Vocal Corrections

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KingNothing

KingNothing

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What kind of equipment, if any, do studios use to straighten out inaccurately sung notes? Does this kind of thing exist? Maybe i'm just dreaming.
 
Anteres autotune... there's a discussion in one of the other forums about Cher's "Life after love" and Kid Rock's "Only God knows why" that's an extreme case of its use. That's the only thing I know of... I believe you can get it as a directX plugin or a rack mount unit. I have no idea of the prices.
 
Dude. King needs that Anteres Autotune piece. Anybody here have any experience with that sucker? How is it used to generate the vocal effect in "Only God Knows Why"?
 
I have the software version. If used right and the vocals are not too bad off, it will do a great job. It works by telling what key your music is in and what scale you want it to use. Also you tell it to what degree you want to process your vocals. It also works great at fixing notes from a bass guitar, provided that you did nothing too fancy in your playing. IT works on single notes. It would probably mess up chords.
 
Well, the above postings are correct, but I thought maybe I would add a bit more about them. The rackmount unit is the only one of its kind and is used by virually all performers in their live rig. Cher and Kid Rock obviously use it, but I have seen it in Jewel's rig, and I think many more, but I don't want to be wrong about that. The price for the rackmount unit is 649$ at 8thstreet.com I think I have seen it cheaper than that before. Antares also makes a plugimn version. They have the TDM format, which I believe is used for Pro-tools, they have a Mackie Digital fromat, for those who have the makie digital 8.bus. and they have the direct X version (for the rest of the world). I have the direct X version and I love it. IT really makes the difference between the basement recording job and going down Nashville and stepping into EMI or something. If you are good with the autotune, no one will know you were recording at home. The plug in has two modes, graphic and auto. The auto usually leaves 'artifacts' that make the vocals get that Cher effect. Which is neat if you are going for that, but sucks otherwise. It sounds way too fake. But, you can tune the line graphically. It maps out the wave and you can zoom in and move the pith to where it is supposed to be. It will not fix it 100% because then it would sound computer generated. It fixes it and keep the inflection and vibrato of the singer. You can add additional vibrato too. It works on anyh wave files that one note at a time. Bass parts, vocals, even one note guitar solos, but many harmonies on the same track cause it to freak out. Oh, and when preparing to tune graphically, set aside lots of time, and save a backup copy of your original wave in case you mess up. We did a session this weekend and the producer spent about 6 hours tuning two minutes of four tracks, and they were really good takes. It will take us about 6 weeks to finish the twelve song album we cut on Saturday and Sunday.

Get the rackmount if you want pitch correction live, but it is way more difficult ot use for recording. Get the plugin if recording is your thing, but as far as I know, the direct x version can't be run in real time. The TDM probably can.

At least I am knowledgable about something.

MIKE
 
Furphuxache, what happened to singing it right in the first place? What next? Software that'll sing it for you?

[This message has been edited by dobro (edited 03-11-2000).]
 
That would be Cool! Then I would not have to work with some major egos.
 
I'm with you guys...
Either sing it right, or find someone who can.... sheesh!
And Kid Rock isn't a singer by any means whatsoever, so it doesn't surprise me he needs a pitch-correction gadget to help himself out.
 
Thanks for the help guys. I dont like Kid Rock much either, and feel that somehow, the knock on Rock is a knock on King. But its all good.
 
Figure out what your vocal range is. Make the most of the notes you are able to sing naturally. Stay within that range and you'll be fine. Many talented and successful singers have limited vocal ranges and get their point across effectively without singing notes they have no business singing. If you can't sing in tune keep your mouth shut and take up another musical instrument.
 
I was in at some demo studios last week in Nashville, everybody uses pitch correction. I have a friend that gets between 400$ and 600$ a track for correcting pitch. He free-lances out. The last guys that didn't use pitch correction were Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennent (Sp?) and Frank even did on his later albums. It is true that you don't have to be as good as singer now to make it, but it never happens that everyone is always right, so the auto-tune helps. It is just a well kept secret, when people find out, they get skeptical like this discussion. Any album put out in the last five years has 'tuned' vocals.

MIKE
 
Well, if I had a perfect vocal take except for one short note that was a little off colour I wouldn't put myself above using one.
 
I've told this story before, but this looks like a good time to tell it again.

Playboy magazine used to (does Playboy still exist?) get a cosmetician (nothing to do with the Cosmos, I assure you) to 'get rid of' their models' moles and such before a photo shoot. This is like pitch correction. It's like people who get their teeth capped, and people who get their breasts injected with silicone, and everybody else who mistrusts people as they are, even at their best.

And then there's the 'warts and all' approach.

Take your pick. I have.
 
I agree, some of the best sounding music contains imperfections that the artist has incorporated into the whole. But in the right hands a "pitch correcter" is just another artists tool. To be used when it's needed; not all the time. Kinda like "punching-in" or "overdubbing".

I mean, if a person can't sing or play in tune I wouldn't waste my time trying to make him sound good with a "pitch correcter".I'd run him out of the studio.

[This message has been edited by hixmix (edited 03-15-2000).]
 
Are you saying that you're into warts, Dobro? You sick little puppy! :)

Slackmaster 2000
 
Warts, moles... yeah. But there's nothing like a cold sore, is there? You just can't touch 'em.
 
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