Who uses auto-tune?

[UndertheWire]

I see accusations flying around about auto-tune but what caught my attention was a reference to "live auto-tune". Somehow I'd missed the "auto" part of auto-tune and just imagined someone fixing a vocal after it's been recorded, but obviously, when everything is going through a soundboard, there no reason why it can't also go through some software to "fix" pitch problems.

I read a good article on auto-tune here.

What started me on this was a comment against a recent youtube video of Don Felder singing Already Gone. I'd noted that he was on-key (as far as I can tell) but sounded a little odd, maybe too consistent. Now I'm wondering if that commenter was right.

The next "Eagle" I've seen an auto-tune accusation made against is Glenn and his After Hours album. After learning that auto-tune can be applied selectively and more subtlety, this seems possible. I can hear lots of imperfections in the vocals but occasionally it sounds so sweet and so good that I wonder if it's been doctored in post-production. We know that back in the 70s, Eagles vocals were composed from different fragments, even down to a syllable and I've heard Hawk Wolinski mention that Glenn moved towards fixing things "later" when recording in the 80s, so I don't see why he would be against using the latest technology so long as the results sounded natural.

My inclination is that the Eagles don't use live auto-tune. I've seen recent mention of how when they hear something wrong in a show, in the next rehearsal/sound-check they try to fix it. I do think that having so many singers, they are able to support each other when one has vocal problems - there are a lot of songs where there's at least one other person singing along with the lead.

Sorry for the long ramble. I'm adjusting from the idea that auto-tune is always bad to the idea that nearly everyone is using it to some extent.

[SilverAcidRayne]

I honestly never thought about the whole auto tune business. I know most pop stars were accused of using it and even lip synching. But the eagles doesn't strike me as the type of group that would even consider it. In all honesty I think they would be PISSED if that even comes up. especially Don and Glenn. I wouldn't go to them with that and expect to walk away happy LMAO

[VAisForEagleLovers]

I agree, SAR! As someone who's been to a few of their concerts and know how they sing the songs, I hear a few notes that aren't quite right. Not many, so that tells me they still deliver a quality product, but enough that are off to let me know they aren't using auto-tune.

UTW, I saw those accusations about Glenn's After Hours. I saw enough of those live shows to know that same, sweet voice was there live, too. Like with the Eagles, there were a few off notes, enough to let me know there was no auto-tune.

I've heard some songs done by auto-tune, and none of the Eagles or solo shows I've gone to sounded like that.

[SilverAcidRayne]

EXACTLY! lol i don't think they roll like that. and the human voice is not perfect so if they slip a note or two its all good. ill be too busy staring at Tim to notice anyway. lmao

[Funk 50]

There was a video of Celine Dion on YouTube, I can't find it now, that had her singing a big ending to one of her songs, from several shows, over a number of years.

The earlier shows had Celine performing various vocal gymnastics over the last note, the latter shows had her repeatedly nailing a single long powerful last note.

It convinced me.

Joe's been nailing the high notes of In The City since the LROOE tour. Before then he was liable to duck out of them.

During the HFO tour, a reviewer questioned the authenticity of Don's vocals, so Don invited him to sit next to him as he sang and drummed to One Of These Nights.

So now you know how to get the best seat in the house at an Eagles show.

I've always questioned Hole In The World. How did it start so neatly, in darkness, without an audible count in.

[SilverAcidRayne]

yeah... i would love to have that seat. lol they're all awesome vocalists

[Brooke]

All I know is any of the Eagles shows I've attended there have been a missed note or two that told me they didn't use autotune.

[UndertheWire]

I've always questioned Hole In The World. How did it start so neatly, in darkness, without an audible count in.

How about a count that was audible only to them through their ear monitors?

If you've been doing it the old-fashioned way for forty years, wouldn't it be strange if what you heard didn't match what came out of your mouth, especially when you're used to blending with other voices? I have a hard time believing they would use auto-tune live nor that they would lipsynch.

However, I wonder to what extent they fix recordings. Do they still do multiple takes and produce a composite (I assume that's what they mean by "comping") or do they allow digital adjustments. I guess not Joe, though.

[chaim]

Someone on some forum (here?) was convinced that AutoTune was used on Glenn's vocal on What Do I Do With My Heart.

I don't know much about AutoTune, but the world has gone paranoid in terms of vocals as far as I'm concerned. There are notes out of tune here and there on Frank Sinatra's records, but I think that some people would still admit that he was at least a half decent singer. I'm pretty sure that a lot of the time when AutoTune is used it could possibly, perhaps bother 0,00008% of the population at the most if it wasn't used. Somewhere along the way feel and nuances were replaced with ideals of pitch-perfect notes in the minds of engineers and producers.

Personally I believe that the "one syllable at a time" approach on those old Eagles records had more to do with feel and sound than pitch. (And I don't think they could have even told one long take from a spliced-together vocal if they had heard both a week later. When you're in the moment, you "hear" every little detail.) I don't think you had to cut a tape to pieces or do half-second long punch-ins to get an in-tune vocal performance out of Don and Glenn. I really don't.

If AutoTune has been used on an Eagles or Glenn Frey record lately, I don't think it was because it was needed. It was because of a paranoid engineer.

If you really need AutoTune all the time, you probably should consider another profession.