The autotune on IANADOAC is bumming me out

SqueezingMySkull

Active Member
I've only listened to the album twice, but it is just breaking my heart how much autotune is present. All of my favorite singers and bands are using autotune these days and to me it sounds like total garbage. There's a particularly noticable autotune mess up 3 minutes into Bobby, when Morrissey sings the word "horse." I can also hear it when he sings "know" at 3:09. The whole album his voice sounds unnatural, too up front, too perfect. Morrissey is one of my favorite singers because of the unique qualities of his voice, including the flaws and strange things that happen in those mythical two takes of vocals he records. It's like all the edge has been sanded off. I've seen him live recently and his voice was incredible, we all know he can sing. I don't understand why him of all people have to use autotune. And before people argue "autotune is common", guess what, I don't care that it's common. I still hate it. You can still defy the common and have tastes. I dislike common things that are terrible. I am making an album too and not using autotune because I think it sounds bad, even though it is common. Morrissey's rebellious spirit should say to hell with the autotune.
 
I don't see how the two innovations are comparable, as autotune is making something artificial and one can argue stereo recordings are more accurate to sounds the way our ears hear (because we have two of them.)

Do you think I am strictly against "new things" or do you think my problem with autotune is specific to autotune? Did I once in my post say "new things are bad"? Or did I critique autotune specifically? I also said "I hate common things that are terrible." Stereo is not terrible. I was also being kind of jokey.

I don't care about pureness, exactly. But with something like Morrissey's voice, I do think it shouldn't be processed by autotune. I also don't care about pureness if the thing I'm hearing sounds good to me. This does not sound good to me.

Do you personally prefer the sound of autotune over vocals without it?
 
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Update: The end singing in Knockabout World is autotuned to all hell. It actually sounds like mistakes were left in. The "you're OK by me" part. There's a particularly glaring moment at 2:57 when he says "all" and at 3:05 when he says "by."

And to me this is a shame because I really like this song. But I find it hard to listen to like this. I would love to hear less processed vocals on it.
 
Update: The end singing in Knockabout World is autotuned to all hell. It actually sounds like mistakes were left in. The "you're OK by me" part. There's a particularly glaring moment at 2:57 when he says "all" and at 3:05 when he says "by."

And to me this is a shame because I really like this song. But I find it hard to listen to like this. I would love to hear less processed vocals on it.

have fun releasing your new 8 track. people driving ford pintos will love it.
 
He doesn't need autotune.He sings live without it.He recorded many albuns,before the autotune was discovered in 1997.Many singers need this on recording and on live they sing with playback or without voice.He uses autotune to make better and modern the sound.In all concerts and live shows he was singing live.
 
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I don't believe he needs autotune. But I'm wondering why he is using it. What does "make better the sound" even mean though? What if a lot of people don't think it sounds better? What I mean is, better according to who?
 
I must say that having had a quick listen to 'Bobby' with my headphones, I can't hear any autotune. There are things about the production and mastering of this album that I don't like but I'm not getting hearing any autotune at all.
 
It's very obvious in the timestamps I mentioned. They sound like errors, i.e. not smoothed out as to make the autotune more subtle. But I'd argue this entire album is drenched with it. I am almost done with another listen on headphones and I hear tons of autotune on it. The Secret of Music is playing now and it's all autotune.

Of course I was not there so I can only assume, but this is my best assumption, especially as someone who has produced a lot of music too.
 
I'm with you skull. I'm someone the lunatic few would call "a hater", I fairly enjoy the new record, something I didn't since World Peace, but it annoys me, too. I'd say it's Chicarelli. His whole production sounds this tin-y, metallic, treble-y shiny thing that supposed to be "modern" but doesn't suit Morrissey i think. It's trying too hard to be 2020.
 
It's very obvious in the timestamps I mentioned. They sound like errors, i.e. not smoothed out as to make the autotune more subtle. But I'd argue this entire album is drenched with it. I am almost done with another listen on headphones and I hear tons of autotune on it. The Secret of Music is playing now and it's all autotune.

Of course I was not there so I can only assume, but this is my best assumption, especially as someone who has produced a lot of music too.
Hmm. I'll have a proper listen tomorrow. It may be simply that I don't tend to listen to music that has autotune on it so I'm probably not attuned (sorry) to how it sounds.
 
Ok, another one: 5:23 into Secret of Music. The word "but" is a huge terrible autotune error. Sounds awful.

I know this because I have worked with autotune (or similar programs, rather) myself and I know how annoying it is to fix or avoid those errors.
 
I don't hear it either. I listened to the section and it doesn't sound like autotune. Both of these words you mention have a space after where you can hear what I would call some kind of reverb. The production does have all kinds of strange things in it and I don't doubt that the vocals are "treated" but autotune has a particular sound I don't hear. I think maybe it's some kind of doubling.

Same with the word "but" in The Secret Of Music. The word pops and reverberates but it doesn't have that weird pitch effect that usually gives away autotune.
 
I think this whole song was put through auto tune...




because it’s.....


PERFECT !


:thumb:
 
To me it's glaring, so we'll just have to agree to disagree. I would be shocked if that wasn't autotune. It sounds exactly like the autotune I have worked with, when it is dialed up too much and not smoothed out. It doesn't sound like a reverb issue at all. It sounds like a jump in the vocal melody line from one note to the next without it being smoothed out, and that's an artifact of autotune not bridging the notes well.

But I hear it on much more than those few examples. I hear it on full songs.
 
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I don't see how the two innovations are comparable, as autotune is making something artificial and one can argue stereo recordings are more accurate to sounds the way our ears hear (because we have two of them.)

Do you think I am strictly against "new things" or do you think my problem with autotune is specific to autotune? Did I once in my post say "new things are bad"? Or did I critique autotune specifically? I also said "I hate common things that are terrible." Stereo is not terrible. I was also being kind of jokey.

I don't care about pureness, exactly. But with something like Morrissey's voice, I do think it shouldn't be processed by autotune. I also don't care about pureness if the thing I'm hearing sounds good to me. This does not sound good to me.

Do you personally prefer the sound of autotune over vocals without it?

Chill man. I’m just saying, when people started using two speakers, I’m sure there were some who thought it was gimmicky or unnecessary.

Obviously Morrissey made the choice of going in a new direction. If you don’t like, then you don’t like. Many do.

Hey, it’s not stopping you from making the kind of music you want to make, there’s room for everyone.
 
To me it's glaring, so we'll just have to agree to disagree. I would be shocked if that wasn't autotune. It sounds exactly like the autotune I have worked with, when it is dialed up too much and not smoothed out. It doesn't sound like a reverb issue at all. It sounds like a jump in the vocal melody line from one note to the next without it being smoothed out, and that's an artifact of autotune not bridging the notes well.

But I hear it on much more than those few examples. I hear it on full songs.

i hope your tin ear doesn't explode. that would be unfortunate.
 
Chill man. I’m just saying, when people started using two speakers, I’m sure there were some who thought it was gimmicky or unnecessary.

Obviously Morrissey made the choice of going in a new direction. If you don’t like, then you don’t like. Many do.

Hey, it’s not stopping you from making the kind of music you want to make, there’s room for everyone.

The problem for me is autotune is not in a simple category as some production innovation or love it/hate it. The idea of autotune (when not being used overtly like that Cher song), is usually to "fix" the performance and I have a real problem with the artificiality/dishonesty with the way it's often used. (dishonesty: yes I know there was no actual reverb in the recording studio, and I know you normally can't hear a human voice over a guitar amp. To me those aren't "dishonest" in the way I find autotune dishonest. I may have to pick this apart better another time though. Fixing mistakes and using FX and mixing to make the song sound good is one thing, slapping a big fat artificial polish over a human vocal performance, and not just any, but for an artist loved so much for his natural singing talent...this bothers me. It's not ENHANCING the voice, it's actually taking Morrissey's performance AWAY.)

I have the same problem with lining live drums up to a grid to take out any human qualities in the drumming. It's a bizarre practice, doesn't make the music better, and kills the unquantifiable thing that exists in the best music: soul. Or call it heart. Humanity. Personality. Charm. Whatever term you want to use, autotune flattens it out, and I think it's tragic. And when it comes to Morrissey I find the decision to use it utterly baffling, for both technical and thematic reasons. Thematic because Morrissey goes on about his songs and his singing as being this truthful part of him, and to just digitally change all the singing to turn it into something more "pleasing" or acceptable seems so anti-Morrissey in spirit, I can't even begin.

And you know, I do try to make the music I like, but that's not really my concern. My concern is potentially great songs and albums (like this one) being utterly ruined by this crap. It's happened to several bands I like. You can literally compare the vocals in a new album from a band to the one before and it's jaw dropping (to me, at least) how much less personality and soul the vocals have. I'm tired of this. And I always thought my favorite bands and singers knew better.
 
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Update: The end singing in Knockabout World is autotuned to all hell. It actually sounds like mistakes were left in. The "you're OK by me" part. There's a particularly glaring moment at 2:57 when he says "all" and at 3:05 when he says "by."

And to me this is a shame because I really like this song. But I find it hard to listen to like this. I would love to hear less processed vocals on it.
I posted that up here too, I was very surprised to hear this as it is so obvious - it was almost as if they were looking for that Cher sound.

autotune doesn’t offend me in general, lots of really good singers use it, it just tighten things up and is generally non invasive. I agree that it seems a tad more aggressive on the album.

still love the album.
 
It’s a processed modern album with modern production. He doesn’t need auto tune but it does provide a sound thats familiar and complimentary to the production style he’s using and that is popular today. As a singer and long time artist I can’t imagine he doesn’t want to play around with almost every sound or sonic bit that catches his ear or to try new musical styles. I know how you feel sometimes about auto tune though in general though. I feel less annoyed these days since everybody knows about it now and it feels like less of a trick and sometimes I think it can really work it framed right
 
I guess the confusion for me is except for extreme cases, I don't see autotune as a "sound." It's a corrective tool. And to me it takes away from a vocal performance rather than enhance it, the way reverb or finding the best takes would. You are taking away the actual humanity of the performance. And for me, aesthetically, the sound is very offensive to my ears. I think it sounds dull and lifeless and in the uncanny valley territory, like bad CGI in a movie.
 
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