***The X-Factor Thread - ALL X-Factor Related Stuff In Here***

The autotune was ridiculous! I was watching it with a friend of mine though, who has zero musical experience and is literally a consumer and she said she didn't notice it... the general population won't even realise it's happening "/
 
I'm going to be a bit thick here because Autotune hasn't been part of my life in recording studios.
I had my first proper studio in 1976 and if somebody sang out of tune you got them to do it again line by line.

What exactly are you listening for?
Is it when they go so far out you hear a wobble like in that famous Cher song?
Anybody link me to one of the X-factor performers who it was very noticeable on because I've still got it recorded.
There was definitely a processed vocal wobble on the last woman performer but I can't remember hearing it on anybody else (there again I did come in from my gig a little bit drunk).
 
dmpoole said:
I'm going to be a bit thick here because Autotune hasn't been part of my life in recording studios.
I had my first proper studio in 1976 and if somebody sang out of tune you got them to do it again line by line.

What exactly are you listening for?
Is it when they go so far out you hear a wobble like in that famous Cher song?
Anybody link me to one of the X-factor performers who it was very noticeable on because I've still got it recorded.
There was definitely a processed vocal wobble on the last woman performer but I can't remember hearing it on anybody else (there again I did come in from my gig a little bit drunk).
Click to expand...

The straight girl in G&S (Gay & Straight) when she sings on her own

Your listening for a slightly artificial twang coming through, easily heard in the Glee singalong app. See here http://glee.smule.com/
 
dmpoole said:
I'm going to be a bit thick here because Autotune hasn't been part of my life in recording studios.
I had my first proper studio in 1976 and if somebody sang out of tune you got them to do it again line by line.

What exactly are you listening for?
Is it when they go so far out you hear a wobble like in that famous Cher song?
Anybody link me to one of the X-factor performers who it was very noticeable on because I've still got it recorded.
There was definitely a processed vocal wobble on the last woman performer but I can't remember hearing it on anybody else (there again I did come in from my gig a little bit drunk).
Click to expand...

It sounds like portamento in-between their notes
Some good examples in here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuYDSa4BRaw

lol..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dqTrUpmwPg
 
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dmpoole said:
What exactly are you listening for?
Is it when they go so far out you hear a wobble like in that famous Cher song?
Anybody link me to one of the X-factor performers who it was very noticeable on because I've still got it recorded.
There was definitely a processed vocal wobble on the last woman performer but I can't remember hearing it on anybody else (there again I did come in from my gig a little bit drunk).
Click to expand...

The first "good" performer - black girl with sob story had pitch corrector, you can hear her "straights" - the long notes - immediately hitting right on the note and remain perfectly, precisely on the note for prolonged periods of time, which, as you know from practice is actually not possible to do in regular registers - human voice, similar to all string instruments (including keyboard instruments using strings) is based on vibrations so by default notes are off pitch by tiny amount. You have to go very high vibrations - violine high - for human ear to start loosing that sinusoidal "air" and "breathing" of the sound and hear it as constant "still" note, and even then players vibrate notes slightly specifically so they go in and out of pitch and don't sound "odd". Only electronic instruments hit notes right on the nose, which is why pitch correctors always sound synthetic, like old, pre sampler electronic instruments.

Then you had the awful bad crazy man with fat girl doing the Journey song reinvented as duet by "Glee" Tv series - girl was put through autotune. This might have been done in post production, to make the difference between the two more pronounced, but it had crazy bad setting. Auto tune doesn't have to sound bad, many producers use it for "dynamic" effect - kind of like with young artists - Demi Lavato or Selena Gomez, you correct delivery and end target for louder notes, which would be out of range when sung with force by otherwise fairly competent, if a little inexperienced artist. You cover the effect up with overdub, preset to create harmony - bang - it's not that obvious to notice, and the song can then be done live without any issue, it just means you'll need to get back singers to carry the part while the "star" will sing lower. Trouble starts if you do it with little care and detail - no progression, just hit that note, than proceed to second note. This is not a keyboard, you don't go from A to G in a sudden switch, voice does not goes from one note to another in a square jump - it will sound like Cher, which is now 12 year old production and, funnily enough, back then was actually done by an error in Antares settings.

And then finally the crazy "mercy" girl - I think it might have been done live, because autotune was just crazy evident, going bonkers with sudden, square sounding pitch elevations and "pitch search gurgling" - something that made Lil Wayne famous - since you have to set the corrector against something, some tune - if it's done manually live or without predefined harmony - it will go bonkers since it means both person corrected and person correcting are desperately searching for common tune.
 
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I play instruments but I don't know anything about singing, and I thought the autotune was noticeable (although I didn't know they would use it on X-factor, so naively said to the wife 'That girl sounds like she's got autotune built into her voice'). It's made the Daily Fail, so I'm sure quite a lot of people noticed it.
 
Just caught the tail end of this weeks... So Louis puts through that girl who sang Mercy (release yourself) and not the Gwen Stefani look alike who can clearly sing better?! Ridiculous....

All done for a reason... so that people like me can whinge about it on a forum :p Damn them!

Edit: Did Cheryl skin a baby leopard?! Hideous outfit!

BB x
 
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Did that Gwen Stefani look-a-like get through then? I heard her when she messed up and then sang another song but had to go before the judges made a decision.
 
Yeah she got through :)

Really annoying them taking the **** out of Geri talking too much... she's giving them all advice which is more than Cheryl Cole is ever seen doing.

BB x
 
TS7 said:
Did that Gwen Stefani look-a-like get through then? I heard her when she messed up and then sang another song but had to go before the judges made a decision.
Click to expand...

I find it hilarious that they staged the whole thing in a way to try and make it look unstaged!

The past few years have been rife with suspicion of people being crap initially, then being asked to sing their "back up" song, doing so well and getting through, all being staged beforehand.

So now they stage a "use back up song, do it crap, then do first song well and get through" and it fails even more!

Back this up with trying to market her 'kooky' nature, and it's incredibly insipid.

As for her, she sounds like Duffy, only Duffy is MUCH better, therefore rendering her completely moot. Dozy bint.

Still, I watch show, lol.
 
I noticed it, but then I have experience working in a studio. The girls in the office "didn't notice it" :o.

Glad it's in the news though. It was totally unnecessary, using it for the first round :/
 
I thought Gamu Nhengu's song was great but I said halfway through that it sounded like her vocals had been altered. The whole show comes appears to be a setup for the viewers and most people don't realise it. It's no different to when they sing live in the studio but have the backing singers to help cover the notes they can't reach.
Even though it's in the news, it won't change as the producers are doing it for the benefit of the viewers, apparently.
 
Nice PR stunt. I didn't know it had started again until I saw a few topics like this on a few forums.
 
I've decided not to watch xfactor this year, I really only watched it last year and I sort of liked it but omg this is not a properly done competition like the ones on BBC. Crap acts getting through and talented people getting voted out.
 
Well soon as I heard autotune I couldnt be bothered to watch anymore! I only watched x-factor for the terrible first round auditions as they always entertain but it just all feels crap and staged.
 
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