Autotune Madness

[Djembe]

I watched Bran Nue Day on the ABC last night and couldn't believe the autotune on Ernie Dingo's voice in this song.
Not sure if it's just laziness or they thought it sounded cool like this, but it's possible to tune a vocal and keep it sounding natural. But not in this case.
Here's the song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBY77tb_XsU&feature=fvst

[jkhuri44]

lol, when will be people understand that "the powers that be" will autotune any and everything...anytime.

[Ben M]

autoshmune

[jkhuri44]

autoshmune

automule...way batter than autotune.

[Thirteen]

Autotune is the crutch for singers that can't sing and second rate engineers.

[Kurt]

We (they?) are so used to it that any vocal with any inaccuracies, no matter how slight, stick out like dogs balls. People have come to expect pitch perfect records and even pitch perfect live performances.

Autotune is the crutch for singers that can't sing and second rate engineers.

[peat]

wasn't surprised to hear the chorus in this new avril lavigne song, check it out!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/user/avrillavigne?blend=1&ob=4

[walding]

Autoshame

[Thirteen]

We (they?) are so used to it that any vocal with any inaccuracies, no matter how slight, stick out like dogs balls. People have come to expect pitch perfect records and even pitch perfect live performances.

Autotune is the crutch for singers that can't sing and second rate engineers.

But most songs that I hear now are nowhere pitch-perfect, they are full of Autotune artifacts that are anything but perfect. Hence my comment about second rate engineers who can't even hear the obvious. Autotuned tracks don't sound pitch perfect, they sound pitch-processed.

I have recorded many tracks with world class singers that with comping end up being pitch perfect, and the results sound brilliant. Autotuned tracks never sound this way, they sound embarrassing. An engineer using Autotune or Melodyne to correct a phrase or word during mixing because of a missed bad take is one thing, but an engineer who just puts Autotune across an entire vocal track by default is not an engineer, he is a software jockey who really should find another job.

Tracks that are obviously over processed to the point of obvious stepping for "that" tired old effect are one thing, but there are so many tracks on the radio now that are full of Autotune artifacts that aren't meant to be there as an effect, and it makes it obvious that they are trying to cover up a singer that can't sing in tune, and that the "engineer" can't seem to hear the artifacts is pretty shocking.

[jkhuri44]

if the general tone of records on the whole in the charts is anything to go by...its no surprise engineers cant hear shit....

[Chinagraf]

Yeah, but in all fairness, I can hear some engineers saying to the powers that be (read person paying engineer) that it sounds bad and you can hear artifacts from the tuning and the powers that be saying "What?? It sounds fine to me, reminds me of Rhianna. Just hurry up and run it off and get it to mastering will ya, I got a tennis game in a hour".

[capitalK]

yep, auto tune has become an artistic choice, and not just a cover up for bum notes and bad singers.
any engineer who engages in autotune knows it sounds fake, just like drum replacement, and most synth instruments...

until the "pop" crowd deem it to be uncool (which is inevitable) we won't see an end to this epidemic.

i won't use it, but as a result, i'll never get to work on a truly "pop" release.

but with anything popular, there is always an alternative.

so we keep soldiering on with our spirits high, and the commercial radio turned off.

[Ben M]

Yeah, It was a tool to correct 1 or 2 notes after it was too late to fix them with the singer.
It's now out of control.
Even singers who can sing want to use it. I'm lost.
If half the crap that's released with autotune on it, wasn't released, then we could possibly find some more space in the charts for some talented people rather than the dross.
Maybe it's a matter of some singers wanting to hear themselves sound like robots. Again, I'm lost.

It's sooooo 5 minutes ago.