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Are we a dying breed?


Fotowns Finest

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Us vocalists, do you think us good voices will die out? It seems like with the music being put out today, and the whole auto tune frenzy...it makes me think there won't be a need for us anymore. It seems like anyone will be able to just walk in the studio and lay down a vocal, just for it to be auto tuned. I feel that nearly everyone outside of music accepts the misconception that singers are "born with their talent", or either not willing to work in a couple years of practice to sound reasonable, so they just turn to auto tuning. It really gets me pissed off. For instance I was looking through the app store on my itouch there was an app called "I am t-pain" (a rapper). It's an app that let's you sing/talk into your device and it auto-tunes it to where you sound good. Prior to this I thought auto tuning was only for the proffesionals, but apparently it's so popular now anyone, literaly, can do it.

 

Idk wtf to think. It makes me feel were on the brink of extinction sorta, and soon technology will surpass us, just like in everything else.

 

But I could be wrong. What's your guys/gals take on it?

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I think partly you're right, and party not. Firstly, you can hear when something is auto-tuned. It doesn't sound natural and for a good number of upcoming years, it won't. Also there is no auto tune that can replace a live vocalist. And what Surrealistic said, until they invent "auto-emotion", there is no need to worry :lol:

 

But what does frighten me is what you said - everyone thinks singers are just born with their talent. Or that singing is easy because everyone has a voice, but not everyone has a guitar. Not many people understand exactly how the vocal apparatus works and how fragile it is, how many years of practice it takes to make it work your way. Pretty much any aspect of singing is under-appreciated (except for range, which is over-appreciated). So in that respect, I think that singers aren't a dying breed, but good singers are.

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Labels and pop star makers will always find a way to make a lesser musician into the flavor of the month. For every Mariah out there who can actually sing you'll have your Brittany. Auto tune is just another tool in their shed. In this information age it's harder to break through but I talent is talent and it will bubble to the top here and there.

 

Now what I don't get is taking a known good singer like Jamie Fox and throwing that robot voice on it for a whole album...

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...Firstly, you can hear when something is auto-tuned. It doesn't sound natural and for a good number of upcoming years, it won't. Also there is no auto tune that can replace a live vocalist.

 

 

This.

 

Truly great voices will always be in demand because they are unique.

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I don't think autotune is such a worry. It does allow lesser vocalists to sound better than they are but being on key is just one small part of a good vocal performance isn't it? If (when?) they develop "auto-emotion" and "auto-vocal-tone" I'll start worrying
:lol:

 

"auto-emotion"

 

now that's funny.

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I think things are much better for fine voices outside the world of pop. Metal and Opera are two genres that will always have great singing, for example.

 

 

As much as I love both metal and opera, I think it's unfair to consider them superior to pop, singing-wise. You find good, mediocre and bad singers in both genres.

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I think in a way really truly talented singers will become even more appreciated, in demand and seen as even more special, the more auto-tune is used...people want REAL talent even if they'll eat up the crap mass produced auto-tuned "singers" as well.

 

To me, those pop princesses on auto-tune are like junk food...disposable, whereas true talent is like natural whole foods and you need 'em.

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I think in a way really truly talented singers will become even more appreciated, in demand and seen as even more special, the more auto-tune is used...people want REAL talent even if they'll eat up the crap mass produced auto-tuned "singers" as well.


To me, those pop princesses on auto-tune are like junk food...disposable, whereas true talent is like natural whole foods and you need 'em.

 

 

I think that you touch on the key point. Auto tuned fluff pop corn music has no staying power. It's big that year and then you never hear it again.

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I Like what you said in your first post mamma cat, about the reverse situation of ppl thinking "everyone has a voice, so everyone can sing" this is so true for this 1 girl in my town who fronts one of my friends band, another friend of mine told me an instance where someone approached this girl at school and said "you've got balls to sing infront of ppl" and she said "I don't have balls, I have talent". I got a good lol out of that, I think she deffinetly goes under the category of "anyone can do it"

 

what you guys said about the whole auto emotion, it does make me a bit more at ease, but I really don't doubt the power of technology...I'm sure 30 years down the road there might be something for that. In the meantime I'll hope that we will be sought after gems in the music world

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Even though I think technology may surprise us in many many ways (or better yet, nothing surprises me anymore), I don't think any sort of "auto-emotion" ( :lol: ) program is a threat either, because programs only do what you tell them. There will never be a way to express the wide range of human emotions, because emotions are never clear - they're usually a mix of something. And add to that the fact that every person expresses them differently. This is why art has been using computers for assistance, but has always needed a human behind the machine.

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Norman Spinrad's 1989 novel, "Little Heroes", was ahead of its time, and is an interesting read about a computer graphics expert and an audio/voice-synth player teaming up to create a "virtual rock star".

 

Also in the book is an interesting and prescient treatment of digitally manipulating "bad" singing in order to get "rock star" performances.

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Autotune is a passing fad, but I don't think it should be demonized. It could certainly be put to good use, doesn't matter if you're a good or bad singer. Whether it's used for {censored} "rap" records like whatever Lil' Wayne is trying to sell these days or in a shiny pop record, it's just a tool like any other, like a guitarists' distortion pedal.

 

No, good singers will always be in demand. Auto-tune is cool, but it won't kill off the vocalist.

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I personally think talent is much more prevalent (by appearances)

than it were back in the day...

 

The issue I see is that the record companies are trying to maximise profits...

while focusing on a well marketed package.

 

The Talent is there but the *in* thing isn't about talent.

I think.

 

People like Susan Boyle had one thing other amateurs don't.

A huge platform that is able to reach out internationally. I feel she's an exception.

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I think that you touch on the key point. Auto tuned fluff pop corn music has no staying power. It's big that year and then you never hear it again.

 

+1

 

It might be big now, but the next big fad might be that everyone wants to hear raw, dirty rock music that sounds like it was recorded live in someone's garage. :idk:

 

Either way, whatever the latest chart craze happens to be most likely has nothing to do with what I listen to, so I'm not particularly bothered by what's going on there. :idk:

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