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RE: How Does That Work Todd? [yt]

Posted by Todd Krieger (A) on February 13, 2008 at 19:16:12

In Reply to: How Does That Work Todd? posted by thetubeguy1954 on February 13, 2008 at 08:19:06:

"I too like Renee Olstead ---I still cannot believe how young she was (14) on her self-titled debut CD--- and Michael Buble."

It occurred right before Clark Johnsen's revelation, but I was perusing Olstead's live stuff, and it was shockingly off-key..... (Very "American Idol-ish"....) That was the initial red flag..... Then when I realized what was happening, I downright soured on her. Dion I think could have stayed away from it, but it's such a tempation, because artists *are* successful with it (in the public realm), even though I think it destroys the performer's character. Buble initially struck me as a neat singer, maybe the "new generation Frank Sinatra", but it turns out, the "neatness" was from the pitch correction. If you notice, it also kills the vibrato and inflections that can really hit a listener with the right performance. The synthesis also ruins the "attack" and dynamic range the singer would otherwise have.

A great example of a "non-pitch-corrected" performance of recent time is a live clip on YouTube by Ana Torroja called "Hijo de la Luna" , played in an acoustic setting. There is a passage where she glides to a crescendo (3:03-3:09 and 4:11-4:18 in the clip), and the tone of her voice transforms from "delicate" to "powerful"..... Gives me goosebumps..... A la Bing Crosby..... This is an example of artistic nuance that makes performance so unique, and the performer to die for..... But it's the very thing that gets whacked by pitch correction. And if Torroja were to be pitch-corrected, she'd be reduced to a just another generic pop singer, if you get the gist. (Torroja's problem is she does a lot of stuff that don't really bring out her incredible voice. And if you want to hear how "Hijo" sounds like pitch-corrected, listen to the Sarah Brightman version. Although I think it's also lip-sync'ed, since the audio in several different performances also sounds identical.)

I get asked all the time how pitch correction is discerned. The blatant cases, the singer sounds synthesized..... It doesn't sound like a real person..... It's a tonal character I couldn't stand even before I knew its actual cause. (I used to call it "generic".) The song "Californication" by the Chili Peppers is a classic example. If the voice is recognizable only because of the song, that's the first sign. (I hear obscure stuff by Paul McCartney, because his voice is easily recognizable. Even heard him sing some Cole Porter...... There isn't a non-pitch-corrected voice that I'd mistake for another non-pitch-corrected voice.)

In the subtle cases, like with Olstead, Dion, Buble and recent Streisand, one hears some semblance of the real voice, but still, it doesn't sound like Ella..... Or Eva Cassidy..... Or Ana Torroja...... (Streisand is the only singer who I actually prefer with pitch correction. Only because the application is so subtle in her case, you'd only notice it side by side, with and without .) Where the unadulterated quirks and inflections just send the listener reeling.

"Todd how is pitch correction applied? To the entire song as sung by the artist or as needed?"

Depends on the act. Most pop acts are done in real time, so in concert, it's heard as well. Mainly so the fans aren't tipped off that such application is being applied- Most don't realize it's even taking place. (A lot of these acts tend to do "lip syncing" and "playback", often to create a perception of individuality in performance. Most such acts have limited interaction with the audience, which is maybe the most-striking difference from the real thing. For the gestures would be "pitch corrected" too. Another sign of pitch correction in a pop or rock concert is a total lack of vocal improvisation.) Some acts have it applied only in the studio. Like Olstead. Her live stuff doesn't have pitch correction, but then you realize she's really not that great of a singer. (I think this is why she's since fallen off the map.) Buble is done real-time. And others have it applied "post-production", where it's done by an editor afterward, where needed. It can throw off a listener because he'll hear both pitch correction and off-key singing in the same track. Some of Sting's later solo stuff is post production. A lot of "post production" is done with decent singers who occasionally hit a sour note.

"Does the pitch correction machine sense when to self apply or is it manuelly applied by the recording engineer as they feel it's needed?"

There are a lot of demonstrations on YouTube. Look up Antares, Autotune, Auto Tune, Pro Tools, pitch correction, pitch software, vocal enhancement, T-Pain (the one pop singer whose pitch correction somehow got widely-known).

The link will help some lock onto the characteristic tone of Auto Tune, which I've grown to despise. Once you get familiar with its characteristic "sound", it then sticks out like a sore thumb in commercial music productions.

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-S7Dx-ydbnw   (Open in New Window)

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