Originally Posted By: David Snyder
I did not use Melodyne.

I just stepped up to a mic and sang it with my heart.

Yes, but you also sang it in tune, so you didn't need Melodyne. Which is the point that Paul is making: they had to sing in tune. Because if they didn't, as Paul writes elsewhere, people would "stand up and walk out on me".

Originally Posted By: Paul McCartney
Really, it was simple, we just had to be able to step up to a microphone and hit the right note, you know what I mean? We had to be able to sing, you know.

Not only could they sing in tune, they could sing in harmony.

And as Dylan says, Paul sings in service of the melody. I assume that's what you mean by "sang it with my heart".

I'm betting you weren't singing out of tune. I know you've put in those hours of work into your singing, the same as you have on the guitar.

In the thread that started this, Nigel wrote:

Originally Posted By: NigelSpiers
Many of the singers are out of tune. Some of them just a bit out of tune and some of them are total non-singers.

For non-singers the answer is obviously to team up with a good singer.

For the others the answer may be:

1. Before posting on the forum send your song to a friend/family member who you know has a "good ear" and most importantly is prepared to give you an honest assessment of your performance. They don't have to love the song - no the key point is they must tell you where it needs improvement. Only in this way can you improve the quality of your songs.

2. Pitch Correction. I don't use this myself but I do use it on other artists' voices whom I have recorded or mixed. If used sparingly and musically then it can definitely improve a performance and a song significantly.

I think it can also act as a great vocal learning tool.

I don't think anyone posting music here wants to sing out of tune. In some cases, they may not even be aware of it, and in others, they may not know what to do about it.

Nigel's first suggestion isn't to apply Melodyne to a song - it's to have someone with good ears have a listen to it before it's posted.

Here's my anecdote. The other week, I was cantoring at church, and there were parts that felt pitchy. I asked someone who I know has good ears about that it, and he he didn't hear any issues. However, the service was recorded, and the tape didn't lie - it was not good. Listening to the performance was painful... and extremely helpful. I went back to the guy and told him in the future I needed him to be brutally honest, not polite. smile

Nigel's second suggestion - about pitch correction - has the caveats that it be used "sparingly and musically". That is, correction should only be applied where it's needed. And if it's not needed, not applied at all.

Finally, Nigel says that pitch correction can be used as a learning tool, even if you end up not using it. Others on the thread agree to the same point.

Nowhere do I see anyone arguing that every song needs to have Melodyne on it. Because guess who else doesn't use Melodyne? Nigel, the person who started the thread.

I don't understand why you feel the need to set up these straw man arguments.

And if you think I'm suggesting everyone should use pitch correction, did you notice my signature line?

-- David Cuny

My virtual singer development blog
Vocal control, you say. Never heard of it. Is that some kind of ProTools thing?

BiaB 2025 | Windows 11 | Reaper | Way too many VSTis.