X-Factor may be a glorified karaoke competition, but it is a useful barometer for the state of the Music industry. But when a fuss was caused over the auto-tuning of contestants, it was easy to wonder what the fuss was about. Auto-tuning is, for worse rather than better, widespread in music consumers actually fork money over for. With auto-tune seeing such widespread use, the question presents itself: is this thing that everyone hates about to destroy music as we know it, or is it just yet another electronic tweak that will refine rather than define popular music?

The idea that music will somehow die a bloody death because it dares to embrace auto-tune is odd to say the least. Auto-tune is no less despicable than everything else in a manufactured music industry that is constantly finding new ways to do the same old thing music library. At least with auto-tune, we’re seeing some level of quality commitment to pop products: pop artists simply aren’t interested in the nuances of an imperfect performance. Modern music is embellished with samples and download sound effects, and autotune when used to polish up a track is absolutely fine. Excess isn’t a new issue for the industry to face by any means. Because synthesisers had been popularly deployed in moderation elsewhere, we now have a legacy of very commercially successful 80s albums that haven’t dated well in the slightest. Sampling too was abused by usually (musically) level-headed artists like Kate Bush.

You might compare Auto-tune to Photoshop, for they have many of the same positives and negatives. Auto-tune disasters happen just as they happen with Photoshop, but wherever it’s deployed, it’s very conspicuous even if the end result is an improvement. Some artists use auto-tune ironically, or for a certain effect, and it works (so long as they don’t overuse it). When it comes down to it, good Auto-tune practice is no different to hip hop production music balancing signature breaks and effects with the continuing appeal of their catalogue. In music, you don’t want to be caught doing the same thing for years (because people simply won’t pay you). Whilst the power of autotune has been proven by the Gregory Brothers’ and their ‘Auto Tune the News’ series, these novelty youtube videos only prove how laughable the sustained use of the effect is.

 

Randy Pausch Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams

 Mail this post