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

[famous beagle]

I have never tried Waves Tune, and do not know how it works. I may need to try a demo to see.

This statement right here is one of the other perils of the digital recording world, IMHO. There are so many ways to easily distract yourself from actually making music. And let me preface this by saying I'm in no way singling you out jimmy. This applies to everyone, including myself.

You said it yourself earlier in the thread ... you're proficient with Melodyne and most people would be surprised at what it's really capable of. This, to me, implies that you're very happy with it. The same could be said for many others with different pieces of software. Yet we still feel the need to try a demo of a competitor just because someone else mentions it with a favorable review. And why not? It's so easy nowadays. Download the demo in a few minutes, and you're up and running.

The problem is that it's taking the focus off of making music. It's putting the focus on getting more and more gear instead of using what we have (which is already 100% capable of achieving the results) to record some good music. Of course, people can try out different pieces of hardware as well, but it's much more difficult to do that (unless you're just made of money) and therefore isn't a chronic issue like it is with software.

This extends far beyond the world of audio recording as well. I mean .... think about a program like Workflowy. It's a frickin' to-do list! That's pretty much it. We really need a program like this?

It's this constant upgrade mentality----more more more, newer, newer----that drives me nuts. Most people never even bother to use 10% of an item's potential because they upgrade to a new model (phone, computer, tablet, etc.) before they even have a chance. And of course it perpetuates itself: computers get faster, so designers make use of that extra power to write more powerful programs. Then the computers need to outgrow the programs, and then the programs catch up, etc., ad infinitum. And I know that's basically how technology works.

But for someone like me that places value on using something thoroughly to its full potential, it's kind of depressing to see so many things being built with the intent of being thrown out a few years later.

 

[RFR]

Excellent post. How true.

 

[miroslav]

Well...the flip side of that coin is that you end up being referred to as the "old school" guy who isn't up to speed on the current technology...and the more you stay away from it, the more you fall behind to where you end up avoiding all new technology because you have way too much ground to make up.

Nothing wrong with using old-school techniques and gear as you staple, but I think it's also necessary to stay current. I mean, it's not simply a case of "more toys" for the sake of having more toys.
I like having the full crop of current plugs...just to have. I mean, it's no different than have 3 shelves full of guitar pedals, and I hardly ever use guitar pedals. My perspective from the start was that I wanted my studio to cover a multitude of options/situations...so I have lots of gear that I rarely use, both old-school and current, and in the digital world, it's too easy and inexpensive to add tons of plugs.

 

[RFR]

Haha! This is true as well.

And me, well I'm that old school guy trying to catch up and learn how to fit into a modern world.
Thankfully there's places like this where you can read and learn, huh.

Edit: Come on Miro, admit it, you dig the toys. We all dig the toys.

 

[famous beagle]

and in the digital world, it's too easy and inexpensive to add tons of plugs.

Yes, this was my whole point!

 

[Greg_L]

I have plug-ins that I've never used and never will. They're just there. It's excessive and stupid.

 

[4tracker]

I have plug-ins that I've never used and never will. They're just there. It's excessive and stupid.

How many times are you going to repeat the same thing? I think everyone on the forum knows you hate tuned vocals at this point.

 

[Greg_L]

How many times are you going to repeat the same thing? I think everyone on the forum knows you hate tuned vocals at this point.

How many times will you insert your foot in your mouth? I was talking about my own plug-ins. The conversation has shifted. I said nothing about tuned vocals. Try to keep up.

 

[4tracker]

This statement right here is one of the other perils of the digital recording world, IMHO. There are so many ways to easily distract yourself from actually making music. And let me preface this by saying I'm in no way singling you out jimmy. This applies to everyone, including myself.

You said it yourself earlier in the thread ... you're proficient with Melodyne and most people would be surprised at what it's really capable of. This, to me, implies that you're very happy with it. The same could be said for many others with different pieces of software. Yet we still feel the need to try a demo of a competitor just because someone else mentions it with a favorable review. And why not? It's so easy nowadays. Download the demo in a few minutes, and you're up and running.

The problem is that it's taking the focus off of making music. It's putting the focus on getting more and more gear instead of using what we have (which is already 100% capable of achieving the results) to record some good music. Of course, people can try out different pieces of hardware as well, but it's much more difficult to do that (unless you're just made of money) and therefore isn't a chronic issue like it is with software.

This extends far beyond the world of audio recording as well. I mean .... think about a program like Workflowy. It's a frickin' to-do list! That's pretty much it. We really need a program like this?

It's this constant upgrade mentality----more more more, newer, newer----that drives me nuts. Most people never even bother to use 10% of an item's potential because they upgrade to a new model (phone, computer, tablet, etc.) before they even have a chance. And of course it perpetuates itself: computers get faster, so designers make use of that extra power to write more powerful programs. Then the computers need to outgrow the programs, and then the programs catch up, etc., ad infinitum. And I know that's basically how technology works.

But for someone like me that places value on using something thoroughly to its full potential, it's kind of depressing to see so many things being built with the intent of being thrown out a few years later.

Yeah Graham from recording revolution talks about that all the time, how buying new gear, etc is just a distraction. He tries to limit options, and I think that's smart. Otherwise it becomes overwhelming.

 

[miroslav]

Yes, this was my whole point!

Right....but having tons of plugs doesn't mean you have to play with every one, every time you sit at the DAW.
I try out my plugs when I first buy them just to get a sense of what they do. Then when I'm working, I don't sit there and again play with every single plug all over again every time I start on something.
I just grab the one(s) I need and leave the others in the toolbox.

They're just tools.
When you need a hammer...you don't try out every other tool in your box just to play with it...you grab the hammer and get the job done...
...but that also doesn't mean you only need a hammer in the toolbox.

 

[DM60]

I like the journey as much as getting to the destination. But I am not a recording purist, I want to know as much as I can, understand as much as I can and experiment as much as I can.

But I also try not to be a gear/plug in whore. I try to keep a healthy balance.

 

[famous beagle]

Right....but having tons of plugs doesn't mean you have to play with every one, every time you sit at the DAW.
I try out my plugs when I first buy them just to get a sense of what they do. Then when I'm working, I don't sit there and again play with every single plug all over again every time I start on something.
I just grab the one(s) I need and leave the others in the toolbox.

They're just tools.
When you need a hammer...you don't try out every other tool in your box just to play with it...you grab the hammer and get the job done...
...but that also doesn't mean you only need a hammer in the toolbox.

No, you don't have to play with them, but just by the fact that you felt compelled to say this:

"and in the digital world, it's too easy and inexpensive to add tons of plugs"

means that, to some extent, you see it at least a bit of a detriment ... otherwise you wouldn't have said "too easy."

Again, no one's forcing people to play around with a bunch of new toys instead of recording. I'm just saying that it's much easier to do that nowadays than it used to be. For someone who is easily distracted, it's probably not a good thing.

It's kind of like someone who wants to lose weight. Would it make sense for them to stock their shelves with Twinkies, etc.? Some people think that "out of sight, out of mind" is B.S., and you should just be able to exhibit 100% restraint. I think there's some merit to the expression. That's basically what I'm saying in a nutshell.

 

[famous beagle]

Yeah Graham from recording revolution talks about that all the time, how buying new gear, etc is just a distraction. He tries to limit options, and I think that's smart. Otherwise it becomes overwhelming.

Yes I've read that on his site as well. I think it's a personal thing. Some people view endless possibilities as inspiring and liberating. Others view it as stifling because of option anxiety. Option anxiety is a proven scientific fact, by the way. Maybe some people are just not as affected by it as much as others. I know I am. I actually prefer to eat cafeteria-style, for example, where you have few choices. Endless options just leaves no direction for me to go.

This idea has been debated countless times here, and I don't mean to start up another one. I'm just stating the way I feel about it. Like I said, I think it's a personal thing.

 

[JimmyS1969]

This statement right here is one of the other perils of the digital recording world, IMHO. There are so many ways to easily distract yourself from actually making music. And let me preface this by saying I'm in no way singling you out jimmy. This applies to everyone, including myself.

You said it yourself earlier in the thread ... you're proficient with Melodyne and most people would be surprised at what it's really capable of. This, to me, implies that you're very happy with it. The same could be said for many others with different pieces of software. Yet we still feel the need to try a demo of a competitor just because someone else mentions it with a favorable review. And why not? It's so easy nowadays. Download the demo in a few minutes, and you're up and running.

The problem is that it's taking the focus off of making music. It's putting the focus on getting more and more gear instead of using what we have (which is already 100% capable of achieving the results) to record some good music. Of course, people can try out different pieces of hardware as well, but it's much more difficult to do that (unless you're just made of money) and therefore isn't a chronic issue like it is with software.

This extends far beyond the world of audio recording as well. I mean .... think about a program like Workflowy. It's a frickin' to-do list! That's pretty much it. We really need a program like this?

It's this constant upgrade mentality----more more more, newer, newer----that drives me nuts. Most people never even bother to use 10% of an item's potential because they upgrade to a new model (phone, computer, tablet, etc.) before they even have a chance. And of course it perpetuates itself: computers get faster, so designers make use of that extra power to write more powerful programs. Then the computers need to outgrow the programs, and then the programs catch up, etc., ad infinitum. And I know that's basically how technology works.

But for someone like me that places value on using something thoroughly to its full potential, it's kind of depressing to see so many things being built with the intent of being thrown out a few years later.

I agree with you completely. However my interest in trial of Waves-Tune was only to see if it was comparable to Melodyne out of my own curiosity and ability to give a personal opinion to others.

Cubase has it's own built in pitch correction but it is kind of silly in comparison to the power of Melodyne Editor 2. I digress...

My days of hoarding plugins has passed. On my latest build I only have ten 3rd party plugs installed. Mostly expensive comp/limiters, reverb and eq's. One delay that I like that was cheap, obviously Melodyne and some drum stuff. I regularly use maybe 5 of them.

Occasionally something will come out that does a combination of things that looks cool and I will give it a try. They tend to get put away and forgotten. Just the basic tools are usually enough for me.


Vanity plugs are cool sometimes but they can detract from what is really important. The songs themselves...

 

[miroslav]

... otherwise you wouldn't have said "too easy."

I think you are the one that sees it as a detriment....my comment about "too easy" was equal to me saying it's a "no brainer".
IOW...it's a wonderful world in that it's so easy and inexpensive to get tons of good plugs these days.

I would think children and young adults up to a point, have a hard time resisting "candy"...but you should be able to limit yourself in your production approach as you desire, without having to remove all but a few toys from the room, like you would for a child.
If I want to do a basic as-it falls recording to tape, and not use the DAW...I don't need to remove the DAW from the studio to do so.

Look....it's like the gun argument.
Guns don't kill people...people kill people.

Plug-ins don't kill productions...people kill productions.

 

[miroslav]

On my latest build I only have ten 3rd party plugs installed.

I didn't thin out the herd that much...but yeah, on the build I just finished, I've not loaded EVERY plug I own....but I still have all my Waves plugs loaded, which is a good 20 or so, and also all my Plugin Alliance stuff which has Brainworx, SPL, Maag, etc...which is another 15 or so, plus my 4 Kush plugs.
Those are all my top-shelf plugs....though I admit there are multiple EQ, comps, etc...but that's just so I can find any flavor.

I had another 50 plugs that came as one of those cheap $49 all-you-can-eat deals....but the plugs are not what I would call top-shelf, and many are equivalent to having a guitar pedal that only does one thing. It was an impulse buy, and I've never used them.

Plus I have a whole bunch of synth stuff, which I don't use much in my productions, but it was all good deals, and nice to have, 'cuz one of these days I'll want to do some synth based EDM or Trance for the hell of it, so I want that on the self if needed. Like I just added a retro tonewheel organ library...but most times I just play my real Hammond organ.

That said...I don't think I use more than a half-dozen plugs on a production....so having that many plugs hasn't been a distraction or a detriment. Like a well stocked wine cellar...you only drink a bottle or two as needed, you don't sample everything all at once.

 

[JimmyS1969]

Look....it's like the gun argument.
Guns don't kill people...people kill people.

Plug-ins don't kill productions...people kill productions.

I'll 'LIKE' that.

 

[Greg_L]

Look....it's like the gun argument.
Guns don't kill people...people kill people.

Plug-ins don't kill productions...people kill productions.

Lol. Oh my God.

 

[miroslav]

I'm here all week...plus a matinee show on Sunday....

 

[Tom Paul]

I never use it on the main vocal. I will sometimes double track harmonies and use it on only one of the tracks....having one take in really tight pitch makes the whole thing sound better. Having the tracks treated differently makes it sound fuller. I do not have really good pitch.