Research+Paper



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 day of week, Sunday, March 14th, 2010
==== There is something to be said for those with natural musical talent; their ability to know what the audience wants to hear, controlling inflection, intonation and vocal quality while still grabbing the attention of the audience. Throughout my years of studying music, and going to see live performances, I have noticed that these desirable qualities are becoming less common .. They are simply excuses to put on extravagant productions, usually the visuals are more enthralling than the music is. For this, we have Auto-tune to blame. Live shows are no longer about legitimizing the talent that these artists have==== ==== Auto-tune has decreased the amount of effort the artist puts into their work. Most chart-topping artists have no musical training, and do not write their own songs. They have become mannequins to the designers of the music industry. A blank slate that can be molded into musical perfection by way of a computer and a sound engineer- creating artificial talent. It is astounding how much can be changed by using a simple plugin. //Through the abuse of Auto-tune, the music industry has decreased the level of musical capability by its artists, making the industry itself less credible////. // ==== ==== Auto-tune was created by Andy Hildebrand in 1996. Hildebrand was an oil consultant, and he "interpreted seismic data" for the oil industry, providing them with a map of appropriate and plentiful drilling locations (Tyrangiel). This technology worked by analyzing sound waves. It was a “mathematical formula called autocorrelation, Hildebrand would send sound waves into the ground and record their reflections, providing an accurate map of potential drill sites” (Time). After a large amount of success at this trade, Hildebrand was dared by a colleague at a work function to create something that would allow them to sing in tune all of the time. After several attempts, Hildebrand successfully altered his oil technology in order to create Auto-tune, with the first prototype being released in 1996. ==== ==== T-Pain has even gone so far as to openly attribute all of his success to Auto-tune. He said in an interview, "I know [Auto-Tune] better than anyone," says T-Pain. "And even I'm just figuring out all the ways you can use it to change the mood of a record” .. T-Pain has been offered large amounts of money to teach other artists how to use the studio tool, such as Diddy, who offered a percentage of his album sales to T-Pain in exchange for lessons . Meanwhile Auto-tuned vocals have been increasing in numbers on the airways . Still, the question remains whether Auto-tune is just changing the mood, or changing what is actually the last non-mechanical aspect of the album==== ==== The question at hand is whether or not Auto-tune has been abused . It is now a norm for producing an album, and an artist rarely goes without using the tool . When a number of music producers were interviewed by Time Magazine, “none could remember a pop recording session in the past few years when Auto-Tune didn't make a cameo--and none could think of a singer who would want that fact known” (Tyrangiel). “There's no shame in fixing a note or two," says Jim Anderson, professor of the Clive Davis department of recorded music at New York University and president of the Audio Engineering Society . "But we've gone far beyond that. ” ====

 Conclusion:
==== For many musicians, Auto-tune is seen as the reason for the sudden rift in music industry. As the music seemingly is becoming more perfect and in-tune, thus are normal everyday musicians seen as having less and less talent. When most people first become interested in music, they work on developing their skill set, learning the ins and outs of music theory. . Learning the theory behind the trade helps musicians recognize what characteristics of a song are appealing, and why, making their music successful. They are then able to create a basis upon which to build skills as an actual musician==== ==== When a musician begins to get involved with recording studios and the inners workings of creating an album, they often realize how little of the musical knowledge they gained, is relevant in this process. Playing guitar in a studio is no more than strumming a few chords, only to have it duplicated, tuned and modified in tone quality before being added to the track. Drum tracks are constantly being reset and altered so that they are perfect, down to the millisecond. It then becomes obvious that someone without any musical background could have done the job. ==== ==== When it comes down to it, music will continue to be manipulated and altered from it’s original form as long as there is a demand for it .. The teenage audience has ultimately altered their taste in music just as a person will choose the artificial pop-rocks over a natural and unique tasting apple. It’s unfortunate, but when their health and their interest levels come to an all-time low, they will crave the natural and stripped down taste of that organic apple. In other words, there will come a day when the Auto-tune novelty will get old, and people will once again appreciate the nuances of error and character in the music they appreciate. ====  Until then, musicians will struggle with being original in an industry of phony, similar sounding hip hop and rap artists

 day of week, Monday, March 15th, 2010
==== This idea may have began as a novelty, a joke, but it soon spread to studios throughout the country. When it was first established, it was a surefire way to fix small flubbed notes in the studio. It saved producers time and money by avoiding rerecording sessions and over dubs. Auto-tune works by identifying musical characteristics of a person’s voice, and alters it .. These instances would be duplicated based on the key signature of the piece of music. For example, if a person were singing in the key of C, a key with no sharps or flats, and sang a D sharp, the note would be altered to either a D or an E because the note D sharp does not exist in the key of C==== ==== When Hildebrand created this tool, there was another aspect to the editing process that he added. It was the speed at which the out of tune note would be retuned. Depending on the speed of the piece of music, this tool would make sure that the transition between notes was natural sounding. The tool was extremely useful when used at lower speeds, but became mechanical sounding when it reached a transition speed of zero milliseconds. ==== ==== It was a few short years after that experimenting with Auto-tune became a trending topic for music producers. On Cher’s hit, “Believe” there is audible vocal manipulation. The sound is reminiscent of a robotic version of Cher, along with a monotonous vocal tone that makes the song obviously altered. This manipulated sound was a product of adjusting the retune speed. . As for who is to blame, Hildebrand says, “I never figured anyone in their right mind would want to do that. ” However irritating this sound may have been, the song was a hit, and so the abuse of Auto-tune began making waves. When the speed was at is highest, the transitions between notes became faster and faster, eventually eliminating the natural transitions altogether==== ==== Although the trend seemed to have died out shortly after Cher’s hit, it has again made a comeback, with a vengence. Artists all over the world have suddenly auto-tuned their voices beyond recognition. Time magazine correctly describes it as “comically artificial, like a chorus of '50s robots singing Motown” (Tyrangiel). And so, like flare jeans, Auto-tune is back, and hopefully not for good. ==== ====<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; vertical-align: sub;"> An artist by the name of T-Pain made the most significant strides in the use of Auto-Tune. In his 2005 hit “I’m in Love (Wit a Strippa)”, he used auto-tune on all of his vocals. The lyrics, “She poppin she rollin she rollin/ She climbin that pole and/ I'm N Luv with a stripper/ She trippin she playin she playin/ I'm not goin nowhere girl I'm stayin/ ==== ====<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; vertical-align: sub;"> I'm N Luv with a stripper”. Needless to say, it was not the lyrics that made the song so popular, it was the unfamiliar, yet catchy, vocal sounds that are now emanating from every club and dance party in the U. S. A. Its unfortunate yet apparent that there is a direct correlation to the primitive nature of songs, and the amount of Auto-tune that is used. ====

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; vertical-align: sub;"> day of week, Tuesday, March 16th, 2010
====<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; vertical-align: sub;"> Though it may come as a surprise, there are several artists who agree with those who oppose Auto-tune. In 2009, the band Death Cab For Cutie wore blue ribbons to the Grammy Awards in order to raise awareness about Auto-tune abuse. Ben Gibbard, the front man said about the issue, “We’ve seen a lot of good musicians being affected by this newfound digital manipulation of the human voice, and we feel enough is enough”. His comment on the difficulties of new musicians to be discovered was reiterated by his enthusiastic descriptions of the so called “Auto-tune abusers”. He rallies to, “bring back the blue note, and [let’s] really try to get music back to its roots of [having] actual people singing and sounding like human beings. ” Although Gibbard’s enthusiasm is shared by many other people, no one proposes a plan to stop the abuse of Auto-tune. ==== ====<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; vertical-align: sub;"> Even live performances are being affected. Not only are the shows overdone and rely on props and visuals, but the singers are lipsynching, or worse, using auto-tune microphones. These microphones have a vocoder programmed into a computer system that is broadcasted through the sound system. Running the vocals through a live auto-tune, these can even morph the characteristic of someone’s voice. All the performer has to do is sing in sync to the music, and the microphone takes care of the rest. ==== ====<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; vertical-align: sub;"> It’s clear that something must be done. Perhaps not by wearing ribbons, but by enforcing the rule, or at least majority, that these artists are not just performers, but real musicians. Gibbard’s point about the increased difficulty of making it as a musician, is very true .. This breaks down to a two hundred thousand dollar advance, another two hundred for recording as well as two hundred for three music videos. The tour support costs almost one hundred thousand, as well as an additional hundred thousand for promotion and marketing. ==== <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; vertical-align: sub;"> Recently, IFPI, released a statement that in order for an artist to make it into the global perspective, they must put at least one million dollars into the project

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; vertical-align: sub;"> day of week, Friday, March 19, 2010
====<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; vertical-align: sub;"> Since it’s adoption by the music industry in 1996, Auto-tune has added several features to its program. Including one that can mimic the sounds of an individual, and reproduce them. Auto-tune is run through a program called Pro Tools, which is used in pretty much every studio around the globe. The vocal and instrument tracks are laid out on a grid, and in order to make them all match up, they all have to be perfect. One Grammy winning record producer says, “Let’s just say I’ve had Auto-Tune save vocals on everything from Britney Spears to Bollywood cast albums. And every singer now presumes you’ll just run their voice through the box” (Triangiel). ==== ====<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; vertical-align: sub;"> Music executives are running their industry like a factory. In walks the slightly above average looking girl, and out walks a super star that can belt notes higher than Barbara Streisand and a platinum album in a little under a year. In a press release about a new product, Antares Tech released these details: "New Throat Length control actually allows you to modify vocal character by passing it through a variable-length physical model of the human vocal tract" (AntaresTech). In essence, they have created a technology that can duplicate, and even manufacture vocal qualities that are unique to each and every person. ==== ====<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; vertical-align: sub;"> These types of programs are expensive, and require a fair amount of experience to run. The people producing the album often have more say about the content of the album than the artist does. ==== ====<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; vertical-align: sub;"> Since creating an album has become more of a fashion show than a talent competition, musicians are struggling more than ever .. In addition, the number of people who seem to display talent is increasing, making those who really do have natural talent, fade into the background. The music industry is creating false norms, making it harder for performers who do not use auto-tune during live performances, to entertain an audience because they expect the artificial sounds created in the studio. ==== Because talentless performers can now become best sellers, the music industry is becoming more and more difficult