Why would producers abuse Pitch Correction?

[rasputin1963]

Watching TV today, I saw a commercial selling a various artists anthology of modern Christian pop & rock songs.

 

You know how they play snippets of the songs on these commercials.

 

Well, one of these songs featured a young male vocalist singing lead..... and whoever had produced his record had applied Pitch Correction--- nothing unusual here, excpet that they'd slid the correction-o-meter into full, flat, perfect pitch.

 

So this guy is singing perfect flat pitches, no vibrato, no pitch slides. Just stairsteps. (I think some call this the "Cher-Believe" syndrome.)

 

But whereas Cher's "Believe" features this effect judiciously applied here and there for cool effect, this Christian record had the entire lead vox doing it throughout...

 

Is this really a sound that will go unnoticed by the lay public (as being ersatz)? Can this kid go on to use this full-on Pitch Correction setting in his live performances? Is this thought (by some? by whomever?) to be a "hooky" sound that will sell records?

 

I'm no foe of Pitch Correction.... some times it can be a thrilling sound [like when they use it to help Hoobastank hit that exceptionally stratospheric high note: "And the reason is YE-W-W-W--WWW!!] But why would a producer send the Pitch Correction into its fullest correction mode throughout the song?

[UstadKhanAli]

Apparently, few people - at least, people who listen to pop music - seem to care. When I point out a song that requires pitch correction, people frequently respond with:

 

- a shrug of the shoulders

- "Don't a lot of people use studio trickery?"

- "S/he probably needs it."

- "Well, a lot of people probably can't sing like they could in the old days."

- "Oh, wow, they have such a thing now? That figures. I guess just about anybody can sing a pop song."

 

I understand people fixing the occasional bad note when there's no other choice and the singer's no longer available, but to set it on stun for no other reason than to fix a singer's voice is ludicrous to me. Surely there must be enough people who look like porn stars or models who can sing?

[halljams]

Surely there must be enough people who look like porn stars or models who can sing?

Yes but they don't have the drive and ambition that the ones who cannot sing do.

Which would you invest in?

The dude who may disapear out of boredom or the one who is so desperate to prove themselves they will risk anything for any amount of time(contractually at least).

[philbo]

Also, you can make a lot more money being a model or porn star than as a singer...

 

Sure, it's not only about money, but money is a lot like sex. Or air. Or food.

It's only a big deal if you aren't getting any.

[amplayer]

I don't know exactly which tune you're referring to, but I notice excessive pitch correction being used as a special effect in a LOT of current R&B tunes.

It may be that the recordings you refer to also are not done to fix a bad vocal, but rather as a production choice for that robotic type sound.

I hope/assume this usage is just a fad that will quickly pass.

[Beck]

Not sure which commercial you saw, but if it's one that I'm thinking of it's not pitch correction, it's Michael W. Smith. That's how I would describe the way he sings... no vibrato and right on (sometimes right off) pitch. If it was that one it

[Lee Knight]

But why would a producer send the Pitch Correction into its fullest correction mode throughout the song?

 

Laziness and selfishness.

 

Laziness because there are ways to do it that don't rob the performance of it's soul. But it takes time and energy... and skill.

 

Selfishness because as others have pointed out, a lot of the listening public don't find it objectional. For a while at least. This, in the eyes of the selfish producer, justifies his laziness.

 

What I find objectional, is that through this laziness, the producer has chosen to limit the staying power of the performance and try to cash in on the quick buck. Why work for greatness when we can have it sound like... "THIS!" Slap AutoTune on the track and catch some early zzz's.

 

You know, Hit the Road Jack would probably sound pretty cool if they'd corrected Ray's voice. For about a week! And that's all it would take to sell some records and get a quick return. But as it stands, we have Ray singing for real, and we'll love it forever. Not just for a week.

[scarecrowbob]

Oh hey, if you guys like pitch correction, you'll love this:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lt6o8NlrbHg

 

My wife loves this song .

 

I think the song is exemplary....

[blue2blue]

There's a bluegrass tune I hear sometimes that sounds all studio glossy but sounds pretty okay overall-- until the chorus comes in -- and they're RUNNING THROUGH AUTOTUNE!

 

Bluegrass... keening country harmonies -- or what should be... all of a sudden, the voices go into a steady, featureless, piano-pitch (ie, bad harmony) autotune-squeezed 'harmony'... it's SO glaring and obvious...

 

I'm listening to some Ricky Skaggs right now -- a guy who knows how to do slick and glossy right (at least on this track). The harmonies are pretty tight -- but they're human... they flow in pitch, they have grace and movement.

 

But the autotune on this other song (I wish I knew who the artist and producer are -- because they deserve a public shaming) just makes it sound so squeezed out and artificial.

 

In bluegrass... It's just so bloody friggin' wrong.

[UstadKhanAli]

That's seriously wrong.

[jlampson]

That Sean Kingston song that you posted a YouTube video on has a ton of correction on it. And one that's even worse is one of the 17 remixes of "Umbrella," with - I think - Jay-Z singing. Anyway, you can check out YouTube for that if you want to on your own....but probably not.

[Beck]

 

I think the song is exemplary....

 

 

Of what pray tell?

[rasputin1963]

There's a bluegrass tune I hear sometimes that sounds all studio glossy but sounds pretty okay overall-- until the chorus comes in -- and they're RUNNING THROUGH AUTOTUNE! Bluegrass... keening country harmonies -- or what should be... all of a sudden, the voices go into a steady, featureless, piano-pitch (ie, bad harmony) autotune-squeezed 'harmony'... it's SO glaring and obvious... I'm listening to some Ricky Skaggs right now -- a guy who knows how to do slick and glossy right (at least on this track). The harmonies are pretty tight -- but they're human... they flow in pitch, they have grace and movement. But the autotune on this other song (I wish I knew who the artist and producer are -- because they deserve a public shaming) just makes it sound so squeezed out and artificial. In bluegrass... It's just so bloody friggin' wrong.

 

 

Yeah, Country is where this effect seems most out of place, IMHO. What gets me is, there ARE ways to have your digital harmonies sound more human [EQ, reverb and pan, to name only three], but they aren't being used... which makes me think that some Country producer thinks that this tinny "stairstep" sound is "the next big groovy thing".

[elsongs]

I only use Autotune in graphical mode only to fix a random flat note here and there, saves me from re-re-re-re-re doing an otherwise excellent take.

[Lee Knight]

 

I only use Autotune in graphical mode only to fix a random flat note here and there, saves me from re-re-re-re-re doing an otherwise excellent take.

 

 

...and I've spent a day re-working a vocal in Melodyne to make it happen. So to me, the real question is, why are some producers so lazy?

 

"Vocal's almost done. (opens AT on insert). OK... done!"

 

The answer is money. Money over art. But let's remember, that's some producers.

[kurfu]

Oh hey, if you guys like pitch correction, you'll love this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lt6o8NlrbHg My wife loves this song . I think the song is exemplary....

 

Sounds like they could have used a little ebonics correction on this guy as well.

 

[scarecrowbob]

 

Of what pray tell?

 

 

Mostly of what autotune sounds like; I use it as an example when people ask. It's at the edge between abuse/bad taste and a kind of interesting vocal sounding effect.

 

Also (and I make this comparison having only heard this and Kingston's version of Dyer Maker) "Beautiful Girls" is on the edge beteen an outright ripoff/parody/cover and sampling/quotation/recontextualizing.

 

I don't think either of those borders are intentional, but they make the song an interesting example.

[chipmcdonald]

It seems like the worst offenders were in country music. It's gotten better, but I still hear it now and then and it drives me nuts.

 

R&B is so cliche ridden now I'm not sure what the point is...

 

The thing that gets me though, is that they do it on these "big" productions where you'd think they'd have the budget to have the "singer" at least make a few more passes so they can edit something together - but they don't bother. In some of the country productions I'm *fairly* sure they could have gotten the same thing out of a real performance - but they didn't bother/care.

 

... and the labels all wonder what's happened to the industry.

[kurdy]

I think the problem is not that they use it, but that they use it incorrectly. To me, it doesn't seem like it would be too difficult to only use it on selected syllables, or correct the off-note here and there; it may take a little more time, but it seems very doable. But they just throw it on the whole track. And we're talking about some major, big budget releases here with top producers and engineers.

 

The only things I can guess is that recording budgets are not what they once were, and it saves the label time and money. Or laziness on the producers/engineers part. Or it's done on purpose to achieve that vocal effect (though I can't imagine why anyone would consider it desirable). Darned if I can figure out which one, or if it's any of them at all.

[Lee Knight]

 

I think the problem is not that they use it, but that they use it incorrectly. To me, it doesn't seem like it would be too difficult to only use it on selected syllables, or correct the off-note here and there; it may take a little more time, but it seems very doable. But they just throw it on the whole track. And we're talking about some major, big budget releases here with top producers and engineers. The only things I can guess is that recording budgets are not what they once were, and it saves the label time and money. Or laziness on the producers/engineers part. Or it's done on purpose to achieve that vocal effect (though I can't imagine why anyone would consider it desirable). Darned if I can figure out which one, or if it's any of them at all.

 

 

Agreed. Eventually though, people will get tired of it. The regular Joe's going to hear it and say, "Sheesh, that sounds like 2002. Lame" and not know why. But the sound will go out of favor. And then engineers and "performance editors" will have to use some skill in thier usage.

 

Uhm.... hopefully.

[motord]

I detest autotune.

[Rudolf von Hagenwil]

For the unwed engineer it must be very hard to resist, I never had that problem, I'm married to an ex-miss Sweden, but do you know that many producers/engineers get married with the cutest singerutrix after they had first an initially, intense and spontaneous autotuning?

 

.

[Yann]

Oh hey, if you guys like pitch correction, you'll love this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lt6o8NlrbHg My wife loves this song . I think the song is exemplary....

 

A bit OT but how can someone make a song by so blatently basing it on the baseline from "Stand By Me" without anybody (outside the music biz) apparently noticing it?

 

I find it cheap. (oh and yes I do find the autotune abuse is horrendous)

[Synonym Music]

 

It seems like the worst offenders were in country music. It's gotten better, but I still hear it now and then and it drives me nuts. R&B is so cliche ridden now I'm not sure what the point is... The thing that gets me though, is that they do it on these "big" productions where you'd think they'd have the budget to have the "singer" at least make a few more passes so they can edit something together - but they don't bother. In some of the country productions I'm *fairly* sure they could have gotten the same thing out of a real performance - but they didn't bother/care. ... and the labels all wonder what's happened to the industry.

 

 

+1

 

It's got to be an intended trend. Overtuning is hitting too many genres all at once...

[Spook]

 

A bit OT but how can someone make a song by so blatently basing it on the baseline from "Stand By Me" without anybody (outside the music biz) apparently noticing it? I find it cheap. (oh and yes I do find the autotune abuse is horrendous)

 

 

It's sampling, half the time it's "Sean Kingston ft. Ben E King"

 

I mean, it's not based on the baseline from Stand By Me, it IS the baseline.

 

Thats Hip Hop. Where have you been since the early 80s?