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Spike Strider · February 21st, 2012, 10:25 AM

Just put this on order. Thought it would be fun. Mostly interested in the reverb and tone shaping. Don't have much faith that the autotune will do anything for my howling. The harmonies sound fun to play with also.

Thought I would see if anyone has played with these

http://www.tc-helicon.com/products/v...-harmony-g-xt/

araT · February 21st, 2012, 10:35 AM

Ewwwww, autotune... I can hear them a mile off and I HATE them, they make my ears bleed! I'd rather hear someone out-of-tune and natural, than autotuned. It just sounds plastic.

Have fun playing with the effects, but PLEASE stay away from the autotune.

cybermgk · February 21st, 2012, 10:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by araT

Ewwwww, autotune... I can hear them a mile off and I HATE them, they make my ears bleed! I'd rather hear someone out-of-tune and natural, than autotuned. It just sounds plastic.

Have fun playing with the effects, but PLEASE stay away from the autotune.

Hear, hear!

Shakey1964 · February 21st, 2012, 11:12 AM

Unless it is being done for effect (in which case it could possibly be justified) the use of autotune should be marked in large letters on all album covers. There should also be separate music charts just for autotuned music and all realirty music shows should declare the use of in opening and closing credits! Rant over, and relax...

Dennison · February 21st, 2012, 11:14 AM

Never anything with autotune. About 10-12 years ago a band I was in would use a Digitech Vocalist for occasional live backup vocals — just 'oohs' and 'aahs'. You still had to sing in tune in the first place.

Used very sparingly it was OK for this purpose. But if you thought you were Don Everly and the machine might give you 'instant Phil Everly' then forget it — you'd sound more like the Chipmunks.

GVDobler · February 21st, 2012, 11:42 AM

In about 1981 I was at a friend's recording studio here in Las Vegas. They had someone in recording a commercial.

I couple flat spots were fixed with the turn of a knob or slide. I don't know how it was done, as the Comadore 64 was about the only PC type computer at the time.

Anyone know how it was done before autotune?

There were a number of pop stars of old that couldn't do live shows. (I'm talking Fabian days) Can anyone post an example of a known autotuned recording. I don't know if my ears can pick it out.

araT · February 21st, 2012, 12:12 PM

Listen to anything by Britney Spears, Justin Bieber and their kin.

I'll go looking to see if someone, somewhere has uploaded the same recording with & without autotune.

delboy · February 21st, 2012, 12:36 PM

Interesting article on the scale of autotune usage here:

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/ar...877372,00.html

dazzajl · February 21st, 2012, 01:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cybermgk

Hear, hear!

That looks like irony but your tag says you're in the US. I'm

GuitarMojo · February 21st, 2012, 03:17 PM

Surprising one(?) -

According to a former touring guitar player, she was 'pitchy' before sweetening. He claimed to have a tape, I never got to hear it.

Scott Fraser · February 21st, 2012, 04:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by araT

Ewwwww, autotune... I can hear them a mile off and I HATE them, they make my ears bleed! I'd rather hear someone out-of-tune and natural, than autotuned. It just sounds plastic.
Have fun playing with the effects, but PLEASE stay away from the autotune.

What you are hearing is Auto-Tune either ineptly applied or intentionally made to sound that bad. Kids seem to like the obvious artifacts of over-corrected pitch.
I do selective pitch correcting (by hand, never automatic mode) all the time, on instruments & voices, with the pitch automation built in to Digital Performer, & I can tell you that, done properly, it is absolutely undetectable. Then again, I've been making records a whole lot longer than most of the people on the pop charts at the moment.

Scott Fraser

fletch · February 21st, 2012, 04:32 PM

I read once that in the primitive old days of recording, the labels used to employ session singers who would sing pitch perfect versions over the top of the 'star's' recording and the producer would 'blend' the two voices, fading out the dud notes.
I did once see a Neil Sedaka concert on TV where he had a female backup singer whose voice sounded so much like his that it was eerie. She would unerringly hit and hold the notes after he had stopped singing. I'm not nocking him, either - he was great - he was simply making sure that the audience heard the best version of his work that he could produce live.
And didn't recordists use sampling to capture a bum note,play it in tune and replace the dud? Autotune is just another mechanical aid, like drum machines, MP3 backing tracks et al. We complained about all of them (some of us still do) but we all use 'em.

Spike Strider · February 22nd, 2012, 05:36 PM

So how do you all feel about Autotune ;p

It has soft to hard Autotune, but again, we were looking for some vocal reverb to 'wetten' up the vocals some.

I'll report back on my experience when it gets in...

getbent · February 22nd, 2012, 07:01 PM

I have the voice live (the model that is a bit fancier than the voice tone) and it is cool, but complicated.

The device does have pitch correction capability, but it isn't auto tune (that is a product specific name)

The voice live is pretty awesome to run your guitar through... with most harmony units you are tied to a specific harmony... both of these (pretty sure yours can) you can define the harmonic structure... most harmony pedals can't do the elizabeth reed harmony but.. these guys can....

on the voice side... if you already have accurate tracking pitch... this box will blow your mind! REALLY fun!

If not, and if you are a warbler, you'll probably grow to hate the unit the way your girlfriend avoids you when you are goint to play....

you'll find the eagles patch a good one to tweak and make useful..

for songwriting it is a great unit... you should be happy with it if you just have fun and let it take you where it goes...

beep.click · February 22nd, 2012, 09:51 PM

I have the previous version of the harmony box. The harmonies actually work really, really well!

Ricochet · February 23rd, 2012, 03:02 AM

Did you guys catch the introduction of Peavey's Autotune...for guitar?

ampe · February 23rd, 2012, 04:14 AM

the only effect that is allowed on a voice is gain

fletch · February 23rd, 2012, 06:14 AM

I've come to singing very late in my life.
I was never allowed to sing in the bands I was in, and for good reason. We always had pretty good singers. But now I'm part of a club concert troupe (very pedestrian - retirement homes and such) I'm expected to pitch in. I have a dull voice and a very limited range, so I choose songs I can talk my way through (Steve Earl, burl Ives, Johnny Cash, some Hank Williams).
Like the man who'd give his right arm to be ambidextrous, I'd give almost anything to be able to sing. Jeez it must be great to open your mouth and have something great come out of it rather than a bad impression of a wounded Cane Toad.

Ah well...

johnnyguitar · February 23rd, 2012, 06:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ampe

the only effect that is allowed on a voice is gain

I'd like to add a little breakup to my voice on a few tunes but I have no idea how to do it. I don't really want to put guitar pedals in a balanced mic signal path ...?

GentleBen · February 23rd, 2012, 07:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnnyguitar

I'd like to add a little breakup to my voice on a few tunes but I have no idea how to do it. I don't really want to put guitar pedals in a balanced mic signal path ...?

I was thinking about adding some flanger or phaser to my voice like ZZ Top and wondered if I could insert a guitar pedal into the mixing board