Originally Posted By: MoveToGroove

Gordon,

true, Autotune is also one of those factors. The simpler the music is that sells quite well, the less skills the artists need to have. Unfortunately, all these extreme simplifications in pop music even force highly-skilled musicians to hold back their abilities. Great singers use Autotune, just to match what the mass is currently used to; and talented composers mainly try to figure out how much complexity the mass might just accept, instead of regularly showing what they really have to offer. Best examples are Lady Gaga (fabulous with Tony Bennett) and Charlie Puth (brilliant with Jacob Collier):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyTa_gJkYwI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-bgCGjRt94


For sure, though my particular issue was with the aggressive auto-tune so often used. It was clever when Cher used it all those years ago, though personally I didn't like it then -- much less now that it's so universal.

Modest/subtle use of auto-tune is much less conspicuous and, if nothing else, helps to avoid countless takes and/or punch-ins.

Lady Gaga demonstrates very well that modern music can be special, though that particular song, of course, is a Cole Porter number from 1936.

I've have been a little harsh on modern music, too, because I think it actually is already coming out of that "stuck".

I think one of the other factors that have made so much music in the recent past so bland is the universal use of a video to go with it. Something to look at whilst listening means that the music can be less challenging.

The Puth/Collier link was interesting, partly as they're more adventurous and partly because they also think that modern music is already starting to collect forgotten influences, adapt and interpret them, and move on. These are two very talented young men! I note that they use modest-ish auto-tune.

I've seen so many answers to "how do you produce a song" that start with "well, first I lay down a kick track". And it's quantised, and it's compressed to death, and it's relentless.

I look forward to the time when new music again excites me. It's gradually getting there.

Last edited by Gordon Scott; 10/12/21 03:55 AM.
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