Straight No Chaser Discussion

On America's Got Talent last year, some chicken plucker won the big prize, & personally, I didn't think he was all that great.
He was always wobbling around, but they loved him.
There were far better performers that should have won, & they strictly went with the schmaltz.

Personally, I think it is an abomination that is ruining the music industry and elimintating artists that can actually sing.

If used well, it can be pretty hard to hear if something's Autotuned. It isn't always used very well, though. haha.

When I was working on recording in school, I learned to really appreciate a natural, if imperfect, performance. If the performance is good but a little out, that usually sounds better to me than an artificially precise one. If, on a recording, you need to tweak one or two notes, I'd rather punch in and re-record those lines - but there are times I've been glad for the ability to Autotune little spots here and there (like when I can't get the singer back in to fix things). But listen to the difference between early Madonna and her recent stuff. Her intonation wasn't all that great, but her early recordings were great. Now, her pitch is precise (via Autotune) but the songs aren't nearly as memorable, IMO. Or listen to the Beatles! Their harmonies weren't always 100% spot on. I can't imagine ruining them with Autotune, though.

There are a couple of things at play with this: 1) Short popularity span. Most artists these days don't have much time to make an impression before the public loses interest, and the record companies don't take the time to develop talent. Which leads to 2) It can be way cheaper and faster to Autotune than to spend weeks/months training a singer and then hours of expensive studio time re-recording out-of-tune vocals. So if an artist is popular but can't sing perfectly, it's more efficient to Autotune than to make the big investment for someone who likely won't be around in a year or two. I'm talking here about Autotune's "overuse"; as I mentioned, there are times when I think it's actually a useful tool. :)

/end dissertation

Most artists these days do change and help their voice with equipment. It's really quite sad.

However, I actually like this one...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSgiXGELjbc

I see how in "Live Your Life & Flow With Whatever You Like" the guys use a little AutoTune. My impression was that they used it to poke fun at that part of the industry that is using it because SNC can actually sing, or in the case of this song, they can actually rap. We SNC fans really see their talent for what it is and know that they don't need to rely on AutoTune to come across as something that they are much more than.

For a humorous take on the history of AutoTune, go here:
http://www.rocketboom.com/kym-meme-week-auto-tune/

I tried singing "feed the birds' while attempting to play the keyboard for my cat the other day and it was either my terrible singing or my song choice but she didn't go for it. When I'm by myself I like to pretend I can still sing and belt out a few tunes. It's a pretty great release actually. I'm not making a living with it though so I say it's all good.

I had heard that effect before, but didn't equate it with something that made people sound as if they had perfect pitch! It's okay for a novelty effect in very small doses, but otherwise I agree with Erin - if you can't bring it, don't sing it.

My cats would agree with you Erin.... they run when i break out in song. I prefer pure voices... always have. Used to be a not half bad singer at one point in my life but a vocal cord problem changed that.... now i can't carry a tune in a rusty bucket. It's why I so appreciate the vocal pureness of SNC. So if i ever make a concert and your there better hope our seats aren't too close cause if i lose myself and break out it will hurt your ears lol.

On a serius note i never knew what autotune was and now i do so thank-you Chris. It's always good to learn something new everyday. Stay safe everyone and God bless.

I prefer real voices. It might sound harsh but if you can't carry a tune you probably shouldn't be a singer. I don't care if you have the 'right look', you need the talent to back it up. When fans pay good money for an album or to see a show they pay to hear your voice not some engineered version of what you may or may not actually sound like. That being said some effects are pretty cool and can add to the overall feel of the song but I don't enjoy when they overshadow the singing.

Huh. Never really knew what autotune sounded like, exactly. Thanks for that example!

I have, and always will, prefer pure voices.

Now that you have a sample, I definitely have heard that. I didn't know they did it to make someone sound in tune. I thought it was just for different effects. I don't mind it, but prefer pure voices.

this is a prtty good example of what you can do with it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuYDSa4BRaw

You can tell when something is autotuned because it has a somewhat metallic slide between the notes. It can be used to make basically anyones voice sound perfectly in tune, virtually eliminating all skill from singing. Listen to any of T-Pain's songs to hear it. SNC also used it (as a joke I believe) at the very end of "Live Your Life and Flo With Whatever You Like", which you can hear on the home page of this website.

I've never heard of such a thing. How would you know if something used autotune?