Does Autotune Have Any Artistic Merit?

[NoSleep]

Even then it isn't going to sound remarkable; there needs to be some kind of vibe or emotion in the original performance; autotune can't provide that.

[Johnny Yesno]

Even then it isn't going to sound remarkable; there needs to be some kind of vibe or emotion in the original performance; autotune can't provide that.

I don't think that's in dispute, but while it can't make someone who can't sing sound great, it can make them sound competent.

[Sebastian Cobb]

Nah I get buzby's point about a lack of arsed.

Taylor Swift is a good singer, but this is trilly as fuck:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgFeZr5ptV8

Pointless.

[Maurice Yeatman]

I like the Cher effect when it's deliberately obtrusive. Todd Rundgren used it similarly 15 years ago in 'Afterlife' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvXXnyZn2NA#t=30s

When it's less obvious it's okay if the song's good, but otherwise it grates. Double standards probably.

Rundgren again, from his latest album: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_ZMrxBfUY4 .  I love the song, and his voice is in great condition given he's 70, but I presume he's using a bit of Autotune for his lead vocal.

[New Jack]

The problem with this is the ubiquity will date it. Been listening to the radio in work and seemingly perfectly good singers - I mean, it can't fake EVERYTHING - have it whacked on. It's just a "go to" plugin now and boy can you hear it.

Occasionally you get a great result from perverting a tool. I mean, feedback is ace in context. But who wants feedback in every song they hear by multiple artists?

If you've been in a band and your guitarist gets a new flange pedal, well, you'll get flange on everything he plays unless someone says STOP! Same mentality.

So it's a stylistic choice.

The issue with that is styles change. It's this era's gated snare.

The key thing about mixing music - if you need to edit something, or cover something up, like with any art of concealment of fixing, you shouldn't notice the work was done, lest it add to the music. And adding to the music is rare enough for it to default to not notice.

[NoSleep]

It's this era's gated snare.

It's been the style for way more than a decade now (which the gated snare barely managed, if that).

[New Jack]

It's been the style for way more than a decade now (which the gated snare barely managed, if that).

Yeah I know. Anything to add or are you just going to pretend I said styles have a time limit?

[NoSleep]

You were talking about change, I thought.

[New Jack]

No, I'm talking about how we use tools in music production. Not merely 'it'll die out in X years' as it won't, it'll simply become part not an arsenal.

Sorry if I'm a jerk, spent ages formulating that and didn't want it thrown out on the mere idea gated snare had a lifespan :)

Though I am amused by the idea of autotune one day seeming a retro, or deliberately textural, choice to evoke something more than it seems it evokes right now.

It's already a powerful tool. I already count it as a powerful technique. I even suspect I hear the egregious uses, because if its used well, it becomes part of the music.

The Avalanches use it really, really well. And it seems very suited to sample based music. Which is interesting, because texture is a huge part of that.

Ahh, this is what you get when Royal Mail pipe in commercial shite when I'm working!

[NoSleep]

I was following your first suggestion that ubiquity would date it, as what happened with the gated snare (which really has become just a signifier of 80's production).