What is your Opinion on Autotune?

[Melania K Trump 6,294]

(Sorry this is so long I started writing and I wanted to be really thorough and I didn't know how to stop )

This is based on an earlier topic made here:

I consider myself a music production enthusiast, it's a bit of a hobby of mine so I can say that I at least know the basics. From what I understand though, public perception of what exactly Autotune is and its usage seem to be a bit warped. 

What most people know as "Autotune" started out as Antares Auto-Tune (seen below), a vocal pitch manipulation tool that basically works by the software reading the input signal, looking for off-key segments as they come in and then shifting the off-key segment to the correct note in the output signal. It's a proprietary software but most Digital Audio Workstations come with some sort of similar tool that essentially does the same thing.

Autotune can be used in subtle ways (as it was originally intended), to correct minor imperfections, often leaving the listener entirely unaware that Autotune is even used. This can be achieved if the singer produces a decent enough vocal take. Minor imperfections can usually be tuned to be on-key without leaving the characteristic "autotune/Cher effect".

However, the use Autotune is an imperfect art, where if used too aggressively can leave the end product with the characteristic "autotune/Cher effect", aka the vocals have been entirely stripped of its vibrato and the pitch shift between notes is near instant (retune speed set to max), so it sounds "flat", inhuman and slightly robotic. I like to think of it as a sort of vocal "uncanny valley". This effect can be heard especially clearly if the singer is not on key for whatever reason, and heavy usage of Autotune tools is used to keep the vocal take on key. This type of music production technique was especially common back in the early 1990's (Cher's "Believe") through to the late 2000's in pop music, leading to it's negative public perception that those who used it "couldn't sing" or "can't sing live". Around the same time up to present day, you also begin to notice that the effect was being used intentionally to achieve the robotic effect for stylistic reasons. So it is somewhat untrue and unfair that people who use it are still labelled as "talentless", with public perception still persisting that people who use it can't really sing. 

There also exists, as I like to call it, "Manual-Tune" or audio manipulation tools specifically designed to alter very specific sections of a vocal take down to the individual syllable or note. I'm unsure whether people are as aware of these tools as they are of Autotune, as autotune has more or less become a shorthand for either the "autotune effect" or for any kind of vocal manipulation or editing, but the two most popular such tools are probably Melodyne or Logic Pro's Built in Flex Time (seen below). These tools are far more powerful than simple Autotune and it is now basically industry standard to use them to correct vocals, mainly because they can be used to edit imperfect vocal takes to be on-key without the characteristic "autotune effect". Autotune stops at just changing the pitch and vibrato of an entire vocal take, whereas "manual tuning" can individually change the vibrato, formant, pitch, glide, volume, placement, etc, of each and every individual syllable, which is why it's use it is now the industry standard as it can be used to change the most minute details of a vocal take to make it sound however you want it to sound. You can even edit a vocal take to sound somewhat imperfect so it still sounds natural.

This brings me to my next issue: is it possible that we have become conditioned to pitch perfect vocals? When someone sings, even with the best of vocalists, there are going to be slightly off-key notes here and there. And here's the thing: that is perfectly normal, even for the most trained professionals, it just happens. It's like skincare, even people with the most perfect glass skin occasionally get pimples, and that is totally fine. We've just been conditioned to perfect vocals like we've been conditioned to want perfection everywhere else. I think the mentality in the music industry is that at the end of the day the songs the artists make are products to be sold, and those products have to be perfect. And most of us have unwittingly bought into that even if we're aware of it or not.

I just want to state here though that like 90% of the time, vocal manipulation tools aren't really used for what people think they're used for aka the singer is "untalented" or "can't sing", but instead what usually happens in a studio is that it reduces the need for more vocal takes. This is especially useful if a studio is being rented or when an artist is unavailable to do further vocals takes, it is simply easier for the producer of the song to correct the minor imperfections, and it speeds up the time it takes to mix, master and complete a song. It is just easier on everyone involved.

Like even the most talented artists have their vocals edited or manipulated to some extent in some way these days, it is exceedingly uncommon to have entirely unedited vocals. Yes, even Gaga.

So in effect what I'm saying is, pretty much every song you hear these days, if not auto-tuned, is at the very least somewhat edited and "manual tuned" for small imperfections. Granted, I imagine some artists use them more than others, but personally I don't think that makes any of them less capable singers because no amount of vocal manipulation can make someone who genuinely can't sing, sound good. They can perhaps make a semi-decent bathroom singer the next big pop girl, but none of these tools can make a donkey sound like Mariah Carey. (Well, not yet as far as I'm aware).

TLDR:

What is your opinion on the usage of Autotune in modern mainstream music? Do you consider Autotune to be the characteristic "autotune/Cher effect" or when vocals are edited in any way to compensate for imperfections in the vocals? Do do you take issue when vocals are edited ie: edited vocals make you feel like an artist is therefore less "authentic"?

 

[weed 72,651]

I love it  someone with a bad voice sounding good on a song with auto-tune doesn't make them the next Mariah Carey, they made a bop but still have a bad voice and I'm fine w that! I love how it was used in reputation + Golden Hour

[Guest]

[PussOfYonce 3,657]

i dont mind it, if used properly i rather like it, most of the time though

[Economy 48,855]

Honestly i find the heavy criticism unwarranted

 

First of all many singers are also performers and artists. Not everyone is an Adele that stands there with just a mike and its all about the voice. If someone is a great dancer and performer or can make great music but the voice isnt their strongest point and autotune can help then why not????? Their other talents can shine while a vocal weakness can be masked (at least partially)

 

Secondly sometimes u WANT a heavy autotune for effect for an electronic sounding song like StarStruck, 911, Chers believe etc

 

And if autotune irks u that much dont listen to artists that obviously use it. No one is forcing u to 

[Born2Gay 48]

56 minutes ago, Contrapoints said:

Do you consider Autotune to be the characteristic "autotune/Cher effect" or when vocals are edited in any way to compensate for imperfections in the vocals?

yes, both.

57 minutes ago, Contrapoints said:

do you take issue when vocals are edited ie: edited vocals make you feel like an artist is therefore less "authentic"?

generally, no. some might even say that using auto-tune appropriately is an artistic feat itself. the situation is different with singers like jlo, madonna, & lil nas x though, who have used it, and then sounded completely different (bad) when they didn't. 

adam neely made a really good video about this: 

 

[MOT 2,921]

I think you're right about the word autotune being used as a shorthand for any vocal enhancement. There is a kind of a funny thing going on with old rockers from the 60's and 70's. They don't like modern music, it was much better in their day, real singers, no autotune, real musicians etc, but the fact is that the same thing was said about 60's/70's music back in the day by the older generation then.

I've no issue with autotune or vocal enhancements in general. It's just about producing a sound at the end of the day, and people will either like or dislike, whether there's autotune or not. Every singer who has ever picked up a mic has had their voice enhanced to some extent.

[Ronk 14,720]

I grew up with the music of the 50's and 60's.  I see nothing wrong with how music was performed and recorded at that time.  To us at that time, the singers sounded great whether or not there were imperfections.

I have nothing against vocal enhancements used today.  But I think artists who need little or no vocal enhancements should be recognized and appreciated for their ability.

[Dojo 19,365]

is for industry plants, sorry not sorry.

[Bling 31,288]

It depends, but I generally dislike it. I can't even listen to hardly any Kim Petras because the autotune is SO bad. Her live performances slay tho. Also, I'm a huge Madonna fan but her last album lost A LOT of points for me due to the excessive autotune.

On the flip side, it doesn't bother me when artists who actually CAN sing use autotune as an instrument and it's not overdone. Case and point, Chromatica. A little voice correction is cool, but majority of popular music is too autotuned for my taste. Too much autotune makes the music feel more elementary and makes the artists seem less authentic.

All my opinions but quote me if you want 

[salty like sodium 1,179]

 

4 hours ago, Economy said:

Honestly i find the heavy criticism unwarranted

 

First of all many singers are also performers and artists. Not everyone is an Adele that stands there with just a mike and its all about the voice. If someone is a great dancer and performer or can make great music but the voice isnt their strongest point and autotune can help then why not????? Their other talents can shine while a vocal weakness can be masked (at least partially)

 

Secondly sometimes u WANT a heavy autotune for effect for an electronic sounding song like StarStruck, 911, Chers believe etc

 

And if autotune irks u that much dont listen to artists that obviously use it. No one is forcing u to 

what she said.

I mean Taylor Swift and Madonna aren't the strongest singers out there but the music industry also wouldn't be the same without either of them. It's particularly true with their early albums, if you listen to them their voices do have quite a lot of inconsistencies. But their performing, songwriting, and/or producing is ultimately just as important as someone like Céline Dion, who sings really well but doesn't write, compose or produce her material. There's enough room for everyone really.

What I do take offence at are the artists who don't have a particularly strong voice, don't dance particularly well, don't write/produce their own stuff and are basically built up by labels just because they look pretty. That's where I draw the line, really.

[hELXIG 42,605]

Really useful tool as an effect and to polish studio recordings, but not something that an artist should lean on.

I think pure vocals don't sound as good with really electronic music, and a touch of autotune helps the voice blend in better. Or it can be used for really cool effect! Billie Eilish is known for never using autotune in her music because she is pitch perfect, but she did use it as a vocal effect in her recent song NDA.

But I strongly believe that if someone is going to call themselves a singer, and they're either grinding for mainstream success or have achieved it, then they should know how to really sing. I strongly believe if you've dedicated your life to a career as a singer, then you should be working on your voice with coaches to actually be able to sing. No patience for people who calls themselves singers who rely on autotune and have no technique or ability

[Guest]

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with using it but don’t expect to become an icon relying on that. There’s not many icons who don’t have vocal talent to their reputation.