your tools correctly.
Click to expand...

I just asked my Studio Prof if we deal any with mastering and he said that we just go over what it is but don't actually work with mastering at all. Then he suggested the same book you mentioned. lol. He actually had it (an older edition) but I am going to give the first chapter or so a read to see if I should buy it. Thanks for the suggestion though!

I don't think I am that impressionable, but we will have to see I guess. I'll let you know ;)
 
Impressionable or not, it could feed your gear lust. Ironically, Katz chides gearheads early on in the book, then proceeds to extol the virtues of a lot of expensive compressors and converters. :laughings:
 
Haha, so he is one of those guys that throws us gearheads candy right away to suck us in and get us hooked, then when we least expect it BAM we're punched in the face with a fist full of fury (a.k.a. his own propaganda ;) ) lol. Eh regardless, sounds like a good read! I'll be starting it tonight.
 
Last edited:
Meh. Katz is a gear snob because he can afford to be. Few home recorders can afford to run out and buy all the stuff he uses, yet look at how many people here make great sounding mixes.
 
diggy_dude said:
Meh. Katz is a gear snob because he can afford to be. Few home recorders can afford to run out and buy all the stuff he uses, yet look at how many people here make great sounding mixes.
Click to expand...

Very true Diggy. Though I am sure after all the final edits are done, alot of the people here send their mixes off to be mastered (I am guessing)...
 
diggy_dude said:
Get yourself a vocoder, dude. You can make a zillion different vocal effects with a vocoder and a synth vs. the one copycat effect everyone is making with AutoTune.
Click to expand...

Tell me more about this magic vocoder...I have a bad habit of not paying much attention to hardware :D
Any suggestions on types of vocoders?
 
guitaristic said:
Tell me more about this magic vocoder...I have a bad habit of not paying much attention to hardware :D
Any suggestions on types of vocoders?
Click to expand...

A vocoder takes the formants from your voice (or another instrument) and maps them onto a second instrument. In effect, you can make any instrument sing. You can hear them on any number of old albums. The old school analog models didn't produce quite as intelligible speech as the newer digital ones because they were based on analog VCAs and filters. A good number of each are required to build a vocoder.

I have an Electrix Warp Factory digital vocoder, but good luck finding one cheap anymore. Electrix made excellent rack effects for awhile, then got out of the business. Their effects units are in high demand and fetch a pretty penny on the used market. I was lucky to get mine when I did.

The Electro-Harmonix stomp box vocoders (analog, I think) are also a bit pricey, but are still plentiful. Never used one, so I can't comment on how good they are. Ebay buyers seem to love them enough to pay top dollar for them though.

I'm pretty sure you can find VST vocoders, although I haven't looked. You may even find a free one.
 
rilez said:
im sorry that your question took forever to get answered on account of the multitude 40 year old elitists.
Click to expand...
I would be too, if that was true.
There you go, just for you mate, some poetry. Or is that a pear tree ?
The question was answered in post number 4 which came the very same day as the question. If a few hours is your idea of forever, be careful what you say on your wedding day if you have one !

As for the 40 year old elitists, does disliking something currently popular make you elitist ? Well, it may. But like I said earlier, I hate autotune. I also don't like chorus or ring modulators and I can't abide vocoders. I think of them as autotune's freakish
great uncle Phidipides. :p
 
I've always been intrigued by the vitriol against Autotune, especially as a really obvious effect.

I mean, if the *entertainer* is trying to pass themselves off as a singer, but cannot in fact, sing...then sure, you could make a claim for them being dishonest (aka Ashley Simpson, etc).

If the sound is *part* of their entertainment (i.e. T-Pain), it seems overreaching to get angry about the idea that he "can't sing". I don't believe he ever claimed to be able to.

What if we applied the same logic to actors? "Hey! That guy can't really fly! What a fake!" "I've never seen a car transform into a giant robot!"

It's an intriguing double standard we have for 2 types of entertainers (singers & actors).
 
nathaneadam said:
What if we applied the same logic to actors? "Hey! That guy can't really fly! What a fake!" "I've never seen a car transform into a giant robot!"
Click to expand...

Wrong analogy, in my opinion. We expect to be fooled by the movies. Escapism is the whole point of the entertainment there. The effects advance the premise and plot. They don't enhance the performer's acting ability.

nathaneadam said:
It's an intriguing double standard we have for 2 types of entertainers (singers & actors).
Click to expand...

It follows from the above that there isn't really a double standard here. If the guy is a wooden actor or appears to be reading cue cards rather than becoming the character he plays in a convincing manner, we criticize him as readily as we would a singer who can't sing. In both cases, we expect to be impressed with the performer's skill and talent. We rate music according to whether it required skill to perform or whether a machine could have done it just as well. For the same reason, computer generated characters in film often fall flat.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top