I hope Rick reacts to this. I subscribe to both of you and respect you both, as well. I’d love to hear his reasoning, as a producer. Not dragging him or anything, just honest curiosity. ❤
I'm not sure if he would react publicly. It seems like either denial or admission puts him in a bad spot. He does seem like the kind of guy who, despite any other charm, is seriously capable of holding a major grudge for a long long time. We'll see!
@@jevinday some things that are industry standards are literally against both the spirit and the letter of the law, so I wouldn't lean on that too hard
Amazing you got this out so quickly after the song was released. Excellent analysis as always. I would be interested in Rick's comments on this, as well as the vocalists.
I am brand new to this channel, and I'll tell you what, nothing beats that genuine smile you see when he's diggin something! I first noticed it on his Elvis Commack special when he was vibbing on watching Elvis singing and playing guitar.
This topic should be of interest to anyone who loves music. An entire generation has been `trained’ to think that auto tuned or Melodyne tweaked vocals are organic. 😢
I want to preface by saying that I am a HUGE Rick Beato fan, really love the guy and his awesome content. To the topic at hand: It's a beautiful song as it is. Absolutely gorgeous....and it would be even BETTER if they just ditched the pitch correction and left the little flaws in. That's really what it comes down to. That's why I greatly prefer classic bluegrass over anything coming out of Nashville today. It's all over-produced. Sounds like it's been encapsulated under a heavy layer of plastic. It just doesn't breathe the way the old music did.
Crystal Gayle recorded Don't Make My Brown Eyes Blue in Nashville on October 27, 1976--her producer was Allen Reynolds. From Wikipedia: Reynolds noted "it was just one of those charmed sessions...[After] we presented the song to the musicians...it was about the third time running [through] that song that we ran tape...[Gayle] sang [the song] wonderfully. It came so fast that she wasn't sure that she had done her best job. I had to let her try to sing it again on two or three different occasions until she was comfortable with the original [vocal take], and that's what we went with. Everything on that recording was the original take as it went down, except the string section I added later."
@@TracyN67 One of the best. I was quite infatuated with her for about 20 years and I still admire her beauty and singing. I've never heard her sing an off note on any TV show performance or video of concerts, and when I saw her perform live in 1978, she sounded exactly like on her album. She came out after the show and sat on the edge of the stage and signed autographs for an hour. I tell the story about that and meeting her the next day after her concert at another venue, when I had a camera, in a comment on Wings of Pegasus analysis of Crystal's Cry Me a River, so I won't repeat it here.
Pitch correction, snapping the tempo to the grid, sequenced instrumentation all make for soulless music. Another big one is vocal comping. I watched an interview with Billy Eilish where her brother showed the vocal track for Happier than Ever, and he said that there were 87 individual takes used to put one final take together. Some of the snippets were so close together that they were comping in one or two words. Talk about sucking the life out of a song in search of a "perfect take". I don't listen to Billy, but my daughter did for a while so I have heard quite a bit of her stuff. The thing is, Billy and Finneas are talented and she could easily do a great take with just a handful of comps, and the performance would be more human and more emotional, but this mindset of "perfect" that has a grip on today's musicians is just mind boggling to me. Give me good old, real humans, with uneven tempo, pitch and warts and all. I know that stuff was punched in and takes were edited together in the old days, but it was so much harder to do that you only edited take together if it was really necessary. Now it is so easy to doctor every aspect of a performance that it has become a crutch and has proved Orson Welles quote, "The enemy of art is the absence of limitations."
If the justification for using pitch correction is "not enough time" then perhaps for the sake of artistic integrity, another date when there was adequate time to do it right would have been in order. Silly me! What a concept? Expecting singers to present us with their actual voices vs. machine manipulated falsities. Oy...
But in a lot of cases, it's not the singer's fault. It's what the producers do. I've contributed a lot of vocals for other people. I would never pitch correct my vocals for my own songs. I don't need to, and I don't have the software to do it. But, a few times now, I've heard the finished albums which I've worked on from the people I've sent vocals to, and they've obviously decided that I wasn't spot on perfect for a few notes, so on goes the pitch correction. It drives me mad.
@@publicanimal Two examples: Joe Cocker and Janis Joplin. Their voices were far from perfect, but I love them both. The whole idea of "perfection" is literally inhuman.
Rick’s purpose was to show how studio musicians can come into a studio and create a song in a short time span. The guys just heard a basic demo from the writers, quickly wrote their parts and with out rehearsing when record was pressed they nailed it. So yes had this been a real session, their would likely be more takes and time taken to tighten things up a bit. Oddly I really loved that they did not and have no problem with what pitch correction was done.
Studios have been correcting "off" notes for years, both digitally and in the pre-digital era. What's different now is that it's used to "correct" the whole thing, not just the odd off-note. I have direct experience of this in having played in a band whose lead vocalist had near perfect pitch, and in being in recording sessions with her. The "not enough time" thing figures in when you're paying for studio time and are on a tight budget. Pitch correction is something that should be used like a fine-tipped brush, not a paint roller!
14:08 - First, this whole video is especially awesome Fil because it's so straight forward -- no walking on any eggshells while analyzing and deconstructing the work of this _other_ well known RUclipsr music deconstructionist. Completely unfiltered analysis while throughout you add contextual framework, particularly emphasizing the super fast timeframe in which this whole thing was punched out. .... But I timestamped it here because it showcases one of your much more sophisticated talents in replicating the voices of the singer. Perfect pitch and vocal control that acts as a slow-motion spotlight of what you are simultaneously illustrating with the software's frequency modulations. You're really such a joy to watch melding your musicianship and educational insights.
Thank you, Fil, for another great analysis, I don't know why the record labels/companies think that pitch correcting an artists voice is the way to go, it just ruins everything for the artist. I think it's harder for the artist to get his/her real voice out there to be heard so people can hear what they really sound like. I just don't understand it. Anyway, congrats on getting another 1000 subscribers to your channel! That is amazing! Rock! ❤
@@tootz1950 I know he did. But it isn't just for money, they are trying to make the voice of the singer sound perfect by using pitch correction. When they do that, it takes away the beauty of the natural voice, expressions and all. Id rather hear the natural voice with expression and flaws.
Lots of great singers went into the studio and did just one take, including Karen Carpenter and Stevie Nicks. Not having much time is not a good reason to do pitch correction, which always sounds robotic and sucks emotion out of the voice. Unfortunate that Beato did this or agreed to it. Nice analysis
it does not always sound robotic and suck emotion out .. TOO much autotune does.. but not all autotune theres a lot used that you wouldn't even guess unless doing a full analysis you can literally have it keep some pitch deflection and such to keep the human nature. the problem is a LOT of times people are far to heavy handed
@@digital0785 Autotune sound robotic... Melodyne if done well isn't noticeable, the problem is most people that use Melodyne don't have the patience to use it properly. I've used it sparingly to just tweak a few wonkie notes, you couldn't tell after it was done, but it also took several hours and listening to the same damn snippets way more times than anyone would ever want to.... but if you want to keep it from sounding robotic and produced it takes time... but if you want to spend the time you can even put vibrato into a note that had none and make it sound natural... but most people aren't going to pay you enough to spend that much time doing it to that degree when most people won't notice or do the type of analysis Fil does.
@@duckmyass YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYUp 100% i was recording some stuff for my wedding that was a higher key then i could sing easily for some parts so I recorded it down a step and then used melodyne to bring it up corrected a few things here and there but didn't really touch the main intervals. definitely possible if someone has pride in their craft or add in my case LOL. Just because it takes more effort to me is a bad excuse but for 90% of people it's easier to just move the sliders to the right and have everything locked in and call it a day. another thing with pitch corrections .. NEVER .. and i mean NEVER split notes if you have a word that has a change in it. personally I've not found a way for you to adjust that jump and keep it natural. granted I'm far from an expert but it's also one of the things that always sticks out on recordings if theres correction in that instance it always seems to sound weird and have artifacting. Funnily enough I did that one time because there was 1 note on a passage in an otherwise excellent (for me) song that was just off and when i listened back i was like LAWD thats worse then being out of tune LOL
Fil, very good analysis, Fil ! I am surprised that Rick Beato's project used pitch correction! Love the song , but once again, time and money won out over hearing true artistry ! Very sad, in my opinion ! I picked up on the note that should not have been there instantly , as well as the pitch correction! You have taught me to hear better !
They used Nashville engineers on this. Blame them. I think Rick just oversaw this and said he didn't really have to do anything. I think vocalist has a nice voice but not that interesting.
I like the old way of doing things in the studio, which means no autotune, and no pitch correction. Thanks for sharing this analysis video. Cheers, Fil! ✌️
Good luck in finding a singer who can do a perfect take in very little time. Even the "professionals" struggle with this, and if you as a producer waste the label's time and money on some gatekeeper notion of "the old way" then you will be fired on the spot.
I realize the evaluation is basically for the vocals, but as a rock & blues drummer of 55 years I hate the way so many snare drums now sound like toms. A snare drum should be crisp and well defined. The best example - listen to the snare drum in the original Deep Purple recording of "Highway Star". That's a snare drum !
Nashville session players listen to the demo, make a number chart, then cut the track using the same guitar licks, drum fills, keyboard fills they used on the last session they played on. Far less creativity but fills the time restraint imposed on them.
Definitely a Nashville thing. Drums are EQd dark to let the voice cut through. It may also be samples. It's very easy and common to automate samples of existing recordings into drum recordings. Not saying they're definitely sampling here, but it's possible.
That was me who mentioned 440Hz. Thanks for clearing it up, I didn't mean it as a negative. I was kinda just wondering out loud if there was a more descriptive term - 'on the line', 'perfect equal temperament'?. Wow, that pitch 'corrected' snap to the E note was a real clanger wasn't it. Great to be able to go through these things in this level detail to spot such errors. Kinda makes you wonder why they didn't have the same luxury at the recording session? I know time is money but a wrong note in the vocal is a big oversight imho. Maybe they will watch this and learn something. I mean this is only a 20 minute video and you spotted the mistake in one play-through. Give Fil a job in Nashville! He's got a golden ear! Keep up the great work, mate.
I'm sure they would have noticed that even without Fil - it was a "rough demo" even though it sounded more polished than that. But not the final engineered and mixed song.
Thanks Fil.. another thoughtful critique. Her voice has a light, sweet airy ring. Lovely .. I too would prefer to hear the natural variances in her voice.. but lovely in any case.
I know I'm repeating myself but Fil's analysis is so perceptive, informative and educational. Brilliant! I wonder how the song would have sounded if this was recorded in the 70's or 80's.
Vibrato is such a big part of a singer's style, and part of emotional vocabulary. If this carelessness with digital tools is now commonplace, it's no wonder stuff all sounds the same today, and why this particular track sounds like the singer was emotionally absent.
Yep, still sounds mechanical to me, like all new songs like this. Rick has commented on pitch correction, so I'm a little surprised he used it so much here... Unless they HAD to, if you know what I mean. (Not everyone with a nice sounding voice sings accurately.)
Super brave to do this vid, and do it honestly -- Rick's obviously a heavy hitter on the music RUclipss Also, pitch correction in a studio setting doesn't bother me nearly as much as when a performance is presented as "live" but has obvious evidence of processing. Hate that Thanks for the analysis, looking forward to the next
@@wingsofpegasus On another note. Here's an interesting concept for you. Have a producer take an existing vocal from a recording you have never heard or a new vocal recorded and have them make it pitch perfect. They send you this and you don't get too hear the original unedited vocal. Then you make some minute adjustments to "humanize" the sound of it and re-record the vocal. After it's done then you get to listen to the original and see how your "humanized" version compares to the original. This type of thing goes on in in drum programming these days in a way but built into the program. You make a selection "humanize" and the program automatically changes certain parts of the kit off grid, like a snare slightly ahead or behind of the grid, etc and could also do this on some measures but not others and they can also do this randomly is a selection of "random" is made. So some of the imperfections of humans can also be imitated. So if you compare drum programming in the 90s to now , the programs now can imiate a human feel much more closely then back then. Even if that idea repulses you I suspect we will see more of this. These pitch correction programs will have an automatic "humanize" options on a subtle micro-level of alteration and give you variations of "humanizing". The might also identify some particular irregular expressive vocal thing on vocalist does and then apply that to the vocal of another artist. So today things might look "too perfect" and if that means some less perfect things might sound better that too can be analyzed and imitated, these micro-nuances. And these more subtle adjustments could also take on their one character adding even more nuances that sound expressive in different ways not necessarily sticking to simulating what is "natural" . You could also program AI to take a vocal track and make it have very subtle nuanced changes in pitch and dynamics in response to a backing track. And they are already doing these thing like using AI to make it appear as if Sinatra sang What a Wonderful World when you never recorded it. These things have a lot of flaws but every day get better and better. So loading a large number of Sinatra or Freddie Mercury songs into it's data in can also take note of the subtle expressive nuances, then for something new after any bad sounding flaws in original vocal are fixed, if the outcome is "too perfect" go into this data base of subtle irregular nuances of great vocalist that do sound good and then introduce these things. And then just get rid of humans altogether when "ultra-expressiveness" is achieved, a simulation sound more humans than actual humans.
And nothing against your content good sir, yah I'm a beato fan but I'm also not offended on his behalf or anything. I just don't think pitch correction is that big of a deal. It depends on the song, the artist and producer. It's a tool. We like our rock and roll to have that live, energetic push and pull, but imagine that in say....electronic or dance music. It would be awful (to me, someone with a sense of timing)
My recollection was Rick Beato was basically along for the ride. imo, he was there for content. He verbally suggested he was pretty much hands off since everyone was so experienced.
Yes that was my take on it. I don't think it was his doing anything as much as watching ringside while the session musicians tried to craft a song. Unfortunately they all have been in the business so long they probably just assume pitch correction is the way they are supposed to do it.
@@ron6607 But it is just a likely that he wasn't an active producer and was just paying for the studio time to watch it happen. The shots of him in behind the mixers didn't look like he was that involved in the actual recording as it did he was just looking at what was going on.
@@Tigermaster1986 That is true, but the reality is being the producer can mean many things. It can be a very hands on producer that is running them mix and telling every musician what to do in detail... it could also be someone that just provides the studio and musicians and lets someone else do the actual work... or anything in between.
I sometimes think Fil will come off as the thorn in many musicians’ sides, but if they don’t want the thorn, they should avoid the behavior that illicits it.
What really annoys me is how mundane this song is. Like every other new song I hear. I sometimes wonder how the musicians are able to keep these songs straight, they all sound the same.
They're all session musicians who sight-read and get it done in as few takes as possible. The producers and engineers will correct, splice and mix to get the final product.
agreed. For the average person, sure its a nice song. I love Rick but he is not that discerning with his own music. The lyrics are not that great either. Its mundance in the old way, not in the new way (pitch correction aside).
Fully agree. Unfortunately the general public who consume pop music in mass, have the worst ear for music. It’s not even a music is subjective argument either it’s just boring and bland.
Would be cool to see you and Rick do an analysis video on this and pitch correction in general. Great video! Gotta go listen to the original now, I really like the sound and the mix.
It was interesting to stumble across your analysis of this song. Because I first watched it the day it was uploaded. And I really wanted to like it. But only halfway through it my mind was already saying “I think there’s a lot of autotune going on here”, and that distracted me away from the song. I think I wiser choice on their part would have been to not use the autotune and just leave in the subtle pitchy imperfections, which in the 1960s and 70s were really quite common on popular recordings from that era. Anyhow, thanks for clearing my suspicions up with your fancy analyzing gadgets.
Fil, I’m a big fan of yours and Rick! Your analysis is always spot on. Lately, I've noticed that my enjoyment of music has shifted since the 60’s when I became a huge fan of the Beatles. I used to simply enjoy the sound, but now I find myself overanalyzing for pitch correction and auto-tuning. It’s sad that it’s lessening my enjoyment. I try to ignore this, but my ear has been auto tuned to detect pitch correction! Anyway, thank you for your great content!
@dentman67 -- All time low?? Yeah but hey JayZ pulled another Kanye "it's all about my frikkin oversized ego" insisting his wife needed to win Album of the Year. Good times!
Fwiw, this is a fairly subtle and nice use of pitch correction. It's not coloring her vocal tone very much, and i think most people wouldnt hear it. There are a few spots where i went, "yep there it is", but generally it didnt distract from the overall performance of the vocal track.
I agree quite great results on a short timeframe. Would be interesting to hear a comparison where they spent a bit more time after the fact taking the stems and applying no pitch correction versus a light touch up on particular notes.
There is no such thing as absolute perfection, whether that be in art or music. That is why things that sound "artificially perfect" are not pleasing to the ear. The natural world is not perfect in sound or in vision. Chasing that perfection is a stale, empty and unfulfilling pursuit.
I would just say that “chasing the perfection” is perfectly fine, and part of art. “Forcing” the perfection (with software 😆) is what makes it empty and unfulfilling.
I think I have always listened and searched for the right (for me) imperfection... I have not watched any of this video or Rick responding... But thinking silently to myself, who are promoting views (of a certain topic) and who loves music...
One of the good things about this recording is that the pitch correction is imperfect, so it sounds much better than it would if it was more effective.
You have trained me well, Fil. I heard the off note as soon as it happened. But I'm still a rookie because I don't know if the starting pitch or the finishing pitch was appropriate. I just know that the 'slide' sounded sour.
I’m glad there is so much music from the sixties, seventies and eighties that is new because you haven’t heard it all. I’m going to listen to all the James Gang catalog. I’ve probably only know or heard a couple of songs per album, so that makes it new to me. And then all the other great bands as well.
agree a few weeks ago i got the gdead smile 74 filmore record plenty of deep cuts other than the hits today dri ing morphine cure for pain classic comes on mark sandman if alive today would be the first guy against all that
In the 70s and 80s, I was home having babies and not listening to much music. Years later, I commented to my grown kids, hey I found this great radio station with all new music. They said, mom that’s an 80s throwback station..
It would seem, pitch correction to save time and money is no better than pitch correction of someone with errors in their vocals. It still isn't the actual vocals they are trying to sell us.
Love your videos, attitude, enthusiasm, and analyses, Fil. Many thanks. I wish Rick B. had chosen a vocalist with more a of a chest voice (is that the right term?) rather than a head voice. Boring song and arrangement, but I did like the drums, both sonically, but also - to an extent - how the drummer played: he almost seems to embody a more British behind-the-beat Ringo feel (and sound! Much more musical than American players usually sound).
I’m wondering if you have tried reaching out to Rick Beato to ask him about this production. He has made several videos criticizing auto-tune and digital drum effects. That said, I agree with you on this song. When I heard it, my first impression was great session musicians on the various instruments, but the vocals are processed (sounded unnatural).
Separately, I think there are albums out there (including material produced in Nashville) that sound like there was no pitch correction used. I’m thinking about Chris Stapleton, Tyler Childers, Charles Wesley Godwin, Cole Chaney, etc. Pitch correction is used with a lot of pop artists, but I think there is still material out there with natural vocals.
@@Kahscho Garth Brooks, I think, has said he doesn't want his voice treated with pitch correction. Not sure the same necessarily holds for his wife though.
This is the first time that I have heard you take the position of a manipulation apologist, time constraints or not. Thank the gods for voices that are as manipulation immune as possible. I'm thinking of singers such as Lemmy Kilmister, Leonard Cohen, Rickie Lee Jones, Tom Waits, Leon Redbone, Diamanda Galás and Captain Beefheart. Those are just the ones who come immediately to mind.
Pitch correcting Diamanda Galas? Oh, boy. Immediately the machine blows it's mind and the universe collapses into a reverse Big Bang, opening a worm hole to alternate dimensions! 😱
RIGHT ON THE NOSE! Fil. I was in a discussion about the ENTERTAINMENT industry and I made the same point. The primary goal of ANY "Industry" is to make more money for the men at the top of it. This applies to the AGRICULTURE, FOOD PROCESSING, PACKAGING, TELECOMMUNICATIONS, COMPUTER, AUTOMOTIVE and yes, the MUSIC (RECORD) industry.
I'd love to get your analysis of Ren X Chinchilla - Chalk Outlines (live). I've seen a few vocal coaches react to it and comment on the pitch going in and out and how that makes the song sound more authentic. But I also know that Ren does a lot of audio production on his live stuff to adjust for the use of his lapel mic. So curious to see what the pitch monitoring software reveals.
Now we need Warren at Produce Like a Pro to re-record this with all Lewitt microphones. And then the Charismatic Voice to analyze her dipthongs. Finally, Justin Hawkins can make a video tilted "I can't believe they did THIS!" Man, I spend too much time on YT.
Thank you Fil, another good video. We all are entertained by raw talent and gifted musicians. This is an interesting song, nevertheless I shy from music that uses pitch correction. I’m just a simple man.
I'm a wildlife photographer and use Photoshop etc for "picture correction" all the time. So what? I don't feel the need to admit or deny this. The end justifies the means. But I try my best to stay true to the natural world. You and Rick are both great - in different ways. A big Thank You for your work, you two!
Yes it's true, tweaking a picture is like adding reverb, delay and other effects to your voice to embellish it. Pitch correction is like replacing your photo with another digitally created photo, it doesn't embellish but changes the original. Very much like an AI version of a photo you didn't take.
That assumes that the end is worth something. But great music was put out for fifty years in this country with no pitch correction, and no one's ears exploded, and plenty of music industry bigwigs made plenty of money.
There were dozens and dozens of people referencing this video on the relevant Rick Beato thread, but I have searched backwards for 4 days and they all seem to have been deleted and there is a post from Rick basically saying the only 'overdub' was a bit of slide guitar,
I also had asked Rick directly in his comment section (and really politely without any blame) to explain "if and why he used pitch correction". Guess what - also my polite asking was deleted! Quite disappointing... 😢
@@b.n.7218 I followed up with a polite request for comment on why he is censoring comment and that got deleted as well. Maybe all 350,000 of Fil's subs ought to post comments !!!. I have subbed Ricks channel for years and he does have some amazing content. Cancelling the sub will have no effect, but its all i can do, so it's done !!
Pretty much what I expected he loves to talk trash about things he actually does himself,he lost me when he made a video about how kids today aren’t invested in music anymore because of video games,oh he also played Mario and didn’t notice the music which was supposed to prove his point .he loves to play into the “things were better in the old days “ thing and ignore good current music
Rick does some things very well. I actually like his interviews where he lets artists speak instead of injecting his own ego into it like many/most other interviewers do. On the other hand, he can be an old fogie when it comes to modern music, so it's good for me to see him exposed as a bit of a hypocrite.
What a coincidence Fil! This morning, I just began my "Rick Beato Ear Training Course." Also, as a child of the 1970's I grew up with a deep love of "real" music played by "real" people. After ENDURING the "music" of the 80's computers, drum machines and synthesizers, it is wonderful to again see and hear real people making real music. People who are actually MUSICIANS actually playing musical instruments. Please do more of these "Live on Video" music analyses. They're GREAT!😊 And for those NOT in the know, A440 (440 Hertz = 440 cycles per second) is the pitch (frequency) that many tuning forks are available in. So, if you tune your guitar or piano's "A" note to match the vibration (hum) of the tuning fork, you can then tune all of the other strings (B-G) of the instrument relative to the "A." Your entire instrument will now be tuned to "Standard" tuning.
Great musicians, yes...my dad used to say that (well, almost) anyone would sound decent with a great orchestra behind him/her. Ah, dad! No reflection on this singer, as her voice is very pretty, and I'm sure she sounds even better when she isn't tuned. Thanks for another interesting analysis, Fil.
Thanks Fil. How sad that music has to be digitally adjusted because it has to be created as a rush job. Its not a great song, but maybe it could have been? Very surprising from Rick, but Im sure he has his reasons. I hope there can be some genuine conversation about this , as I think its a discussion the industry needs to have.
Oh please lord-no. Fil and Rick are my two heroes. I don’t think my heart could take it if Rick’s using. I think I have watched enough of your videos that I immediately heard what sounded like a completely off-tune note Fil. (These old ears have been subjected to so many concerts and M-60 rounds and C-4 explosions that my hearing anything is a miracle. I think sitting 4th row, right in front of Gregg Allman’s stack of amps at a Little Feat-Allman Brothers show in 1990 did permanent damage as did Neil Young and Crazy Horse in a 1000 seat venue, Zappa, and Sabbath, The Who, Rush, and AC/DC-all in 1979 might have played a part too!
I watched the original video and got the impression that, while she’s clearly a great singer, there was maybe some nerves in the performance that made the vocal a little wobbly and not as controlled as she’s capable of. Possibly it was an uncomfortable key for her or was in part of her range that she had a little less control over. I didn’t consider whether there might be tuning involved but it seems reasonable that it might have been needed or just used as standard for this type of production.
"More money for less time." Well of course, it's all very corporate! Quantity over quality. Interestingly, the instrumentation was the only thing that struck me about this, more than the vocals (pitch corrected or not).
I'm a little prejudiced as this is not a musical style I enjoy. How bad were the original vocals that such heavy-handed corrections were warranted? It actually makes one assume that the singer was way off the mark, when she may have been quite accurate on her own.
Most likely she can sing a bit, at least, but not “perfectly,” as is required today. Somebody who can’t sing at all lacks (or may lack) dynamics, timbre, breath control, sustain, etc. Much of that, too, can be fixed with software, but it’s imperfect (to date, to my experience) and takes loads of work by the engineer. The human voice is already nearly as obsolete in the recording studio as the old acetate recording machines. AI will finish things up there very soon, and we’ll just have pretty people perfecting lip syncing techniques.
to go into a studio and write and record a song.. of quality in one day isnt an easy thing to do. I think they did a great job. It would be good to hear the raw version to hear the diference.
Corrected hard. Vox are dead and lack character (but not, of course, in a manner different from nearly everything else produced today). The space and subtle overall production just makes that more obvious. [edited to add: This isn’t a cut on Beato-you just can’t be credible in Nashville or LA these days without correction. Ask any session singer. They often bemoan it, but it is what it is.]
You didn't just make the music business sound like an industry, you made it sound like a production line in a factory. Which is very apropos, considering that every product that comes off of one of those lines is identical. Which is exactly what we're getting with most contemporary music...it all sounds the same, because it's all produced to sound the same. What a dismal thought. 😕
Art? Vincent van Gogh produced great art but died broke. Music industry is only a business. Its goal is to make money. It long ago gave up on the idea of great art. Individual people might want to make great art, a business never does.
If i was producing this i would have the vocalist double it. And add or change something that would give more shape to the instrumental. Now it sounds like just a nice background you can download free. Like royalty free youtube video background music
11:00 From that section only I can tell the voice was not heavily tuned. The 2nd voice is everywhere *but* where it's supposed to be. There may be a overall fixing, but nothing extreme.
Taking the time to get the musicality right is why Nuclear Blast just have to wait for Nightwish recordings. They take as long as they need and do a lot of it in private facilities. Im always in awe of what session musicians can do - the unseen heroes of the popular music world.
Yeah, I agree. Lots of respect for session musicians who make it seem so easy. I think Nightwish is a band that doesn't use all kinds of correction stuff and leave the aweome natural voice of Floor Jansen just as it is... Would be interisting to see your analalysis on that. Any chance @wingsofpegagus that you might check out one (or more) of their songs someday?
@@yvonnevanwaegeningh-tiggel4577 Fil has done a pitch analysis of Floor in the past. From memory the title was something like "Floor Jansen sets a new bar for pitch accuracy" or along those lines
I don't like this kind of music, sounds like generic background noise in a movie, commercial, or while boredom browsing in Marshalls. Very vanilla, so like so many others. I enjoy some of Ricks content, but would not watch the vid for this. I do enjoy your vids, sharing your knowledge without the incessant sales pitches. Very refreshing, very real. Keep on keeping on! (I still say Boomers had the best music!)
Honestly, I'm so sick of hearing the young girl Falsetto voice that they all sing in nowadays. She's barely singing. I don't think average listeners understand that. It's so easy to hit all the notes in falsetto. That's the voice I use in my head when I'm writing or learning a song. They all sound the same.
My RUclips worlds are colliding. If The Charismatic Voice weighs in I’m gonna eat my hat
We need TwoSet Violin and David Bennett Piano on the case asap!
Off-topic, but Beth Roars on a Tom Scott video was so fun.
@@Irys1997 You’re blowing up my algorithms!
because the sensible among us gravitate to sensible content.. :)
@@Irys1997 - It's more likely that TwoSet Violin getting involved would summon Davie504, though! 😄
It's not just the pitch correction that sucks the life out, it's also snapping everything to a grid, a practice that Beato himself often criticizes.
the song is an okay . Not very creative.
Literally where pop punk (misnomered emo era) completely lost me. The grid sounded so bad.
Disappointing
There should be a warning on all recordings like “Warning - contains pitch correction”.
I hope Rick reacts to this. I subscribe to both of you and respect you both, as well. I’d love to hear his reasoning, as a producer. Not dragging him or anything, just honest curiosity. ❤
I'm not sure if he would react publicly. It seems like either denial or admission puts him in a bad spot. He does seem like the kind of guy who, despite any other charm, is seriously capable of holding a major grudge for a long long time. We'll see!
There is No surprise here. Do you think Rick did it thinking no one would notice??
@@dipdo7675no of course not. It's an industry standard, it's not like it's a secret or a terrible thing
@@jevinday some things that are industry standards are literally against both the spirit and the letter of the law, so I wouldn't lean on that too hard
Don't hold your breath.
Amazing you got this out so quickly after the song was released. Excellent analysis as always. I would be interested in Rick's comments on this, as well as the vocalists.
I emailed Fil about it literally hours after the sing dropped, maybe less.
I am brand new to this channel, and I'll tell you what, nothing beats that genuine smile you see when he's diggin something! I first noticed it on his Elvis Commack special when he was vibbing on watching Elvis singing and playing guitar.
I really have very little interest in this topic but am so impressed with the level of knowledge that I get sucked into these videos. Great job!
I feel the same way about your comment...
This topic should be of interest to anyone who loves music. An entire generation has been `trained’ to think that auto tuned or Melodyne tweaked vocals are organic. 😢
I want to preface by saying that I am a HUGE Rick Beato fan, really love the guy and his awesome content. To the topic at hand: It's a beautiful song as it is. Absolutely gorgeous....and it would be even BETTER if they just ditched the pitch correction and left the little flaws in. That's really what it comes down to. That's why I greatly prefer classic bluegrass over anything coming out of Nashville today. It's all over-produced. Sounds like it's been encapsulated under a heavy layer of plastic. It just doesn't breathe the way the old music did.
Totally agree,
Crystal Gayle recorded Don't Make My Brown Eyes Blue in Nashville on October 27, 1976--her producer was Allen Reynolds. From Wikipedia: Reynolds noted "it was just one of those charmed sessions...[After] we presented the song to the musicians...it was about the third time running [through] that song that we ran tape...[Gayle] sang [the song] wonderfully. It came so fast that she wasn't sure that she had done her best job. I had to let her try to sing it again on two or three different occasions until she was comfortable with the original [vocal take], and that's what we went with. Everything on that recording was the original take as it went down, except the string section I added later."
Crystal Gayle is an outstanding singer!
@@TracyN67 One of the best. I was quite infatuated with her for about 20 years and I still admire her beauty and singing. I've never heard her sing an off note on any TV show performance or video of concerts, and when I saw her perform live in 1978, she sounded exactly like on her album. She came out after the show and sat on the edge of the stage and signed autographs for an hour. I tell the story about that and meeting her the next day after her concert at another venue, when I had a camera, in a comment on Wings of Pegasus analysis of Crystal's Cry Me a River, so I won't repeat it here.
Pitch correction, snapping the tempo to the grid, sequenced instrumentation all make for soulless music. Another big one is vocal comping. I watched an interview with Billy Eilish where her brother showed the vocal track for Happier than Ever, and he said that there were 87 individual takes used to put one final take together. Some of the snippets were so close together that they were comping in one or two words. Talk about sucking the life out of a song in search of a "perfect take". I don't listen to Billy, but my daughter did for a while so I have heard quite a bit of her stuff. The thing is, Billy and Finneas are talented and she could easily do a great take with just a handful of comps, and the performance would be more human and more emotional, but this mindset of "perfect" that has a grip on today's musicians is just mind boggling to me. Give me good old, real humans, with uneven tempo, pitch and warts and all. I know that stuff was punched in and takes were edited together in the old days, but it was so much harder to do that you only edited take together if it was really necessary.
Now it is so easy to doctor every aspect of a performance that it has become a crutch and has proved Orson Welles quote, "The enemy of art is the absence of limitations."
If the justification for using pitch correction is "not enough time" then perhaps for the sake of artistic integrity, another date when there was adequate time to do it right would have been in order. Silly me! What a concept? Expecting singers to present us with their actual voices vs. machine manipulated falsities. Oy...
But in a lot of cases, it's not the singer's fault. It's what the producers do. I've contributed a lot of vocals for other people. I would never pitch correct my vocals for my own songs. I don't need to, and I don't have the software to do it. But, a few times now, I've heard the finished albums which I've worked on from the people I've sent vocals to, and they've obviously decided that I wasn't spot on perfect for a few notes, so on goes the pitch correction. It drives me mad.
Or we could just accept minor "imperfections"!
@@publicanimal Two examples: Joe Cocker and Janis Joplin. Their voices were far from perfect, but I love them both. The whole idea of "perfection" is literally inhuman.
Rick’s purpose was to show how studio musicians can come into a studio and create a song in a short time span. The guys just heard a basic demo from the writers, quickly wrote their parts and with out rehearsing when record was pressed they nailed it. So yes had this been a real session, their would likely be more takes and time taken to tighten things up a bit. Oddly I really loved that they did not and have no problem with what pitch correction was done.
Studios have been correcting "off" notes for years, both digitally and in the pre-digital era. What's different now is that it's used to "correct" the whole thing, not just the odd off-note. I have direct experience of this in having played in a band whose lead vocalist had near perfect pitch, and in being in recording sessions with her. The "not enough time" thing figures in when you're paying for studio time and are on a tight budget. Pitch correction is something that should be used like a fine-tipped brush, not a paint roller!
14:08 - First, this whole video is especially awesome Fil because it's so straight forward -- no walking on any eggshells while analyzing and deconstructing the work of this _other_ well known RUclipsr music deconstructionist. Completely unfiltered analysis while throughout you add contextual framework, particularly emphasizing the super fast timeframe in which this whole thing was punched out. .... But I timestamped it here because it showcases one of your much more sophisticated talents in replicating the voices of the singer. Perfect pitch and vocal control that acts as a slow-motion spotlight of what you are simultaneously illustrating with the software's frequency modulations.
You're really such a joy to watch melding your musicianship and educational insights.
not pitch corrected...he hit it spot on
Paul McCartney did the vocal takes for Yesterday and I'm Down on the same day, let that sink in.
Might have done 40 takes of each?
Doubt it
@@hardlines5472 Look it up.
Thank you, Fil, for another great analysis, I don't know why the record labels/companies think that pitch correcting an artists voice is the way to go, it just ruins everything for the artist. I think it's harder for the artist to get his/her real voice out there to be heard so people can hear what they really sound like. I just don't understand it. Anyway, congrats on getting another 1000 subscribers to your channel! That is amazing! Rock! ❤
Boy am I disappointed about Rick. He always goes on about how auto tune kills the arists authentic voice but the himself is doing it. What a disgrace.
Is this all on those evil record labels, companies? Many artists, producers etc approve the final mix.
Tammy, Fil explained why the labels do this.
Uniformity makes replacement easier.
@@tootz1950 I know he did. But it isn't just for money, they are trying to make the voice of the singer sound perfect by using pitch correction. When they do that, it takes away the beauty of the natural voice, expressions and all. Id rather hear the natural voice with expression and flaws.
Lots of great singers went into the studio and did just one take, including Karen Carpenter and Stevie Nicks.
Not having much time is not a good reason to do pitch correction, which always sounds robotic and sucks emotion out of the voice.
Unfortunate that Beato did this or agreed to it.
Nice analysis
it does not always sound robotic and suck emotion out .. TOO much autotune does.. but not all autotune theres a lot used that you wouldn't even guess unless doing a full analysis you can literally have it keep some pitch deflection and such to keep the human nature. the problem is a LOT of times people are far to heavy handed
Yeah, Nick's singing could have used more than one take...
@@digital0785 Autotune sound robotic... Melodyne if done well isn't noticeable, the problem is most people that use Melodyne don't have the patience to use it properly. I've used it sparingly to just tweak a few wonkie notes, you couldn't tell after it was done, but it also took several hours and listening to the same damn snippets way more times than anyone would ever want to.... but if you want to keep it from sounding robotic and produced it takes time... but if you want to spend the time you can even put vibrato into a note that had none and make it sound natural... but most people aren't going to pay you enough to spend that much time doing it to that degree when most people won't notice or do the type of analysis Fil does.
@@duckmyass YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYUp 100% i was recording some stuff for my wedding that was a higher key then i could sing easily for some parts so I recorded it down a step and then used melodyne to bring it up corrected a few things here and there but didn't really touch the main intervals.
definitely possible if someone has pride in their craft or add in my case LOL. Just because it takes more effort to me is a bad excuse but for 90% of people it's easier to just move the sliders to the right and have everything locked in and call it a day. another thing with pitch corrections .. NEVER .. and i mean NEVER split notes if you have a word that has a change in it. personally I've not found a way for you to adjust that jump and keep it natural. granted I'm far from an expert but it's also one of the things that always sticks out on recordings if theres correction in that instance it always seems to sound weird and have artifacting. Funnily enough I did that one time because there was 1 note on a passage in an otherwise excellent (for me) song that was just off and when i listened back i was like LAWD thats worse then being out of tune LOL
Madonna's even managed it, e.g., with Live to Tell.
Fil, very good analysis, Fil ! I am surprised that Rick Beato's project used pitch correction! Love the song , but once again, time and money won out over hearing true artistry ! Very sad, in my opinion ! I picked up on the note that should not have been there instantly , as well as the pitch correction! You have taught me to hear better !
They used Nashville engineers on this. Blame them. I think Rick just oversaw this and said he didn't really have to do anything. I think vocalist has a nice voice but not that interesting.
I can see from your profile that you like whiskey lullaby. Let me be the first to tell you they used pitch correction on that too.
@obhmusic, nothing surprises me anymore ! Thanks for the info !
I like the old way of doing things in the studio, which means no autotune, and no pitch correction. Thanks for sharing this analysis video. Cheers, Fil! ✌️
There are plenty of tricks today and yesterday. Most of them you don't even know. The augment reality. Same as autotune. Etc, 60 years in
Good luck in finding a singer who can do a perfect take in very little time. Even the "professionals" struggle with this, and if you as a producer waste the label's time and money on some gatekeeper notion of "the old way" then you will be fired on the spot.
Only pitch-correction? How about no EQ and no compressor? That would make the sound more "pure."
I realize the evaluation is basically for the vocals, but as a rock & blues drummer of 55 years I hate the way so many snare drums now sound like toms. A snare drum should be crisp and well defined. The best example - listen to the snare drum in the original Deep Purple recording of "Highway Star". That's a snare drum !
Nashville producers follow trends, they have no mind of their own when it comes to snare drums guitars etc.
Nashville session players listen to the demo, make a number chart, then cut the track using the same guitar licks, drum fills, keyboard fills they used on the last session they played on. Far less creativity but fills the time restraint imposed on them.
Great snare sound indeed!
I agree! I don't like a muddy sounding snare; it should sound more like the crack of a rifle!
Definitely a Nashville thing. Drums are EQd dark to let the voice cut through. It may also be samples. It's very easy and common to automate samples of existing recordings into drum recordings. Not saying they're definitely sampling here, but it's possible.
I love both of the channels.... Fil and Rick are great
Me to, but if I had to choose, I know which one to keep (100%)
That was me who mentioned 440Hz. Thanks for clearing it up, I didn't mean it as a negative. I was kinda just wondering out loud if there was a more descriptive term - 'on the line', 'perfect equal temperament'?. Wow, that pitch 'corrected' snap to the E note was a real clanger wasn't it. Great to be able to go through these things in this level detail to spot such errors. Kinda makes you wonder why they didn't have the same luxury at the recording session? I know time is money but a wrong note in the vocal is a big oversight imho. Maybe they will watch this and learn something. I mean this is only a 20 minute video and you spotted the mistake in one play-through. Give Fil a job in Nashville! He's got a golden ear! Keep up the great work, mate.
I'm sure they would have noticed that even without Fil - it was a "rough demo" even though it sounded more polished than that. But not the final engineered and mixed song.
Nice work. I enjoyed Beato's video of this session and quite enjoyed your tagging it and zeroing in on some details.
Thanks Fil.. another thoughtful critique.
Her voice has a light, sweet airy ring. Lovely .. I too would prefer to hear the natural variances in her voice.. but lovely in any case.
I suppose her to be a soprano nd similar voice sound -style aesthetics to Alisson Krauss or Taylor Swift
I agree. On the other hand maybe her natural voice isn't quite worth it. It happens.
CONGRATS Fil on your latest subscriber increase to 344K! 🎉
I know I'm repeating myself but Fil's analysis is so perceptive, informative and educational. Brilliant! I wonder how the song would have sounded if this was recorded in the 70's or 80's.
It probably would have sounded like Fleetwood Mac.
Vibrato is such a big part of a singer's style, and part of emotional vocabulary. If this carelessness with digital tools is now commonplace, it's no wonder stuff all sounds the same today, and why this particular track sounds like the singer was emotionally absent.
Don't you just love mundane "Robot Love Songs?" lol
Yep, still sounds mechanical to me, like all new songs like this. Rick has commented on pitch correction, so I'm a little surprised he used it so much here... Unless they HAD to, if you know what I mean. (Not everyone with a nice sounding voice sings accurately.)
Her voice is nothing special. Very generic, like a comnercial.
@@nancy9478 Yeah. She has a decent voice, but not a great voice or not directed to sing in a more interesting way.
Super brave to do this vid, and do it honestly -- Rick's obviously a heavy hitter on the music RUclipss
Also, pitch correction in a studio setting doesn't bother me nearly as much as when a performance is presented as "live" but has obvious evidence of processing. Hate that
Thanks for the analysis, looking forward to the next
It's not really a bravery thing, just answering a request's question. But I do get your point, as some may see it as something it isn't!
Yes that's exactly what I meant! Some fandoms can be overly protective so there's always a risk of unjustified offense
@@wingsofpegasus On another note. Here's an interesting concept for you. Have a producer take an existing vocal from a recording you have never heard or a new vocal recorded and have them make it pitch perfect. They send you this and you don't get too hear the original unedited vocal. Then you make some minute adjustments to "humanize" the sound of it and re-record the vocal. After it's done then you get to listen to the original and see how your "humanized" version compares to the original.
This type of thing goes on in in drum programming these days in a way but built into the program. You make a selection "humanize" and the program automatically changes certain parts of the kit off grid, like a snare slightly ahead or behind of the grid, etc and could also do this on some measures but not others and they can also do this randomly is a selection of "random" is made. So some of the imperfections of humans can also be imitated. So if you compare drum programming in the 90s to now , the programs now can imiate a human feel much more closely then back then.
Even if that idea repulses you I suspect we will see more of this. These pitch correction programs will have an automatic "humanize" options on a subtle micro-level of alteration and give you variations of "humanizing".
The might also identify some particular irregular expressive vocal thing on vocalist does and then apply that to the vocal of another artist. So today things might look "too perfect" and if that means some less perfect things might sound better that too can be analyzed and imitated, these micro-nuances. And these more subtle adjustments could also take on their one character adding even more nuances that sound expressive in different ways not necessarily sticking to simulating what is "natural" .
You could also program AI to take a vocal track and make it have very subtle nuanced changes in pitch and dynamics in response to a backing track.
And they are already doing these thing like using AI to make it appear as if Sinatra sang What a Wonderful World when you never recorded it. These things have a lot of flaws but every day get better and better. So loading a large number of Sinatra or Freddie Mercury songs into it's data in can also take note of the subtle expressive nuances, then for something new after any bad sounding flaws in original vocal are fixed, if the outcome is "too perfect" go into this data base of subtle irregular nuances of great vocalist that do sound good and then introduce these things. And then just get rid of humans altogether when "ultra-expressiveness" is achieved, a simulation sound more humans than actual humans.
Oh no! Not digital effects in a studio recording!
And nothing against your content good sir, yah I'm a beato fan but I'm also not offended on his behalf or anything.
I just don't think pitch correction is that big of a deal. It depends on the song, the artist and producer. It's a tool.
We like our rock and roll to have that live, energetic push and pull, but imagine that in say....electronic or dance music. It would be awful (to me, someone with a sense of timing)
be interesting to have you and rick talk about this.
My recollection was Rick Beato was basically along for the ride. imo, he was there for content. He verbally suggested he was pretty much hands off since everyone was so experienced.
Yes that was my take on it. I don't think it was his doing anything as much as watching ringside while the session musicians tried to craft a song. Unfortunately they all have been in the business so long they probably just assume pitch correction is the way they are supposed to do it.
From the description: "In this episode, I traveled to Sound Emporium Studios to produce a song with the top Nashville session players."
@@ron6607 But it is just a likely that he wasn't an active producer and was just paying for the studio time to watch it happen. The shots of him in behind the mixers didn't look like he was that involved in the actual recording as it did he was just looking at what was going on.
It doesn't matter what he actually did, tbh.
He said he was there to produce the song and then released it on his channel.
@@Tigermaster1986 That is true, but the reality is being the producer can mean many things. It can be a very hands on producer that is running them mix and telling every musician what to do in detail... it could also be someone that just provides the studio and musicians and lets someone else do the actual work... or anything in between.
I sometimes think Fil will come off as the thorn in many musicians’ sides, but if they don’t want the thorn, they should avoid the behavior that illicits it.
What really annoys me is how mundane this song is. Like every other new song I hear. I sometimes wonder how the musicians are able to keep these songs straight, they all sound the same.
They're all session musicians who sight-read and get it done in as few takes as possible. The producers and engineers will correct, splice and mix to get the final product.
agreed. For the average person, sure its a nice song. I love Rick but he is not that discerning with his own music. The lyrics are not that great either. Its mundance in the old way, not in the new way (pitch correction aside).
Fully agree. Unfortunately the general public who consume pop music in mass, have the worst ear for music. It’s not even a music is subjective argument either it’s just boring and bland.
@@rik-1-j6n Since the 'general public' hold a different opinion, then it is subjective.
It doesn't even seem like a real song, kinda sounds like something from a RUclips ad.
Would be cool to see you and Rick do an analysis video on this and pitch correction in general. Great video! Gotta go listen to the original now, I really like the sound and the mix.
It was interesting to stumble across your analysis of this song. Because I first watched it the day it was uploaded. And I really wanted to like it. But only halfway through it my mind was already saying “I think there’s a lot of autotune going on here”, and that distracted me away from the song. I think I wiser choice on their part would have been to not use the autotune and just leave in the subtle pitchy imperfections, which in the 1960s and 70s were really quite common on popular recordings from that era. Anyhow, thanks for clearing my suspicions up with your fancy analyzing gadgets.
Thanks Fil. A really insightful analysis as usual. 😊
Fil, I’m a big fan of yours and Rick! Your analysis is always spot on. Lately, I've noticed that my enjoyment of music has shifted since the 60’s when I became a huge fan of the Beatles. I used to simply enjoy the sound, but now I find myself overanalyzing for pitch correction and auto-tuning. It’s sad that it’s lessening my enjoyment. I try to ignore this, but my ear has been auto tuned to detect pitch correction! Anyway, thank you for your great content!
This makes perfect sense. Especially when you understand we are at an all-time low in music.
We don't get anymore good music from England also.
@dentman67 -- All time low?? Yeah but hey JayZ pulled another Kanye "it's all about my frikkin oversized ego" insisting his wife needed to win Album of the Year. Good times!
Fwiw, this is a fairly subtle and nice use of pitch correction. It's not coloring her vocal tone very much, and i think most people wouldnt hear it.
There are a few spots where i went, "yep there it is", but generally it didnt distract from the overall performance of the vocal track.
So, you think pitch correction is a good thing?
@@Michael-mm3fm neither good nor bad. it's a tool.
Sigh that last comment hits it
“They’re there to make as much money as possible, they’re not there to make the best art..”
Simply nailed it here. A friend once said to me, "If it smells, it sells." Hahaha
Sad.
I agree quite great results on a short timeframe. Would be interesting to hear a comparison where they spent a bit more time after the fact taking the stems and applying no pitch correction versus a light touch up on particular notes.
There is no such thing as absolute perfection, whether that be in art or music. That is why things that sound "artificially perfect" are not pleasing to the ear. The natural world is not perfect in sound or in vision. Chasing that perfection is a stale, empty and unfulfilling pursuit.
This.
The artist never develops their own technique with auto correct. Auto tune would strip their unique technique away. 😣😪
More repeat cliches.
I would just say that “chasing the perfection” is perfectly fine, and part of art. “Forcing” the perfection (with software 😆) is what makes it empty and unfulfilling.
I think I have always listened and searched for the right (for me) imperfection...
I have not watched any of this video or Rick responding...
But thinking silently to myself, who are promoting views (of a certain topic) and who loves music...
I really love that you are so savvy with your art. I got married to a muso years ago and I love that you actually use the technical terms.
One of the good things about this recording is that the pitch correction is imperfect,
so it sounds much better than it would if it was more effective.
why use it then. just sing and let people deal with the imperfections
So correcting something to be out of tune, is better? What?
Love both you guys. I’ve learned so much from you and Rick.
You have trained me well, Fil. I heard the off note as soon as it happened. But I'm still a rookie because I don't know if the starting pitch or the finishing pitch was appropriate. I just know that the 'slide' sounded sour.
Yes I was so surprised that it was bad enough for me easily to hear it too. I usually can't
Yes, I heard it right away ! Fil has tuned my ears !
I agree, that's awful. If someone sang that into the mic you'd stop the take and redo it.
Great job showing the incorrect correction! As an amateur I have heard of this but never knew what it sounded like. 😊
I’m glad there is so much music from the sixties, seventies and eighties that is new because you haven’t heard it all. I’m going to listen to all the James Gang catalog. I’ve probably only know or heard a couple of songs per album, so that makes it new to me. And then all the other great bands as well.
I totally agree and _also_ am glad there still is sooo much music from the pre-AutoTune/PitchCorrection times for me to discover!
😊👍
agree a few weeks ago i got the gdead smile 74 filmore record plenty of deep cuts other than the hits today dri ing morphine cure for pain classic comes on mark sandman if alive today would be the first guy against all that
James Gang, Poco, Quicksilver Messenger Service.
In the 70s and 80s, I was home having babies and not listening to much music. Years later, I commented to my grown kids, hey I found this great radio station with all new music. They said, mom that’s an 80s throwback station..
A Fantastic view Fil. Much appreciated! Cheers to Continued success friend! 🤘🤝✌💫
It would seem, pitch correction to save time and money is no better than pitch correction of someone with errors in their vocals. It still isn't the actual vocals they are trying to sell us.
Great job as always. I watch and like Rick. I believe he would explain what happened.
Wow. The incorrect correction part is crazy. I can't believe they left that in.
You're profile pic upsets me as I am a victim of alien abduction. Very insensitive to the abducted population.
😢
😭
The answer is Yes it has been corrected and the part about time and money isn't our problem nor should be an excuse if one was needed.
I love this song and her voice, pitch corrected or not.
It’s fine. It’s perfectly derivative of one of the Nashville sounds. The performers are obviously fantastic and understandably in high demand.
Love your videos, attitude, enthusiasm, and analyses, Fil. Many thanks.
I wish Rick B. had chosen a vocalist with more a of a chest voice (is that the right term?) rather than a head voice.
Boring song and arrangement, but I did like the drums, both sonically, but also - to an extent - how the drummer played: he almost seems to embody a more British behind-the-beat Ringo feel (and sound! Much more musical than American players usually sound).
I’m wondering if you have tried reaching out to Rick Beato to ask him about this production. He has made several videos criticizing auto-tune and digital drum effects. That said, I agree with you on this song. When I heard it, my first impression was great session musicians on the various instruments, but the vocals are processed (sounded unnatural).
Separately, I think there are albums out there (including material produced in Nashville) that sound like there was no pitch correction used. I’m thinking about Chris Stapleton, Tyler Childers, Charles Wesley Godwin, Cole Chaney, etc. Pitch correction is used with a lot of pop artists, but I think there is still material out there with natural vocals.
Rick Beato used pitch correction on an ok song by an everyday vocalist.
@@Kahscho Garth Brooks, I think, has said he doesn't want his voice treated with pitch correction. Not sure the same necessarily holds for his wife though.
If you weren't told you would not know.
This is the first time that I have heard you take the position of a manipulation apologist, time constraints or not. Thank the gods for voices that are as manipulation immune as possible. I'm thinking of singers such as Lemmy Kilmister, Leonard Cohen, Rickie Lee Jones, Tom Waits, Leon Redbone, Diamanda Galás and Captain Beefheart. Those are just the ones who come immediately to mind.
Pitch correcting Diamanda Galas? Oh, boy. Immediately the machine blows it's mind and the universe collapses into a reverse Big Bang, opening a worm hole to alternate dimensions! 😱
Let’s add Neil Young and Joe Walsh to that list, and Dave Mustaine and Axl Rose, and Bob Dylan. I want to break every auto tune and Melodyne device.
RIGHT ON THE NOSE! Fil. I was in a discussion about the ENTERTAINMENT industry and I made the same point. The primary goal of ANY "Industry" is to make more money for the men at the top of it. This applies to the AGRICULTURE, FOOD PROCESSING, PACKAGING, TELECOMMUNICATIONS, COMPUTER, AUTOMOTIVE and yes, the MUSIC (RECORD) industry.
Thanks Young Man for What u Do
I actually suggested on his channel that he send it over to you. If it was pitch corrected, maybe he could send you both versions.
Thank you Fil. A very interesting analysis.
Nice job, Fil, for many reasons.
Love Wings. You are so talented and not an a..hole. Keep up the fantastic work ! from N.Z
I'd love to get your analysis of Ren X Chinchilla - Chalk Outlines (live). I've seen a few vocal coaches react to it and comment on the pitch going in and out and how that makes the song sound more authentic. But I also know that Ren does a lot of audio production on his live stuff to adjust for the use of his lapel mic. So curious to see what the pitch monitoring software reveals.
Can’t wait to hear Rick’s response.
Now we need Warren at Produce Like a Pro to re-record this with all Lewitt microphones. And then the Charismatic Voice to analyze her dipthongs. Finally, Justin Hawkins can make a video tilted "I can't believe they did THIS!" Man, I spend too much time on YT.
Thank you Fil, another good video. We all are entertained by raw talent and gifted musicians. This is an interesting song, nevertheless I shy from music that uses pitch correction. I’m just a simple man.
Ouch, that bum note hurt!
Love both channels. It'd be really cool if Fil and Rick did a video together to chat about how records and concerts are produced these days.
More proof of routine application, no matter the level. Appears like a convenient converging of advanced production with the modern sound.
so you're happy , that going forwards, we wont really know if a singer is good or anywhere near pitch on anything recorded?
Happy that Mr Fil selected the analysis request of R B's production !@taverlisk3304
I'm a wildlife photographer and use Photoshop etc for "picture correction" all the time. So what? I don't feel the need to admit or deny this. The end justifies the means. But I try my best to stay true to the natural world. You and Rick are both great - in different ways. A big Thank You for your work, you two!
Yes it's true, tweaking a picture is like adding reverb, delay and other effects to your voice to embellish it. Pitch correction is like replacing your photo with another digitally created photo, it doesn't embellish but changes the original. Very much like an AI version of a photo you didn't take.
@@wingsofpegasus That's a nice analogy.
That assumes that the end is worth something. But great music was put out for fifty years in this country with no pitch correction, and no one's ears exploded, and plenty of music industry bigwigs made plenty of money.
@@wingsofpegasus Also, one doesn't generally think of photography as performance art.
There were dozens and dozens of people referencing this video on the relevant Rick Beato thread, but I have searched backwards for 4 days and they all seem to have been deleted and there is a post from Rick basically saying the only 'overdub' was a bit of slide guitar,
So, he has no integrity. Interesting.
I also had asked Rick directly in his comment section (and really politely without any blame) to explain "if and why he used pitch correction".
Guess what - also my polite asking was deleted!
Quite disappointing... 😢
@@b.n.7218 I followed up with a polite request for comment on why he is censoring comment and that got deleted as well. Maybe all 350,000 of Fil's subs ought to post comments !!!. I have subbed Ricks channel for years and he does have some amazing content. Cancelling the sub will have no effect, but its all i can do, so it's done !!
Pretty much what I expected he loves to talk trash about things he actually does himself,he lost me when he made a video about how kids today aren’t invested in music anymore because of video games,oh he also played Mario and didn’t notice the music which was supposed to prove his point .he loves to play into the “things were better in the old days “ thing and ignore good current music
Rick does some things very well. I actually like his interviews where he lets artists speak instead of injecting his own ego into it like many/most other interviewers do. On the other hand, he can be an old fogie when it comes to modern music, so it's good for me to see him exposed as a bit of a hypocrite.
What a coincidence Fil! This morning, I just began my "Rick Beato Ear Training Course."
Also, as a child of the 1970's I grew up with a deep love of "real" music played by "real" people. After ENDURING the "music" of the 80's computers, drum machines and synthesizers, it is wonderful to again see and hear real people making real music. People who are actually MUSICIANS actually playing musical instruments. Please do more of these "Live on Video" music analyses. They're GREAT!😊
And for those NOT in the know, A440 (440 Hertz = 440 cycles per second) is the pitch (frequency) that many tuning forks are available in. So, if you tune your guitar or piano's "A" note to match the vibration (hum) of the tuning fork, you can then tune all of the other strings (B-G) of the instrument relative to the "A." Your entire instrument will now be tuned to "Standard" tuning.
12:33 - I did hear it. Like woah! How did they not correct that correction?
I just hope no one was paid to listen to it/ok it for release.
Of course, they can always just “rearrange” it with a few mouse clicks 😂
What a fantastic video have a good weekend fil ❤😊
Great musicians, yes...my dad used to say that (well, almost) anyone would sound decent with a great orchestra behind him/her. Ah, dad! No reflection on this singer, as her voice is very pretty, and I'm sure she sounds even better when she isn't tuned. Thanks for another interesting analysis, Fil.
Great instrumentals. Great analysis. Thank you.
Autotune/pitch correction are NOT a style. They are a LACK of style.
Well said. I agree.
@@katherinea.rodgers8366 Best to ya, Katherine!
You've got a t-shirt there. 👍
@@billsmith3250 Brilliant! Cheers!
Music is music. You can rip apart the Beatles as well. Tech is everywhere. Like it or not. It is actually that simple.
Thanks Fil. How sad that music has to be digitally adjusted because it has to be created as a rush job. Its not a great song, but maybe it could have been? Very surprising from Rick, but Im sure he has his reasons. I hope there can be some genuine conversation about this , as I think its a discussion the industry needs to have.
Oh please lord-no. Fil and Rick are my two heroes. I don’t think my heart could take it if Rick’s using. I think I have watched enough of your videos that I immediately heard what sounded like a completely off-tune note Fil. (These old ears have been subjected to so many concerts and M-60 rounds and C-4 explosions that my hearing anything is a miracle. I think sitting 4th row, right in front of Gregg Allman’s stack of amps at a Little Feat-Allman Brothers show in 1990 did permanent damage as did Neil Young and Crazy Horse in a 1000 seat venue, Zappa, and Sabbath, The Who, Rush, and AC/DC-all in 1979 might have played a part too!
Sounds like, sounds like, sounds like bragging to me, to me!
@charleshash4919 -Maybe, but not in a bad way. 🤔
I watched the original video and got the impression that, while she’s clearly a great singer, there was maybe some nerves in the performance that made the vocal a little wobbly and not as controlled as she’s capable of. Possibly it was an uncomfortable key for her or was in part of her range that she had a little less control over. I didn’t consider whether there might be tuning involved but it seems reasonable that it might have been needed or just used as standard for this type of production.
"More money for less time." Well of course, it's all very corporate! Quantity over quality. Interestingly, the instrumentation was the only thing that struck me about this, more than the vocals (pitch corrected or not).
Very interesting Fil. Good analysis!
Cecilia is so underrated.
Such a nice song. Fabulous musicianship, just enough but not over the top. If I could make stuff like this in a day I would be over the moon.
I'm a little prejudiced as this is not a musical style I enjoy. How bad were the original vocals that such heavy-handed corrections were warranted? It actually makes one assume that the singer was way off the mark, when she may have been quite accurate on her own.
Most likely she can sing a bit, at least, but not “perfectly,” as is required today. Somebody who can’t sing at all lacks (or may lack) dynamics, timbre, breath control, sustain, etc. Much of that, too, can be fixed with software, but it’s imperfect (to date, to my experience) and takes loads of work by the engineer. The human voice is already nearly as obsolete in the recording studio as the old acetate recording machines. AI will finish things up there very soon, and we’ll just have pretty people perfecting lip syncing techniques.
@@greggorsag9787 I fear that you are right about where music is going.
to go into a studio and write and record a song.. of quality in one day isnt an easy thing to do. I think they did a great job. It would be good to hear the raw version to hear the diference.
You Tuber taking on another You Tuber. You are fearless!
Nope, just well trained, experienced and confident.
Corrected hard. Vox are dead and lack character (but not, of course, in a manner different from nearly everything else produced today). The space and subtle overall production just makes that more obvious.
[edited to add: This isn’t a cut on Beato-you just can’t be credible in Nashville or LA these days without correction. Ask any session singer. They often bemoan it, but it is what it is.]
You didn't just make the music business sound like an industry, you made it sound like a production line in a factory. Which is very apropos, considering that every product that comes off of one of those lines is identical. Which is exactly what we're getting with most contemporary music...it all sounds the same, because it's all produced to sound the same. What a dismal thought. 😕
"They are not there to make the best art." You said a mouthful there.
Art? Vincent van Gogh produced great art but died broke. Music industry is only a business. Its goal is to make money. It long ago gave up on the idea of great art. Individual people might want to make great art, a business never does.
If i was producing this i would have the vocalist double it. And add or change something that would give more shape to the instrumental. Now it sounds like just a nice background you can download free. Like royalty free youtube video background music
11:00
From that section only I can tell the voice was not heavily tuned.
The 2nd voice is everywhere *but* where it's supposed to be.
There may be a overall fixing, but nothing extreme.
Gosh I hope not, I really respect him
Tongue in cheek; it would be "perfect(pitch)".
you shouldnt
Thhhiiiisss coommmenntt iss auuto tuuuuned
Taking the time to get the musicality right is why Nuclear Blast just have to wait for Nightwish recordings. They take as long as they need and do a lot of it in private facilities.
Im always in awe of what session musicians can do - the unseen heroes of the popular music world.
Yeah, I agree. Lots of respect for session musicians who make it seem so easy. I think Nightwish is a band that doesn't use all kinds of correction stuff and leave the aweome natural voice of Floor Jansen just as it is... Would be interisting to see your analalysis on that. Any chance @wingsofpegagus that you might check out one (or more) of their songs someday?
@@yvonnevanwaegeningh-tiggel4577 Fil has done a pitch analysis of Floor in the past.
From memory the title was something like "Floor Jansen sets a new bar for pitch accuracy" or along those lines
@@NickBR57 Thanks for the tip. I'm definitely going to check that out 🙂
I am a fan of both you and Rick. Rick's view on Autotune/P.cor. make this video even more fun.
I don't like this kind of music, sounds like generic background noise in a movie, commercial, or while boredom browsing in Marshalls. Very vanilla, so like so many others. I enjoy some of Ricks content, but would not watch the vid for this. I do enjoy your vids, sharing your knowledge without the incessant sales pitches. Very refreshing, very real. Keep on keeping on! (I still say Boomers had the best music!)
Agree! It's background music. Nothing more. No originality and her voice is like a thousand others out there. Yawn.
This song is selling me a pick up truck.
@@sagittated lol, yes!
Good analysis!
Honestly, I'm so sick of hearing the young girl Falsetto voice that they all sing in nowadays. She's barely singing. I don't think average listeners understand that. It's so easy to hit all the notes in falsetto. That's the voice I use in my head when I'm writing or learning a song. They all sound the same.
This is what's being done...all the time!
Well, damn... that's a scary thought! Lol
Thank you Fil!🌷
I agree, time is money. This may also be why so many artists built their own studios and not rent time from some one else.
* *they're* own studios 😉
Third time’s a charm: their
@@Wee162 - Of _course_ it is 'their'! 😄 I just wanted to make it _really_ wrong! 😁
@mightyV444 - You must be some kind of grammar terrorist.