That man is quite the diplomat.

Well, I don't know if it's bad or good. I'm not a judge of that. It's very popular, so in that sense it's good. I don't place value judgments on things like that.

Hell, even I've used an Auto-Tune type plug-in on my DAW. It's fun to fiddle around with. Once you do you realize that there are probably a lot of 'performers' that can't sing a lick.

Baumer: That man is quite the diplomat.

I think he came off as kind of a prick.

crab66: Baumer: That man is quite the diplomat.

I think he came off as kind of a prick.

Really? It reads like he's very amused by the whole thing. He didn't even rip on anybody for using it the way they do.

It's just another tool - like how amplifiers were never meant to be distorted, 808s were never meant to be used seriously, etc etc.

Auto-tune is for acts without credibility.

Case in point... (pops)

Toshiro Mifune's Letter Opener: Auto-tune is for acts without credibility.

Case in point... (pops)

Rick Astley, Joey Tempest, and Cher are coming to slap you.

/why yes, she is wearing that black ribbon thing from the "Turn Back Time" video

Doctor Jan Itor: Hell, even I've used an Auto-Tune type plug-in on my DAW. It's fun to fiddle around with. Once you do you realize that there are probably a lot of 'performers' that can't sing a lick.

LonMead: Toshiro Mifune's Letter Opener: Auto-tune is for acts without credibility.

Case in point... (pops)

Rick Astley, Joey Tempest, and Cher are coming to slap you.

/why yes, she is wearing that black ribbon thing from the "Turn Back Time" video

Rick Astley...wow. Where did he come from. I've heard of the other two artists but not a Rick Astley. Can anyone provide a link to something that the musical artist Rick Astley has done?

In exchange, this video of a dog chasing a squirrel into a pool.

The inventor of Auto-Tune is a classically trained flautist.


...


And I thought I hated myself.

Would you ever use Auto-Tune on your flute?

No, I've never done that.

1. Get Auto Tune. Get a flute. No prior knowledge required.
2. Use both to record your own version of a Jethro Tull song.
3. Revenge.

/Hey Aqualung!

Toshiro Mifune's Letter Opener: Auto-tune is for acts without credibility.

Case in point... (pops)

You owe me a new keyboard - I just puked all over this one.

Toshiro Mifune's Letter Opener: Auto-tune is for acts without credibility.

Case in point... (pops)

I knew what it was. I didn't look at the link, but I knew what it was. I clicked anyway, because it deserves to be clicked.

The funny thing is that it was a vooder that was used on that Cher track, not auto tune.

Well after doing some research, I've found out I was duped. The producers lied about using a vocoder so that nobody stole their secret. I feel dumb.

the article with a historical footnote (new window)

Lil' Wayne is fascinating.

And have any you guys heard T-Pain's song in which he disses all the use of autotune? I guess he was the first rapper to do it or something

What AutoTune May Sound Like (new window)

TMLO, have you ever considered using this vid some day?

Link (new window)

/going to hate myself for this
//others will too

Toshiro Mifune's Letter Opener: Auto-tune is for acts without credibility.

Case in point... (pops)

CRAP! It's been so long I can't believe I fell for that again. You bastard!

prollynot: The funny thing is that it was a vooder that was used on that Cher track, not auto tune.

I think you meant vocoder.

:33

I swear to fark you can hear auto tune for just a second on the last Megadeth album. ever since I downloaded the 4-5 song preview of the album and listened to Never Walk Alone I swore there was auto tune.

it happens at almost exactly :22, but for those watching at home it's during the lyrics "there is one who loves and waits"

the auto tune I think I hear is one the "waits" word specifically. I know he's old and has been screaming for the past 20 years so he may need it, but still. sucks.

from the auto tune wiki:

According to the Boston Herald, "Country stars Reba McEntire, Faith Hill and Tim McGraw have all confessed to using Auto-Tune in performance, claiming it is a safety net that guarantees a good performance."

that exact reasoning is why this is such a sad invention. I feel bad for the guy who made it because I'm sure he wasn't out to do anything evil, perhaps just did it to capitalize on dumbass pop stars (and megadeth) but they can throw this right up there with the nuclear bomb on the list of "inventions that signal the end of humanity in the near future".

strothgar

Rick Astley...wow. Where did he come from. I've heard of the other two artists but not a Rick Astley. Can anyone provide a link to something that the musical artist Rick Astley has done?

In exchange, this video of a dog chasing a squirrel into a pool.

A dog and a squirrel well that sounds cute, i guess i'll click on...Hey, wait a minute

Has nobody heard of Zapp & Roger?

I hope this effect soon goes the way of the synthesized hand claps from the '80s. I wonder if artists using it have any idea how dated their music is going to sound in 10 years.

Have a song where the singer got a great emotional take but with a few bad spots where's he's a little flat or sharp? Scrap it and go with a not so emotional take where he nails it or auto-tune those few spots and have the emotion left in?

I say auto-tune. Works great. I've seen it used right.

hmm which is worse...synthesized clapping or various dogs barking...

can't decide.

tailormadebassist:
I say auto-tune. Works great. I've seen it used right.

and so it begins. *vomit*

tailormadebassist: Have a song where the singer got a great emotional take but with a few bad spots where's he's a little flat or sharp? Scrap it and go with a not so emotional take where he nails it or auto-tune those few spots and have the emotion left in?

I say auto-tune. Works great. I've seen it used right.

OR DO IT UNTIL YOU NAIL IT. THE GOOD ONES USUALLY NAIL IT ON THE FIRST FEW ANYWAY.

/ALL CAPS FOR BILLY MAYS. SORRY.

Auto tune is fun.

Overused in hip hop? Sure.

Still fun.

The haters in this thread are just the 2000s equivalent of those guys who said 'drum machines? Pfft, get a real drummer' and 'the guitar is distorted, why do you want it to sound like that'?

prollynot: Well after doing some research, I've found out I was duped. The producers lied about using a vocoder so that nobody stole their secret. I feel dumb.

the article with a historical footnote (new window)

Heh, I was about to post exactly that article in response. Kudos for posting your own mea culpa.

// Humility, it's what's for dinner!

tailormadebassist: Have a song where the singer got a great emotional take but with a few bad spots where's he's a little flat or sharp? Scrap it and go with a not so emotional take where he nails it or auto-tune those few spots and have the emotion left in?

I say auto-tune. Works great. I've seen it used right.

If you can't nail it with emotion, you're no good anyway. That's the simple truth - and you know it.

danduran: The haters in this thread are just the 2000s equivalent of those guys who said 'drum machines? Pfft, get a real drummer' and 'the guitar is distorted, why do you want it to sound like that'?

Post production magic has really enhanced music quality. Did Nickelback actually bother to sign your CD or did they just use one of those stamps?

Here is my very well thought out opinion and rationale regarding auto-tuning.

Auto-tune the news #1 (new window)

/they go all the way to #5 and there are other offshoots
//high-larious!

Sure, it's overused in modern hip-hop, but if you're complaining about the "death of music", modern hip-hop is the last genre you should be listening to anyways.
The "zero" setting is a fad, and the effect will be used better in the future.

Anyone remember the backlash against drum machines? The backlash still happens daily. We've all seen the bumper stickers that say "Drum Machines Have No Soul."
I put one of those stickers on my TR707.
The ironic thing is most real drummers supported the idea of Drum Machines and often played along with them, or learned to play because of them.

I'm sure 95% of the people who are against Auto-Tune are non-singers. Any good musician should be giddy-as-a-schoolgirl anytime new musictech comes around. They should be willing to accept it. Whether or not they choose to use it is another story. W

I know a 1st call Nashville session bassist that uses it to smooth out intonation snafus for fretless work. He's also has a producer placebo switch wired to a 9v and a light on the front of his rig- when the producer wants more "something" he flips the switch producer sees a light and is happy that's THE sound! 1st call guy could spend hours tweeking and fiddling to please the producer who needs to validate himself. Point is, Auto-tune is a tool. Whatever gets the track to "tape" and the session done on time is what its all about. There are very few artists that haven't used it as intended- touch ups, safety net, track first aid... But as an effect? To my ears it's already as dated and lame as flanger on a Steve Miller Band track.

I'm a partly-classical musician who's not an Auto-Tune hater; but it does help me appreciate what classical/opera singers do before an audience: no Auto-Tune, no microphones, no overdubs.

And there are/were those splendid pop singers with a superb sense of pitch, especially the ones who recorded back-in-the-day with a 3-minute "take" you had to do straight through (Bing Crosby, for one), especially in the pre-recording-tape era.

But, times and tastes change, and pop music is just a consumer product anyway.....no reason to get all huffy about it; as someone said on Fark years ago, 80% of the internet is people arguing why the stuff that entertains them is So Important, while the stuff that entertains someone else is crap.

csxtrainwreck: danduran: The haters in this thread are just the 2000s equivalent of those guys who said 'drum machines? Pfft, get a real drummer' and 'the guitar is distorted, why do you want it to sound like that'?

Post production magic has really enhanced music quality. Did Nickelback actually bother to sign your CD or did they just use one of those stamps?

I got them to sign it themselves, so you'd pay more money for it.

Seriously, why do so many Farkers think if you like music that isn't Rush or Metallica, you automatically like Nickelback and Soulja Boy?

I use (a different brand of) Auto-Tune, because a) I'm far from the world's best singer, just like many other songwriters and b) it saves hours and hours on things people just don't notice, if you use it correctly.

Note I said when used correctly - you can't tell the difference if it's been done right. If it's been done wrong, it's a deliberate effect - I've heard plenty of artists using autotune who I know can sing, but they've used it for a deliberate effect. They're not hiding anything, necessarily.

As someone else pointed out, 95% of the hate against it is likely to be from non-musicians/singers. It's a godsend for hobbyists who can't afford to spend hours and hours on take after take.

csxtrainwreck: Has nobody heard of Zapp & Roger?

I'm assuming that you've heard of them, but have never actually listened to the music. I mean, why else would you mention a group that utilized a talkbox with a keyboard (which actually takes a good amount of skill) in a thread that's all about Auto-Tune (which literally consists of clicking a few buttons on a computer)?

/So ruff, so tuff

This one time, in Auto-Tune camp...

That's not a drum machine, this is a drum machine.
http://www.toontrack.com/metal_foundry.asp (pops)

I hate these things. I play bass, and if I can't properly tune my instrument or play without getting fret buzz then I shouldn't be in a studio or live situation.

If you can't sing, then you don't need to be recording or playing live either. I would rather hear someone who is slightly off pitch live than someone who uses an auto tune to fake talent.


In the studio there is an opportunity to go back and record over a mistake. No matter what instrument you play. But to fake it with a computer is a joke. It shows a lack of patience, care and talent. If you can't hit that one note right in a song then figure out another way to sing it.


Someone compared an autotune to distortion. It isn't the same thing. Distortion on a voice in the studio is not faking the ability to sing. It is just a different sound.

Autotune on a voice live or in the studio = Lying

karmachameleon: tailormadebassist: Have a song where the singer got a great emotional take but with a few bad spots where's he's a little flat or sharp? Scrap it and go with a not so emotional take where he nails it or auto-tune those few spots and have the emotion left in?

I say auto-tune. Works great. I've seen it used right.

If you can't nail it with emotion, you're no good anyway. That's the simple truth - and you know it.

If a singer does one take, and that take is freakin' awesome, and there's a couple of bum notes. Fix the bum notes and keep the freakin' awesome mix.

OR...dump every single freakin' awesome mix until he hits EVERY single note right or patch it in like crazy and in the process he/she get's tired and/or starts losing their voice and the non-bum track has no emotion.

I would rather fix a few bum notes. Hence...I like auto tune now.
Those who hate have never seen it used right. I bet your favorite singer has used it.

angst178n: I hate these things. I play bass, and if I can't properly tune my instrument or play without getting fret buzz then I shouldn't be in a studio or live situation

So do you use an electronic tuner or have you practiced and devloped perfect pitch so you can tune without one? Is using a tuner on your bass = lying?

Fret buzz has less to do with skill than it does having a properly set up instrument with adequate relief and action.

Comparing the two to auto-tune (as at tool, not an effect) is comparing apples to elephants.

FenghisKhan: Here is my very well thought out opinion and rationale regarding auto-tuning.

Auto-tune the news #1 (new window)

/they go all the way to #5 and there are other offshoots
//high-larious!

The best thing they did was back up Winston Churchill. (new window)

He 'invented' nothing.

He just wrote software to simulate a vocoder (new window).

The vocoder has been around since the late 20's.

danduran: The haters in this thread are just the 2000s equivalent of those guys who said 'drum machines? Pfft, get a real drummer' and 'the guitar is distorted, why do you want it to sound like that'?

drum machines, maybe. But I would argue both drum machines and guitar distortion at least seem to have an overall sound appeal that the musicians are looking for. Autotune seems less so. I can see possibly using it to fix a few flub notes, but using it for an entire take? It makes already fake-sounding music sound that much more fake.

DjangoStonereaver: He 'invented' nothing.

He just wrote software to simulate a vocoder (new window).

The vocoder has been around since the late 20's.

Nope. The two are *very* different, although they have a somewhat similar (but easily distinguishable) sound.

autotune pitch-shifts the incoming audio to the configured destination pitch, so the output is the original signal at a different pitch. The "Cher effect" is this action set to its most extreme settings.

A vocoder takes *two* inputs, using the frequency spectrum (typically the voice) of one to modulate a carrier signal (usually a keyboard).

tailormadebassist: karmachameleon: tailormadebassist: Have a song where the singer got a great emotional take but with a few bad spots where's he's a little flat or sharp? Scrap it and go with a not so emotional take where he nails it or auto-tune those few spots and have the emotion left in?

I say auto-tune. Works great. I've seen it used right.

If you can't nail it with emotion, you're no good anyway. That's the simple truth - and you know it.

If a singer does one take, and that take is freakin' awesome, and there's a couple of bum notes. Fix the bum notes and keep the freakin' awesome mix.

OR...dump every single freakin' awesome mix until he hits EVERY single note right or patch it in like crazy and in the process he/she get's tired and/or starts losing their voice and the non-bum track has no emotion.

I would rather fix a few bum notes. Hence...I like auto tune now.
Those who hate have never seen it used right. I bet your favorite singer has used it.

This.

I don't see what the big issue is over auto-tune. Popular music has almost always been more about expression and a pleasing end result than about having the highest skill or technical prowess in one's instrument/voice.

I actually like this distinction from the technique-driven world classical music, as an example.

I once used a vocoder combining distorted guitar and drum machine, so I'm getting a kick out of these replies.

/obvious auto-tune is painful