Auto Tune

[Plooker68]

http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/blenderburner/4491/kanye-west-caught-lip-synching

[Bart Elliott]

http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/blenderburner/4491/kanye-west-caught-lip-synching

I noticed that the article stole my reference to the American Idol bloopers.  8)

[KevinD]

I realize now why I think I've seen this clip of Kanye before ... it's very similar to all of those early American Idol auditions ... you know the ones when Simon waves them out of the room with a "good-bye".

I don't usually like to divert traffic from here to another site but there is a thread that dicusses this topic over on Billy's forum, he made a direct (and correct) assessment, and some interesting conversation ensued.

http://billyward.yuku.com/topic/3062

[TheSleepingMachine]

is this any different than a guitarist relying on pedals to make him sound better. or maybe a drummer with a bunch of stuff on his kit, but little skill

[NY Frank]

is this any different than a guitarist relying on pedals to make him sound better...

Yes - it's very different. 

[Jon E]

The Auto Tune is more than an effect.  It is a corrective device.  the "effect" seems to be by-product.  I would never play with a guitar player that can't TUNE his instrument BEFORE he hits the distortion, whammy, reverb, flange, etc..  Just like I wouldn't want to play with a singer that can't sing in tune.

[Bart Elliott]

is this any different than a guitarist relying on pedals to make him sound better. or maybe a drummer with a bunch of stuff on his kit, but little skill

Completely different. No matter what pedals a guitarist uses, it just alters his sound, not making him sound better than he/she really is. A drummer with a lot of gear or large drum set-up doesn't sound better.

Garbage in, garbage out.

The Auto Tune can be (and is often) used to alter the performance to the point that a vocalist can be viewed as a great singer because they hit the pitches. And by the way, there's far more to singing that just hitting the pitches. Diction, annunciation, phrasing, timbre, etc., are all ingredients that make-up a good singer (musician).

I think Auto Tune is a great tool, but unfortunately it's abused by people who either can't sing/play, or those who refuse to take the time to master the instrument. In a society where people no longer want to pay their dues and what it NOW ... it's no wonder that Auto Tune is abused like it is.

The general public doesn't get it ... which is why they don't have a problem with it ... until something goes wrong. And when something does go wrong, like in the case of Kayne West, they accuse him of lip syncing, which is totally incorrect. They knew something was messed up, but lip syncing doesn't mean you can't sing, especially when it's your voice you are lip syncing to. However, using a device, whether it be live or in the studio, to make you something you are not ... well, the general public doesn't get that; it's beyond them.

Fixing a few notes in the studio with Auto Tune so you can save time makes sense. The performer could nail it, eventually, but sometimes it's easier to just slap the Auto Tune pluggin on the track and let it heal those few discrepancies. But to rely on Auto Tune in order to get the final product, meaning that the performer, with all the time in the world, would never be able to get a good take ... to me ... that's lame.

Instrumentalists use technology all the time in the studio to fix issues. Again, fixing a track at certain points is one thing, but doing 500 edits or chopping up a single track just to get it at an acceptable performance level, basically creating a frankenstein monster ... to me is lame ... very lame. But the world at large will never know.

[TheSleepingMachine]

alright i see your point. i was just thinking about musicians relying on technology to be good. whether it be a singer who cant sing, or a guitarist who cant make a good song without a million effects.