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Beyond 11: Why You Should Love Pitch Correction


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Well....I have zero experience using pitch correction on vocals. If you've ever heard me sing, you'll say, "We know". As far as using it on anything else..Well sometimes I have to bend the string a bit more. I play a regular Strat.

 

But seriously, I think every thing you wrote about it makes perfect sense.

 

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I prefer using pitch-correction sparingly, deliberately, and skillfully, and only on "parts" of takes that are already "close." My favorite use is when a really good singer laid down something that felt really good, but had a slight pitch issue in it, and even though we tried repeatedly, we never got another take or punch-in on that line with quite the same magic. That's when being able to correct that slight pitch problem that would otherwise keep us from using that magical take instead of an in-tune but less exciting one is truly a wonderful thing IMO.

 

Knowing that you can correct something if you need to is really quite liberating for musicians. Like setting the right vibe in the studio, and presenting a supportive and accepting attitude from the other side of the glass, it allows them to be less self-conscious, freer, and to "go for it" - to put forward their best efforts without reservation or fear. They're less likely to hold back and play it safe if they know you have their back.

 

Of course, there are some who are lazy and use modern day technical / production methods and tools as a crutch instead of doing the hard work of learning how to sing / play, as well as some "engineers" who just throw AutoTune into automatic mode and throw it on every vocal track... but that's usually extremely obvious. No matter how much studio magic you throw at those folks, their limitations and lack of talent are going to be apparent eventually - either on the recording, or in their live performances, etc.

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Of course' date=' there are some who are lazy and use modern day technical / production methods and tools as a crutch instead of doing the hard work of learning how to sing / play, as well as some "engineers" who just throw AutoTune into automatic mode and throw it on every vocal track... but that's usually extremely obvious. No matter how much studio magic you throw at those folks, their limitations and lack of talent are going to be apparent eventually - either on the recording, or in their live performances, etc.[/quote']

 

And let's be fair - some "stars" wouldn't have careers if it wasn't for pitch correction. They haven't been caught...yet :)

 

Martina McBride did a 4th of July concert in Nashville. She hit a few wrong notes. It just underscored that EVERYTHING she sang was real, and damn, she can sing for real. The wrong notes? Hey, even the shortstop who saves game after game misses a line drive from time to time.

 

 

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Yup - no matter how good they are, no one is perfect. Of course, there's a big difference between a great performer who's human and makes the occasional mistake, and the so-so performer who makes all kinds of them - or relies on technology to try to cover them up.

 

I'm glad that audiences today seem to be more accepting of humanity in performances than they seemed to be for a few years.

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Well as long as we're on the subject of pitch correction, what is everyone using? That is, assuming you use it at all of course... :)

 

Do you use Melodyne, AutoTune, or something else? Which version are you running?

 

Do you think any of these plugins / programs are faster to use and / or better at delivering more natural sounding results, with fewer tell-tale artifacts?

 

What do you like about the pitch correction app you use, and what would be the number one thing you would want to add to it, or fixed or changed about it?

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