Why Are People Ignorant About Autotune

[zehydra]

I'd wager it's because most people who listen to the auto-tuned pop that's sort of everywhere these days don't really care about musicality. That is, they listen to the song and they're done, they don't really think about it much more than that.

No serious musician uses auto-tune to correct their mistakes. It can be used to create a sometimes interesting effect, but my stance on that is that it should be limited in use to preserve its novelty. Kind of like Phaser effects on guitar.

 

[crop52]

What is up with people?

You should listen to any song that sounds good to you.
What if I told you that the beatles used autotune? Would you suddenly hate the beatles their music? No, you wouldn't.

Feel free to replace the beatles with any artist that you like.

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

This is a case of people being incredibly vocal about a subject that they have put absolutely no effort into understanding.

basically this, i try to be open as possible, and if it's catchy/i enjoy listening to it, i dont care what genre it is or who made it, you bet your silly ass i'm gonna download it and keep it.

calling someone garbage just because they generate music differently that someone else doesn't make it worth any less than what anyone else claims to be true music, so i don't get the point in fussing so hardcore over something that doesn't effect you in the slightest besides being elitist about it.

 

[Nigh Invulnerable]

What is up with people?

You should listen to any song that sounds good to you. What if I told you that the beatles used autotune? Would you suddenly hate the beatles?
No, you wouldn't.

Feel free to replace the beatles with any artist that you like.

I wouldn't hate an artist for using autotune, but if it seemed like they hadn't previously and I then discovered they did I would likely lose some respect for them. Using something like autotune on occasion can be a wonderful tool, but reliance on it is pathetic.

 

[crop52]

I wouldn't hate an artist for using autotune, but if it seemed like they hadn't previously and I then discovered they did I would likely lose some respect for them. Using something like autotune on occasion can be a wonderful tool, but reliance on it is pathetic.

Woops, I meant "would you suddenly hate their music." I'll try make that more clear.

 

[IkeGreil29]

It's because it's not obvious to the untrained ear. The only thing I would say is that some don't use it live, such as Gaga and Perry (who by the way SUCKS live).

 

[Dr. wonderful]

All I know about autotune is that Stephen Hawking lost his Epic Rap Battle of History because he cheated and used it.

Einstien pretty much fucking kill it.

 

[Mudze]

People think autotune isn't used as a correctional tool anymore because more and more artists are using it as an instrument.

 

[Calum_M]

Auto-tune is used in the vast majority of pop songs, and has been for years. It's only recently the trend has been to actually let you notice it. The point of it originally was to correct pitch in a way that you wouldn't notice.

 

[funguy2121]

I was arguing with someone who thinks no one uses autotune anymore. I mentioned that most mainstream artist use it, and if anything, it's more used that it ever was. I mentioned that wiz khalifa uses it a lot in his hooks, like during the singing parts in "Roll Up", and "No Sleep", Nikki Minaj uses it a lot in the singing parts of songs, Lil Wayne uses it, especially in the song "How To Love". Brittney Spears, and Lady Gaga...

They said something like, "no, listen to a T Pain song, and then listen to a Wiz song. Wiz doesn't sound like a robot."

*facepalm* Are people not aware that autotune was never meant to be robotic sounding. Autotune is capable of producing smooth natural-like sounds. It only gives off that T Pain sound when it's turned up a lot.

It's always interesting, regardless of the result, to enter a thread with a preconceived notion of what's going to be in the OP and find out what will actually be there.

Wiz doesn't sound like a robot to me. He sounds like a crackhead to me. But what do I know? I don't have 10 toilets and therefore cannot shit all day. I can't stand any of the dancing lip synchers you mentioned, and nor can I stand any use of autotuning I've ever encountered. I'm not sure what you mean by "natural-like sounds." If you mean that it helps dancing lip synchers who can't actually hit a C sharp and then hit an A, then yes, it makes them sound more like actual singers when they shake their junk over the pre-recording of a computer stretching their voice to imitate singing. If you mean that it sounds like a melody coming from human vocal chords, I couldn't disagree more. Whether it's used to help Justin Beiber pretend that he's a talented singer or by T-Pain to make his weird music sound weird, to me it just sounds weird, and not in any interesting sort of way like Flaming Lips weird or Modest Mouse weird or A Perfect Circle weird. In fact, it sounds Orwellian to me, in a way, as odd as that may seem. It sounds like the perfect whitewashed pristine backdrop to giant pale-faced advertisements scrolling over the sides of huge buildings, selling products to a sedate public that they don't need. But I am told that I am weird.

Either way, I won't lose sleep if autotune is removed from musical history and wiped from everyone's memory forever.

 

[SoulSalmon]

Autotune used properly? just another tool to edit a song with.

People in the more popular muic industries tend to abuse it, and mainstream consumers have NO IDEA how powerful the tools available for editing sound are, and they all seem to think it takes a 4 year degree to use any of it >.>

 

[WinterOrbit]

I'm of the opinion that unless your name is Paul Masvidal, you're not allowed to use autotune.

I hate to do this because you have the awesome taste to listen to Cynic, but that's not Autotune. He's using a vocoder.

OT: I'm fine with Autotune. It's a tool to be used well or poorly, like guitar pedals or synthesizers. Unless you're in a genre that needs a natural sound (e.g. folk), use whatever you need to make good music. Caveat: I will be more wary of going to a band's concert if that band uses Autotune.

 

[OmniscientOstrich]

I hate to do this because you have the awesome taste to listen to Cynic, but that's not Autotune. He's using a vocoder.

OT: I'm fine with Autotune. It's a tool to be used well or poorly, like guitar pedals or synthesizers. Unless you're in a genre that needs a natural sound (e.g. folk), use whatever you need to make good music. Caveat: I will be more wary of going to a band's concert if that band uses Autotune.

Ah, I suppose I was making more of a generalisation about pitch changing effects with vocals. It's just I've rarely seen that sort of thing implemented well, while I hold animosity towards autotone for bolstering the careers of people who plain can't sing.

 

[BonsaiK]

I was arguing with someone who thinks no one uses autotune anymore. I mentioned that most mainstream artist use it, and if anything, it's more used that it ever was. I mentioned that wiz khalifa uses it a lot in his hooks, like during the singing parts in "Roll Up", and "No Sleep", Nikki Minaj uses it a lot in the singing parts of songs, Lil Wayne uses it, especially in the song "How To Love". Brittney Spears, and Lady Gaga...

They said something like, "no, listen to a T Pain song, and then listen to a Wiz song. Wiz doesn't sound like a robot."

*facepalm* Are people not aware that autotune was never meant to be robotic sounding. Autotune is capable of producing smooth natural-like sounds. It only gives off that T Pain sound when it's turned up a lot.

I've done my best to educate people in posts like this: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/18.216487-Curious-about-the-music-industry-Find-out-stuff?page=27#11923606 - but I doubt many people read them.

That's the thing about the Internet, it doesn't matter how many people you tell stuff to, there's always more people who don't know. Life in a global community.

 

[Raideh]

Cleaned.

 

[ShindoL Shill]

i think that Tobuscus uses it in his Literals. if you watch his live literals, then the video it sounds a lot better. thats using it well.

 

[Terminal Blue]

I would like some proof of this statement XD

It's been used in practically every commercial pop record since it was invented. If you didn't notice, that's proof.

 

[weker]

I would like some proof of this statement XD

It's been used in practically every commercial pop record since it was invented. If you didn't notice, that's proof.

The normal auto tune has kind of been ignored in the public eye and replaced by the robotic voice menacing of Rebbeca black and Keisha

 

[ChaoticKraus]

I heard a rumor that Kanye "Gods lyrical genius, gift to the world" uses autotune.

He does use it but doesn't really hide it, since he's a rapper its not like he relies on it (rapping isn't about the pitch). It's mostly used to play around with sounds and melodies, which is not very strange given his background as a producer. I'll give you an example below.

OT: Because people like to complain. If the tuning is used to fix someones voice you wont be able to hear it anyways, thus no problem. If its used for an effect it simply comes down to whether you like the sound or not. People just like to gripe and whine about new trends destroying "their" art.

Personally i think auto-tune/vocoders/echo/whatever can be very interesting when used in the right way. Sometimes it even fits better with the music than simple plain singing. Below is an example of a track that wouldn't be half as interesting without all the techo-wizardry used on it.