re: Auto-tune is the Wonder Bra of modern pop music

quote:

---

That Florence and the Machine wannabe on SNL this past episode came out and sang the entire first half of the song flat as a board. Sounded absolutely horrendous bit I don't think anybody even noticed.

---

It really is fascinating.

I hear friggin great vocalists all the time...........yet.......the pop world foists people upon us who literally cannot sing at all.

It's honestly to the point where if there are songs you like, you're better off going to watch a cover band made up of ugly people if you want to hear the songs live.

The Chainsmokers doing whatever that song is with Halsey (who actually can sing) is a good example. Those dudes are terrible and the live versions are hilarious.

I miss when you could actually have singers who could sing without help.

"some producer with computers fixes all my shitty tracks"

quote:

---

Chris Stapleton is a wonderful recent example of this.

---

Absolutely. He's BETTER live because he's not dead on.

But, that's an entirely different animal.

quote:

---

Morgan James

---

Vocal nirvana

There are all sorts of aspects of music technology that can make people sound better. I've never known a singer who didn't use some sort of effect. Reverb and compression are pretty much standard. There are also a myriad of techniques to dial out sibilance that are pretty much standard in any venue. There are numerous pitch-correction devices that can be used to correct the pitch at any point in the song. Auto-tune can be used poorly, but it's an effect like any other. A good sound guy can make it seem like there is no pitch correction at all. As a rule of thumb, most venues with any sort of PA system have a rack of gear that includes devices that enable pitch-correction.

Even in the Morgan James clip, you have some pretty heavy effects, as there is a ton of headroom that you have to dial in at the mixing board. A good sound guy can make a good singer sound amazing.

None of these effects can control for when a singer is bad though. Here's a clip of Jeff Buckley, whose four-octave range is rare and amazing. LINK

Making sure the vocal line is clear in the mix is a skill unto itself, and is frankly underrated.

Why do grown people even listen to pop music? It's marketed to kids.

The wonder bra makes you think she has tits

Auto tune makes you think the singer is hitting the correct notes

----But which is more interesting?