It has become an indispensable tool In the production process. Erasing mistakes and adding effects that would be unheard of in music prior to the 21st century, with the exception of Cheers 1998 “Believe”, which laid the foundation to the trend In the flirts place[2]. To this end, the primary aim of the researchers is to flesh out the effects that Auto-Tune has had on the industry as an example of how computer software affects music, and in particular, the artists who make the music.
To fully accept the importance of this study, one must acknowledge the fact that music has had a lengthy and mulattos history for as long as recorded music has existed. The Innovations and techniques introduced by new instruments and equipment meant that entire eras came and gone carrying these Innovations until new ones emerged. Now, to quote [1], “The most important piece of musical equipment of the last 10 years is not an instrument or a physical object. … It is what’s known as a ‘plug-in’. Specialized piece of software made to be inserted into other, bigger pieces of audio software. Auto- Tune bends off-key notes Into pitch perfection. ” Auto-Tune broke ground by introducing a new form of innovation unlike the physical media that has changed music before. The importance therefore lies In what this new form of Innovation implies in the face of how music has traditionally existed until now, because a deferent form of innovation will bring about a different form of change. For this paper, the researchers will explore selected details surrounding Auto-rune.
These details include the following: the mechanism that allows Auto-Tune the ability to tots the implication the addition of unique effects to music has on how the artists who actively make use of it are perceived. Emphasis will be placed on the artists, as ultimately, the paper will lead the reader from the basics of Auto-Tune to the discussion of the following: Auto-Tune lowers the value of musical artists, as the creative musical paradigm is shifted from one’s talent to technology. II. Body Auto-Tune’s most distinctive quality lies in its ability to correct mistakes in songs during production.
It accomplishes this through the coming together of the principles of autocorrelation and pitch shifting[3]. In the beginning, autocorrelation was used or surveying the earth for seismic research and finding oil. It uses sound waves from source upon which the reflections of the waves are recorded on a saxophone. It was then found that the surveying model was capable of detecting not Just oil, but also the pitch of sound[2]. Meanwhile, the method of changing pitch is the separation of the signal of the voice into minuscule parts, otherwise known as ‘grains’. Each grain possesses a period of the signal.
Afterwards, the grains are released in a manner matching the desired pitch. Thereafter, autocorrelation and the method for pitch erection came together to create what is now known as Auto-Tune. The pitch correction technology of Auto-Tune provides artists the ability to correct any mistake in a song whether it be almost insignificant or when it completely misses the intended pitch[4]. Let us revisit the phrase “Music Demands Perfection” – listen to radio station nowadays and the listener will be hard pressed to find even Just one off-key moment among the songs that receive regular airtime.
It is this simple function that has made waves in the entire music industry, and it remains hotly abated between artists and producers alike on whether it should continue to be used in the industry [5]. Figure 1 . Number of Respondents Who Listen to Mainstream Music [pick] Figure 2. Awareness of Respondents on the Existence of Pitch Correction Technology n Music [pick] Figure 1 shows how many of the 30 respondents listened to mainstream music. Figure 2 shows the awareness of the respondents on the presence of pitch correction technology in music.
This fugue adds on to the result of Figure 1 by showing the respondent’s awareness of the music industry different aspects. Furthermore, more exponents answered Yes’ to #2 than , showing that even respondents who don’t regularly listen to mainstream music are aware of software like Auto-Tune being used in music, highlighting its prevalence in the industry. Live performances are not exempt from the corrective nature of Auto-Tune[6]. Even on X-Factor, an American Idol-issue competitive singing show, contestants’ v’ices are run “through the box”, as producers put it[5].
This put the shows motives n question, especially given the competitive format; if singers are allowed to run their voices through the box, where is the competition? More than this though, it puts an artist’s own ability into question. It is understandable that a performer would Ant to the deliver the best performance they can toward their audience. However, exerting more effort and simply deliver perfect performances in tune thanks to the software[7]. Nonetheless, its ‘perks’ do not end there.
Production costs are lowered by foregoing the need to repeatedly record songs. Since mistakes can be corrected using Auto-Tune, the artists do not have to redo a certain song more times than is convenient for them. An artist can pick from a list of sakes already recorded, and Just run the software on any mistakes found in the chosen piece[4]. This doesn’t Just lower the monetary costs of production, but it saves the time and energy which can then be reallocated to other songs or work.
This in turn leads to a higher turnout of material from an artist, increasing the potential profit the recording company intends to milk from him or her. Figure 3. Rank of the Factors Consisting the Benefits of Auto-Tune [pick] The data in Figure 3 ranks the perceived benefits of Auto-Tune according to the respondents’ opinions. The most consistently highest-ranked benefit was allowing for more creative options; pitch correction and good live performances received the lowest priority, with production efficiency trailing creative options.
This data provides Insight on the preferred kind of benefits the respondents want Auto-Tune to give the industry. As can be seen from the result, Production Efficiency placed high among the list of benefits Auto-Tune provides, further cementing it as a trait in Auto-Tune’s favor. Although efficiency is a preferred quality to possess in numerous situations, it is not without a negative side. This negative side is especially apparent in what was Just previously mentioned: a safety net is cast for an artist to become lax in their performance[7].
But at this point the focus is that the talents of the artists are not place on priority anymore and instead the industry sticks to individuals they know are marketable and whom they know they are comfortable To directly quote [5], “Artists in the pre-Auto-Tune era HAD to be good. There wasn’t a record deal if you weren’t good. ” Talent is now being taken for granted in exchange for an industrialized approach to producing music[4]. Perhaps the most innovative part of Auto-Tune that has vastly influenced present- day music is the fact that the voice can be manipulated beyond the range of the artist[4].
For instance, the artist T-Pain makes extensive use of Auto-Tune to add effects to his voice in almost all of his songs[7]. Effects such as the “gerbil” sound or more popularly known as the “robotic” voice[2] are some of the more popular distortion techniques that Auto-Tune allows its users. This quality gives Auto-Tune a unique twist in the industry other than being a cheating device artists use to release consistently “perfect-sounding” songs. Of course, even this unique twist will not sway its detractors[5]. Christina Agiler even wore a shirt bearing the words, “Auto-Tune is for puppies”.
The mere fact that there are people convinced that odd distortions are supposedly normal for the human voice says plenty about how people see the images of their favorite artists nowadays. Figure 4. Public Opinion on Which Attribute Does Auto-Tune Most Affect an Artist’s Image [pick] According to the respondents, the perception of an artist’s talent is most affected by Auto-Tune. This shows what the respondents place importance on in the music they sites to, as the quality of the music being purely the result of an artist’s efforts is questioned.
However, the reverse can also be true, in which the respondents may perceive unique effects such as robotic sounds as products of an artist’s normal voice and talents. Conclusion Auto-Tune has brought about a mixed bag of big changes in the music industry. Utilizing simple concepts, music production and the artistry of music have all taken a different meaning. Whereas talent and effort were valued in music in the past, technology has found another avenue with which to make things easier and unfortunately, rid it of its defining characteristics. Musical artist” is no longer a title exclusive to talented individuals like it was in the past; companies can literally pick up a random person off the street and give the person a makeover to make him or her marketable, and simply run their voice through Auto-Tune to make them an artist. Limitations include lack of the main programming background of the program itself, as the source code itself is unavailable due to copyright law. More limitations of the research include the fact that none of the respondents are professionals in the USIA industry.
Furthermore, as they are students from De La Sale University, none of them specialize in music academically, unlike if they were studying in College of Saint Bindle. This limits the professional opinion in the data. However, the rationale for this choice was to measure the awareness of common people about Auto-Tune. In addition to this, a crucial point was overlooked in the creation of the survey – the survey failed to ask the level of interest the respondents had in music. This prevented the knowledge of whether a respondent was a music enthusiast or not. E effect is that it was difficult to distinguish the results that come from a well- Jerked music enthusiast from the results of a casual listener. However, given the data that were able to be used and applied to the research, the results of the survey were deemed satisfactory by the researchers. Recommendations for the improvement of the research include input from noted professionals from the music industry, amateur and professional producers of music, and the like. It may be better to gather information from other locations and not be limited to De La Sale University students only.