Stand with Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan -- with democracy and civilization against tyranny and barbarism
Pages
▼
03 May 2024
Video of the day -- bland perfection
I don't normally watch videos as long as this, but I found this one mesmerizing. Part of why so much popular music of today sounds bland and "over-produced" compared to the works of earlier decades is a form of editing called "pitch-tuning", which I had never heard of before, but the video illustrates very well what it is. This is a detailed comparison of a modern rendition of "Somewhere over the Rainbow" vs the original Judy Garland version from The Wizard of Oz in 1939, when pitch-tuning and the technology to edit sound in such ways didn't exist. Garland's version looks like a mess on the graph, but you'll be startled at how much more human and authentic it sounds -- because it's what she actually sounded like, without pernicious "corrections". You can still hear this kind of unfiltered, unmediated real singing by attending a live performance, but will recorded music ever recover?
4 comments:
Please be on-topic and read the comments policy. Spam, trolls, and fight-pickers will be deleted. If you don't have a Blogger account and aren't sure how to comment, see here. Fair warning: anything even remotely supportive of transgender ideology, or negative toward Brexit, or supportive of a military draft or compulsory national service, will be deleted and result in a permanent ban. I am not obligated to provide a platform for views I find morally abhorrent.
On work days there is likely to be a substantial delay in approving comments, since I can't do blog stuff in an office. For this I apologize.
You are aware that Auto Tune can work in real time? Most AI hijinks can do this if it has enough raw computing power. My gaming machine cost a bit under a thousand of your Dollars Americano. It ray-traces in real time at 120+ frames per second. My point is that this is no longer about live vs recorded. At all. Not only is alternative visual and sonic reality doable in real time but it is getting very affordable. pitch-tuning can be done for less than the cost of a decent guitar, mic and an amp and speaker. This is not just megastars playing stadia. Your local amateur garage band can afford this kit.
ReplyDeleteUgh. Well, eventually singers themselves will realize their fans don't want this crap, as more and more people become aware of it.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting. Thanks for posting. I'm glad there are experts like this who take the time for such analyses.
ReplyDeleteGlad you found it interesting. I envy his expertise. I basically know what he means, but lack the knowledge and specialized music vocabulary to articulate it so well.
ReplyDelete