Why is Autotune hated by So Many PPL??? Must Read..

Mr Million Beats

Mr Million Beats

Producer
I get pissed off when non-industry people will say "Oh, that's Autotuned".. or "That singer can't sing, it's just computers doing that"... I think that it is a slap in the face to not only the artists, but especially to all of us producers that try to make the vocals sound flawless.

I am an avid user of both Autotune and Melodyne (Autotune for demos, Melodyne for final mixes). What people don't understand is, Autotune doesn't have to be the "T-Pain" effect, nor was it created or intended to cause that effect on vocals. If used in moderation, autotune can be a very effective pitch corrector and you can't even notice it is applied to the vocal, yet it has made all of the corrections needed.

I understand the robotic "T-Pain" sound got old to people really quick, but you can't blame Autotune or any pitch correction software for that. It was a fad, and is still sometimes heard in club/house/pop songs today. But if you use Autotune for what it is intended to do, you will get a good correction on your pitchy vocal without getting the "warbles" or "robots" people seem to think it creates.

So the next time someone says "That singer sucks, they use Autotune and their vocals are "Computerized", slap them with some baby powder and tell them to do some research, as their nerdy "cool" singer that sings about trees uses the same damn effects as Britney Spears...

To read the rest of my article, visit How To Use Autotune- The CORRECT Way


Thanks...Sorry, had to vent and clear some things up!
 
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People don't care enough to look into what our tools do and why should they? I wouldn't even tell people its autotuned. Just use it and get on with making music. Its a correction tool that was at time used to create a cool effect nothing more nothing less.
 
I think it depends on how much you use the tool rather than why. If your using it the entire time then your obviously not confident enough to use your real voice. If its just for the effect in a little bit of the song, that's just creativity.
 
Xabition, with all do respect, that's not the point. Whether I tell people something is autotuned or not, people who have never stepped foot in a studio, or have have never experienced a recording session, constantly talk about how this should be done to a song or how this shouldn't be used in a song. My point is, that I don't tell accountants how to manage money, nor do I argue with a lawyer as to how the current structure of the justice system is. So I don't think everyday people have a valid voice in the production process of a song. Sure, everyone has their opinion, but it doesn't mean much when you are ignorant to the subject. I don't lose sleep over it, but it is something I hear at least once a day when I tell people that I do audio production.

---------- Post added at 07:06 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:54 PM ----------
KillerKraut said:
I think it depends on how much you use the tool rather than why. If your using it the entire time then your obviously not confident enough to use your real voice. If its just for the effect in a little bit of the song, that's just creativity.
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Let's be honest, any vocal on a record is not "your real voice"... Reverb= fake acoustics added to delay or widen a vocal (not natural) EQ= used to adjust the high/mid/low end frequencies of a sound (not natural), gate= used to control the volume of the signal, or reduce any additional noise picked up (not natural)..The list goes on and on with any plugin you use. If you are using a plugin on a vocal, then the vocal instantly becomes "un-natural". So the same goes with autotune, as mentioned in my first post. Not everything has to sound like T-Pain when using that effect
 
Mr Million Beats said:
Xabition, with all do respect, that's not the point. Whether I tell people something is autotuned or not, people who have never stepped foot in a studio, or have have never experienced a recording session, constantly talk about how this should be done to a song or how this shouldn't be used in a song. My point is, that I don't tell accountants how to manage money, nor do I argue with a lawyer as to how the current structure of the justice system is. So I don't think everyday people have a valid voice in the production process of a song. Sure, everyone has their opinion, but it doesn't mean much when you are ignorant to the subject. I don't lose sleep over it, but it is something I hear at least once a day when I tell people that I do audio production.
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You're talking about Hipster Arrogance, just ignore it. Its not like those retards know anything about music production, they're just talking shit cause their best friend said the same thing.
 
Mr Million Beats said:
Xabition, with all do respect, that's not the point. Whether I tell people something is autotuned or not, people who have never stepped foot in a studio, or have have never experienced a recording session, constantly talk about how this should be done to a song or how this shouldn't be used in a song. My point is, that I don't tell accountants how to manage money, nor do I argue with a lawyer as to how the current structure of the justice system is. So I don't think everyday people have a valid voice in the production process of a song. Sure, everyone has their opinion, but it doesn't mean much when you are ignorant to the subject. I don't lose sleep over it, but it is something I hear at least once a day when I tell people that I do audio production.
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I understand what you mean but that's just not the world we live in. Everyone is opinionated in the world we live in which is why I say keep it on a need to know basis. I remember when people used to look down on you for making beats on computers and tell you that you needed a Triton then you turnaround 4 years later and everyone is making beats on a computer and everyone looks at you like an idiot for buying a new Motif. Its just how the world is. Its easier not to tell those people those things and keep those things amongst those of us with similar interests. I used to get annoyed when my wife said stuff like that. Now I just don't tell her about my music stuff really.
 
Even without being abused people view the use of Autotune as cheating because as far as they are concerned it makes talent irrelevant, they know that given the choice between a fat ugly chick who can really sing and an attractive skinny chick who can't that record companies would have a preference for Autotuning the attractive chick.
 
I know, I know.. We are talking about Autotune, I get that. But you can't honestly say that EVERY vocal on the radio is not manipulated by pitch correction, whether it be autotune, Melodyne, or any other software. You are naive to think that a singer has a "natural" voice on the radio. Labels, nor your "super" producers would allow it. I'm telling you, whether it's Mariah, Whitney (RIP), or Christina, they all have pitch correction added, as our natural tones and frequencies are not perfect, even if they sound like it. Sonically, it isn't possible, except through software. So Lil Wayne=yes..but I'm talking about a PITCH CORRECTOR. and that's the difference between making flawless vocals, and making "robotic", or "T-PAIN" vocals.
 
I would say because its an unpleasant sound and its been overused, even in its intended way for way too long now. its easy to hear on almost every album in a bad way. I have too many bad memories of lost hours polishing turds over the last 14 or so years. I use it when I HAVE to but mostly I make people get their parts right and then i try not to work with people that cant sing at least decent.
 
AUTOTUNE has ruined the image of being a true artist....hands down :(
 
autotune takes away (some of) the need to be vocally talented... all vocals have some effects on them but until autotune you still needed to be able to sing and hit/hold a note live... autotune is useful and sounds cool in some situations but if you depend on it because you can't sing don't accept any acoustic type live gigs anywhere...lol
 
V said:
autotune takes away (some of) the need to be vocally talented... all vocals have some effects on them but until autotune you still needed to be able to sing and hit/hold a note live... autotune is useful and sounds cool in some situations but if you depend on it because you can't sing don't accept any acoustic type live gigs anywhere...lol
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People forget how important just having a great singing voice is too. Mary J Blige has a great singing voice. She goes out of tune sometimes but her voice is so great and it sometimes actually sounds ok and they release it. I cannot think of any songs off top like that but it happens.
 
Xabiton said:
People forget how important just having a great singing voice is too. Mary J Blige has a great singing voice. She goes out of tune sometimes but her voice is so great and it sometimes actually sounds ok and they release it. I cannot think of any songs off top like that but it happens.
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every time i hear that specific autotune type voice effect i automatically think oh they must have went off key right there. sometimes the whole song..lol
 
V said:
every time i hear that specific autotune type voice effect i automatically think oh they must have went off key right there. sometimes the whole song..lol
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autotune is sometimes used an an effect that they want not because they cannot sing. Example when T Pain did it he was doing it to try and emulate what Roger Trottman did in the 80s with a talk box but didn't know what it was or how to do it and tried autotune and got an effect he thought was cool. Cher too. Autotune can be as subtle, creative or extreme as you want it to be. Its not autotune's fault that a lotofpeople who use it are not creative.
 
Let's be honest, any vocal on a record is not "your real voice"... Reverb= fake acoustics added to delay or widen a vocal (not natural) EQ= used to adjust the high/mid/low end frequencies of a sound (not natural), gate= used to control the volume of the signal, or reduce any additional noise picked up (not natural)..The list goes on and on with any plugin you use. If you are using a plugin on a vocal, then the vocal instantly becomes "un-natural". So the same goes with autotune, as mentioned in my first post. Not everything has to sound like T-Pain when using that effect

I get what you're saying, but this isn't exactly true.

1. Every space has a natural reverb/reflections. We remove it artificially by placing someone in a booth. And then SIMULATE what is natural by adding it back in. That is done to gain control of the amount/type of reverb -not simply to ADD REVERB. That's why most reverb presets are named after PLACES that EXIST.

2. The bones in your jaw and the shape of your skull is a reverb chamber that actually does add all the effects we add to recorded vocals artificially. Filters, stereo (widening or cutting), EQ and yes, reverb. That is why a persons voice sounds differently in their own head than when recorded. That's why you need awareness of what your voice is doing to control it upon exit.

3. A person sliding in and out of pitch is actually NATURAL SOUNDING. Pitch correction is usually reserved for missed notes- like when the singer flats out or can't nail a certain key. It's not usually done over the whole vocal track because that would be unnatural.

4. It's a small amount of cement glue verse having the singer go at it again and again and again. Or when you cannot go back and redo anything and you have to work with what you have.

5. If people are hearing you use Autotune and it wasn't done purposely for effect, then it's being used too often or too much (as in strength or % of correction). If you are aiming for seamless results and got them right, NOBODY would mention autotune.

This does and doesn't apply to other instruments.
When synthesizers keep perfect pitch they begin to sound...well....digital....overly controlled.
If your drums are doing things a real drummer can't do then they also will sound unnatural..
If your composition requires 12 fingers to play, people assume a production technique is involved.
If your composition requires the stamina of Hercules-Van-Beethoven to play, people will assume an arp was used.

That's because our ears are educated enough to know that absolute perfection is unnatural.
Use machines too much and people will hear the gears grinding.

That's the real issue hear, I mean here.
 
Straight to the Point: Autotune casts a shadow on singers who can actually sing because a non-singer can make a hit record and cause the "talented singer" to be forgotten, pushed back by their label, or just seem too ordinary because they don't bring some new swag to the table. That said, I'm not a hater of autotune...I love all things technology. But it does change the game by making the market bigger (non-singers can now "sing") and thus harder to compete enough to make a "living" from music.
 
i went through a program and got certified through antares for it. but that being said, to me it's kinda cheating and i would not mind at all if i never touched the program again. not knocking or saying it's a sin to use it. i just like natural voices without the need of pitch correction, especially when it comes to broads... i have a lot more respect for early diana ross and mariah than rihanna and lady gaga. i know we're in the digital age and technology is different, but i'm just saying...
 
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Yea I have respect for them too, but TPain was a hit, regardless of the artificial help....it sounded good and futuristic. 99% of Vanilla Extract is artificial chemical, but they don't stop people from buying cookies, pancakes, and other good. The same can be applied to music, it didn't stop people from buying albums. Besides the programmers who made it worked hard on the technology, so if you're not gonna give the artist respect, kudos to Antares for changing the game.
 
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