Can AUTOTUNE make a bad singer sound good?
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- čas přidán 11. 07. 2024
- Today we're taking someone with no musical experience and seeing if we can make them sound like a professional using Autotune.
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Spencer, you've reached such a high level that I believe the only thing left to happen is for you to be discovered by the right people. Please do not underestimate your experience. There are many people who can benefit positively from it. Each of your videos is always a new discovery, and only a few channels give me that!
Thank you so much, Paulo! Comments like these are so important and they really give me the inspiration to keep going.
It's a crime that you have less than 10K followers with your entertaining, educational, and fun videos!
Thank you, Spencer! I am no musician, knows nothing about making music, yet I found your videos inspiring and incredibly fun to watch!.
I have a feeling this channel is 6k subscribers going on 600k subscribers. Really enjoying it. Thank you, Spencer!
Thank you so much!
Yes, I could tell auto-tune was there - but then I'm an amateur musician (a plus) wearing hearing aids (a negative). I loved the song and the outcome. Thank you.
Cuddos to Sarah to put up with you on that one! It takes guts, it really does. I seem to recall voice lessons also emphasizing on the emotions behind a song, it'd be an interesting comparison to hear her again after a bit of voice training.
Meanwhile, I am wondering how tou decide to layout your songs, not only the skeleton, but also how long sentences, when do fills etc... I've decided to go lyrics first for the songs this channel inspired me to write (2 so far!).
Keep writing and keep jamming, you can do it! And I want to also give Kudos to Sara for being open to this. She was awesome and such a good sport.
This really gave me some owl city vibes haha. There were a few times I felt I could really hear the auto tune through my iPhone speakers haha. But other than that it’s just her tone I’m not a fan of, do we have an auto tone? All that being said for someone who’s untrained and inexperienced she did amazing!
These lyrics had me rolling. "But only find a void of empty space with constellations that don't look like they're names." Gold!
I figured I'd be literal rather than metaphorical!
It's tough to say whether I would be able to detect the Auto-tune use here. It's pretty subtle. I was hoping the experiment would feature an ear-splittingly BAD singer, like Lucy Ricardo. Sarah's actually pretty good, considering her lack of experience, so the end product is good too. I would love it if this experiment of yours won you and her a Grammy.
Sarah's tone isn't bad by any means, and with some training she could definitely be a great singer. I think a lot of people assume "studio magic" can make anyone sound good. However, if you have a terrible tone, all the studio magic in the world isn't going to help.
That's the power of manual tune
I love the way it came out. You blended it really well
Thanks so much 😊
Your video editing is GREAT! You lay things out in a very easy to understand and logical way.
this channel deserves millions of subscribers, just love your videos! keep it up.
Dude I love your teaching style. It's quick and to the point but entertaining all along the way, and the end product is always spectacular. I'm definitely looking forward to more videos!
Go Spencer great channel, you're helping me and many others.
I have ptsd and like hundred songs and I am slowly rebuilding my catalogue and confidence.
You remind me how easy it is to lay parts down.
You just do it.
Amazing content, and I love the thoughtful takeaway near the end of each video. More please!
Your videos are so entertaining, it's insane that you can make them and post so consistently without losing quality. Keep going, I'm sure one day you'll have big and positive community :)
That is the goal! Thank you so much for the support. I've got several more cool vids cooking!
@@songsbyspencer Can't wait to watch them!
Great stuff man. You explain things well. That song is a hit!
This was awesome great job...your a true pro at production..
This content is amazing! so well written and produced. I bet you will reach 100K very soon. I'll share it with my friends to help a bit
Thank you so much for the support, I really appreciate it!
Really enjoying your videos, watching your process, and learning some things along the way 👍🏽
I hope Sarah had a good experience and will be more interested in music. I believe in the local music communities. It's important that we make our own music. I think auto tune is acceptable for pop music when sparingly used. It's important when the voice is the main instrument. I don't think us rockers really need auto tune for our voices. Great video as ever!
You are the highlight of my day. You are so talented and your music is simple and beautiful. So much inspiration! BTW: your voice, at least in this song, reminded me a bit of Death Cab for Cutie
Thank you for the kind words and the support! It means so much. I've only heard a couple DCFC songs, I'll have to give them more of a listen!
@@songsbyspencer I love Transatlanticism!
😮. I’m glad I stumble across you when I was looking into working my auto tune better. Wow it really gives me the hope in mastering my tools and getting way better at this. Felt like I found a quest item and can finally turn in the quest to “unlock” more parts of the “game!”
Another banger, keep up the good work, really cool system you have going for the channel!
Every video is a banger, my guy. Loving it
I was wondering if you had another CZcams channel before or how you are so good at making videos, but that makes sense now knowing you own amd run a video production company! As always, such a great video!
Your key drum skillz are awesome.
Thanks! This song was actually one of the harder ones to nail. Rock drums are easier for me than pop, believe it or not!
Spencer, love the direction of your channel. Inspiring me to get back to the grind and make content. Feel honored to have known you in the burg and am excited for you to do big things. Cheers. -Austin
This channel needs to be pushed!!! AWESOME!!!
Excellent Spencer...you nailed it and thanks for the inspirational words
You make everything look very simple, as if everyone could do it. That is what sets you apart, you are an inspiration to people like me who write and record their own songs. Your skill in music and video is amazing. You deserve to have a CZcams channel with millions of followers.
But I think there are maybe not so many of us here but good ones... congratulations to you and Sara and keep up the good work. Greetings from Italy.
Absolutely incredible work! The song is really lovely! There are a few times when there's just a sort of synth tone quality to the voice where the autocorrect kicks in, but with the rest of the instruments in the arrangement and their tone, it creates a very cohesive feeling. Someone in the comments said it reminded them a bit of Owl City, definitely has that really sweet, pop vibe where the voices have a dreamy, almost synth-like quality. So the autotune feels more like a it's creating a tonal element rather than pitch correction usage here, brilliantly done!
Nice job, dude! You deserve way more subs.
That was wicked man... loved it
I really like this content, you deliver it so well
Make me wanna go in the musical direction
You can do it!
That was cool. Tools are there for using and an aid to being creative. In the bad old days we used to cover up pitch anomalies with tasty reverb. I found if I cant sing a certain song without a mic if I mic it up and use reverb I can usually get away with it. This is another level though!
you are amazing in what you do, just wow!
Spencer, she is a non-singer, not a bad singer, there is a difference, that I think matters in this production, which is awesome. I love your stuff and how you show the entire process. Keep it up!!!
Awesome work
New sub here! That was a really great track with a really great hook. Nice 👌
Thanks! It's not my typical genre that I work in but it was fun. I love me some upbeat pop from time to time.
6K subscribers?! I think this has to be a YT bug, I was expecting more like 600K. This is an amazing, well produced, entertaining and informative content, the reason we have the internet. Well, the second reason, the first one shall not be named here.
Makes so much more sense now that you shared you run a video production company lol. I was like this is this guys first foray into YT holy F?! :D. You're killing it man!
On the topic, I could def. hear it but I'm also keen to these things... I generally have no issue with any tools being used to create music but if I went to see a band / singer that heavily depended on something like Autotune and they sucked live then hell yeah I would be disappointed.
I do think those who misrepresent the naturally talented people by using these types of tools does somewhat diminish real talent but it's vastly outweighed by the benefits to the music industry IMO. I also don't think Beyonce or Adele are going to be missing out on any awards due to people producing music in the bedrooms of their parents house like Billie & Finneas... oh shit wait WAIT?! :P
Did you see the Letterman interview where they showed him the like 900 cuts to make a final track? IDK how I feel about that... but she also does sing it for real live, so ultimately the recorded form being "more perfecter" I guess isn't an issue and clearly people like it, myself included.
Also worth mentioning that T-Pain is actually a very talented singer and doesn't need Autotune whatsoever, his use is purely a creative choice which I don't think anyone can argue didn't pay off well for him!
This is banger!!!! 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Humans are tool users! You are a master of these musical tools and its so fun to hear what you're able to create. Sarah did amazing to put herself out there, and the final product is as good as any pop song you hear today
That was awesome!
I agree. AutoTune is a tool, like EQ and compressor.
I’m curious of how you “doubled” her voice in the chorus. And your process of mixing vocals in general.
While I don't have any interest in autotune, I just wanted to leave my first comment here so that you have a better chance of seeing it since it is your latest video.
I recently tripped across your videos and I have watched multiple. They kept getting recommended to me, and I kept coming back. The way you put your videos together in such a way that you legitimately show the layering of each thing added is a breath of fresh air when it comes to youtube, at least for me. In my experience, much of this process is only half there, where with your content, it feels like 90% is shown. It gives me a better bigger picture view instead of surface level and then 'bam completed work in your face'.
You have shown many creative ways of going about music production that I just never considered before. "For real", "Honestly", "I'm telling you", could be used as expressions to preface a comment of praise, but it doesn't really send the message home. Rather than being cookie cutter, this is instead me trying to be bluntly positive. Your content is helping me further my ability to visualize my path moving forward in music writing. I already have a decent groundwork, but this is an enhancement to it. And I truly believe that if you keep up this great work, it will continue to help inspire myself and many others.
I finally went to subscribe today, and I just assumed that you would have had way more subscribers than you do currently. You will go far.
This is just me long windedly thanking you for the hard work you are putting into your content. I look forward to seeing more. Cheers.
Spencer, great work (as always), I really like watching your videos and getting some inside knowledge.
Joke mode on:
I really hope you give me a like for this comment, otherwise…
I’m just a sucker to youuuuuuuu!
(Joke mode off)
Sarah: great work as well! 😀
Great video explaining the tool without going super deep into details. Yes, Autotune may tweak the pitch, but it can't tweak the emotion.
This is a killer song and a great video!!! Love it!!
I can't stop playing the song. It's awesome!
Thank you!!
So cool!
Don't know if this has been asked already, but it would be great if I could find your songs on Spotify.
I'm planning on putting out an album (or double album) later this year! I'll be sure to announce it on the channel.
Holy cow this song sounds very original. I love it. It’s a shame I can’t find it anywhere but here. I would literally add it to my playlist if it was on iTunes.
Sarahhhhh the 🌟.. behind successfull women there’s a man 😃🤘🏽.. well good work spencer
Firstly, absolutely fantastic. Sarah did a great job and she should be really proud of her performance. Both of you in fact.
Both you and Sarah sounded great for non-trained or non-experienced singers.
To answer the question of the YT title, "Can autotune make someone sound great", the answer is yes and no. Sounded great for an achievement but in no way can it compete with professional singers with years of professional experience and with the help of autotune.
I think what both your voice and Sarah's voice was missing was the natural vibrato which is possible to simulate with Melodyne but it's not perfect and takes a hell of a long time to add in correctly in all the phrases.
Maybe with more time for editing? Remember, Billie Eilish, one of her songs was made up of thousands of cuts on every syllable to make her voice sound record ready.
Good job guys. Really, well done. Bravo 👏🏼
Im blown away again...I am going to tell all my friends about this site..
The support means a lot, William! Thank you
Keep it up so fun, talented and interesting. We all want to be your friend !
What the Internet thinks is Autotune:
- Vocoder
- Singing in harmony
- Double tracking
- Singing through phaser of flanger
- Any singing done since 1997.
I think i csn sing now with your help. I got some great tunes in my head😅
1- Catchy tune! 2- Melodyne seems easier to use.
I wouldn’t doubt it! I’ve never tried Melodyne but Autotune can be very frustrating at times. I bought it 10 years ago, and then finally bought it again recently when I upgraded my computer and in my opinion it’s gotten worse (at least from a UI perspective).
Wow, great Video! 😮
wow, really cool video! I'm a fan
Super cool ! I think that autotune is not an option, it's just MANDATORY to have one on the singer track !
When you sing a part, the instrumentation in the background can mislead the singer some time. Autotune is a timesaver for the record engineer and the singer altogether ! Yeah Autotune is definitly the best tool ever for singers !
It is a phenomenal tool! But I also think it's used as a clutch too often. I used to use it a lot, but now I rarely do. I prefer taking the time to get the best take I possibly can, and if it's a little pitchy at times, that just adds character and soul to it. A lot of it just depends on the style, as pitchiness in rock n' roll is far more forgiving than if it were in a modern pop song.
@@songsbyspencerDoes R&B music forgive pitchiness
This sounds so COOL!
Nice one! Yeah, auto-tune is just a tool. It does not create anything on its own. It sure needs a voice, ideas, concepts and a good music to do the job.
Thank you for helping everyone come to their senses you got good math
I can tell the autotune parts, but only because I heard the original without autotuning. If I were just listening to this post-production, I wouldn't be able to tell.
Sara’s gonna cause the next Ticketmaster crash 🤯
The song was damn good keeping them coming.
Another great video
as a classically trained choral singer who did pop music in my college a cappella group, my very biased view is that autotune should rarely be used because there are people out there working hard on their intonation, and autotune is a shortcut to sounding good on a track without doing that work. and as you've proven in this video, it's not hard to autotune "bad" singers but still keep it sounding natural.
but i'm also torn because when my a cappella group recorded our covers, we were slightly autotuned, and i was fine with that because i saw the recordings as a "perfect version" of the song that would commemorate the arrangement and the group's sound. there are some live performances of my group that i don't listen to because they're out of tune, but i can listen to our recordings over and over. also, a cappella was supposed to be a fun thing we did outside of classes, so we can't be expected to sound like pentatonix or the kings singers.
i guess the truth is that no one wants to listen to someone singing or harmonizing out of tune, regardless of the type of music, so you're right that autotune makes singing more accessible. it also makes recordings more pleasant to listen to. i don't like that pop music is sometimes more about the artist's image than the sound, and the goal is to sell the most albums, streams, concert tickets, etc...but that's just the reality of the industry.
My opinion on Autotune has changed quite a bit over the past few years. I really don't like it. It's a great tool to fix the occasional note but people use it on everything. They use technology to make every aspect of the recording "perfect" and in doing so they completely strip the heart and soul out of the recording. My biggest gripe with modern music is it's too perfect.
I like when a singer has moments that are slightly out of key, or a drum fill that's a little off time, or a guitar chord that comes in a little too late. Those little imperfections are what make it sound human and give it personality. When everything sounds perfect there's nothing left to distinguish your sound from anyone else's. I actually did a full video about this, called "The Secret To A Perfect Recording".
@@songsbyspencer i agree! i love those imperfections too esp in a live performance. i'll be sure to watch that video and let you know what i think!
She was such a good sport! Autotune is like you said just another tool in the toolbox. For me personally it's not something that I use when recording my own stuff. I'm too impatient so I'd rather do the extra takes and if I'm feeling ambitious enough cut and take the best parts from each take and mix them together. Another classic is just overdubbing. I even if some are a little off I feel like it adds character
I couldn't agree more. Generally speaking I don't use Autotune. I used to use it quite a bit, but I think it strips the soul out of it. The imperfects are what makes it human and gives it character. You are 100% correct.
Hello Spencer:
My opinion is: if it gives people joy and love for music, I don't care whatever plugin you use!
Just as long as some don't underestimate what huge amount of work professional singers put into their careers it's wonderful.
Stay humble and have fun!
A lot of auto tune songs really sound autotuned, but this doesn't. Well done.
I forgot to answer your question at the end of the video, you did a good job at keeping pitch corrections unnoticeable on a personal note from me to you this could actually be a hit song, if you add two things to it,,, you asked for our thoughts so there you go
Very nice!
Great video! Autotune gets a lot of flak from people, but it's a tool like everything else. I just wish it wasn't so expensive!
I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Yes, it's a bit pricey. They have multiple subscription plans, all of which come with a free trial. However, the only way to get graph mode is to have the most expensive plan- which is a bit of a bum out.
«You know what this needs?». More cowbell
I GOT A FEVER, AND THE ONLY PRESCRIPTION IS MORE COWBELL!
Her very last note gave it away...because she added just a touch of vibrato. Unless the singer sings straight notes throughout all it takes is some vibrato. The wider the vibrato the more imprecise and mechanical sounding Autotune becomes.
Sarah actually has some natural talent. Autotune made her sound quite decent. With some time and training she could sound really good without Autotune and with some vibrato.
Yeah vibrato always sounds weird with Autotune. And I do think Sara has some great natural ability. With some practice I think she could be quite good!
The answer is, of course.
I was able to tell that autotune was on her voice..And maybe on yours too! Just a little.
Good performance is paramount but tools are also there to correct the 5% when the performance is great at 95%, full of feeling and has the right character in the voice. Great video.
Greate song !!!
dude this song was amazing!!!
Thanks!
I can hear the auto tune but it’s subtle. She still sounds like an untrained singer to me but it does sound pretty on pitch. Good video.
Honestly, with just a little work on diction and delivery, with the correct marketing. This girl could be a popstar.
OK, you got the notes and rhythms. Now you have to bring the words to life. Singing is acting to pre-defined rhythms and pitches. Some syllables are more important than others, and some are less. Right now, it sounds like all the syllables are equally important. The singer would probably figure this out over time, but you can speed up the process by suggesting she learn how to speak the words roughly in pitch. As she learns how to do this, she'll invent the story in her head that brings the words to life.
My honest opinion? The song per se didn’t turn out bad but often times the problem is not just the pitch. I mean: being able to sing well is not just being able to stai in tune, but also the way you use your voice, the harmonics you’re able to bring in , the subtlety of it all. And in this video it shows, because it’s a duet and you can hear the difference when you come in. I hope this comment doesn’t sound mean, because it’s not intended as a diss.
I take no offense and I couldn't agree more! I've used Autotune a decent amount and you are dead on. Pitch is only one part of singing. If I autotune a dying cat, yes it will be perfectly in pitch, but it will still sound terrible. In my opinion, Autotune can make a bad singer sound better, but it does not make them sound professional.
@@songsbyspencerIf you have a lot of musical experience in recording vocals I don’t see any problems you’d have with using autotune tbh! only beginners would have issues and I know people will bring up why doesn’t autotune work for Kanye West when he has slot of musical experience well have you actually heard his album 808s and heartbreaks he actually does very well on it imo but ngl without autotune he’s not the best vocally at all sorry to say
I work with musicians that sing at her level all the time, and most of the time this tool can fix anything.
Yes I can totally tell she's autotuned
Yikes it looks like this is 400 pounds here in UK from shops (?) or monthly payments, and I don't like monthly payments....too much for me
My question is for live performances will graph work too?
Unfortunately I don't think graph mode would work in a live setting.
@@songsbyspencer Thank you. So for artists performing live, what plugins or software do they use to sound great? And is it safe to say that the singers who sound immaculate live do sound good already? and the autotune they add on is to adjust some pitchy notes here and there during the entire performance?
It's good, but I don't think Sarah was that bad initially to really see the full affect.
Im not a fan of the super produced tones on the extreme end. I've got skills in digital creation however and appreciate the "tool" aspects of all of this. I wish I had some way to tune my incapable self to play any instrument to create stuff.
Lol, my problem too. I can play bass and violin and sing and that still leaves some things missing. Of course you can create instrument sounds in software too... but the learning curve on software for that stuff is really intimidating.
The more music I make, the more I appreciate rawness and imperfections. For certain styles (modern pop for example), the over produced sound is almost necessary. However, I tend to gravitate towards more raw music as opposed to overly produced music. I'm hoping to do a video one day where I record a song twice, with one take will be super produced and one take will be more stripped down and raw, to show the differences and spark a discussion.
Love you
Love you too!
I really don't have any experience singing or making music. I have lyrics for a song that I wrote, and I used AI to make me a rough draft of what I sort of want it to sound like (available on my channel). But I need someone with experience who can come in like this and help me turn it into a real song. I don't have much budget (under $1000), and I wish someone could help me recreate the song without AI, have me sing it, and fix my voice with autotune.
Do you have any recommendations of someone who could help me with this on a tight budget? This song is very important to me, because it's an apology to friends that I've hurt in the past. I'm located in Florida.
0:53 "...making the use of AutoTune completely unnoticeable." If you can't hear the robotic artifacts left by vocal tuning software like AutoTune & Melodyne then music production and pro audio may not be your forte. Even when used sparingly, only tuning notes that are widely flat or sharp, pitch correction algorithms leave artifacts. Just like MP3's do. But the popularity of both technologies explains why they're so ubiquitous.
The average music consumer listens to music on their smartphone, laptop/desktop speakers and their car...which are all horrible when it comes to audio fidelity. Yeah, most people don't care, which is why the quality of music not just in it's production but it's invention & creation are so awful over the past few decades.
Blanket statements like those used at the beginning of the video just contribute to the laziness and confusion.
I like how you destroy the 'alibis' people have not to start with something they actually love.
Everybody has technology at their fingertips to produce music on a higher technical standard than famous musicians had in the 60th or 70th, probably after.
BTW: if you ever find the possibility and or knowledge to turn a male voice into a female singer please make a video. People need that. 😆
The tools we have nowadays are insane. Recording music and shooting videos is easier than ever before, yet it seems like we take it for granted. And will do! I'm sure it's only a matter of time before I can turn my voice into Adele's.
@@songsbyspencer I look forward to it!
Interesting video. I feel like the vocals are buried a bit under the instrumental, but a cool song nonetheless.
No. Autotune simply makes people sound artificially autotuned.
I think AutoTune is merely a tool. Who cares whether it's used or not? Well, I know a lot of people do care. People aren't snobbing out on guitar players who tune their instruments with electronic tuners -- are players who can tune by ear better? If it sounds good it is good. What about a recording is "real" anyway? I'm definitely in the camp that a recording is a work of art not a document of a sonic event. Similar to painting not being the same as realistic photograph. Just because an audio element is not an "accurate" document doesn't mean it's not valid.
This is a fascinating take, Robert! You bring up many great points and this is the discussion I wanted to spark. In my opinion, there isn't anything wrong with Autotune. That being said, I do feel as it is too often used a crutch for someone who doesn't want to take the time to practice and get their voice to a prime level. With today's technology, you can make absolutely perfect recordings with relatively low skill. But I've found that the more technology you add to enhance a performance (slicing guitars, autotuning vocals, quantizing drums and synths) the more soul you strip out of the recording. Similar to your query of "what is real?", I'd just as soon ask "what is good?". Is everything being perfectly on time and in pitch the qualities that make the recording good? Or is it the imperfections and humanity that make it good? The answer is up the individual, but I undoubtedly side with the latter.
Autotune will only work if you have some what of a melody if your just talking it ain’t gonna do nothing