The First Gig: Anselmo Valencia Ampitheater Tucson, AZ 4/24/12 (SETLIST/REVIEWS)

[Alex]

Holy sh*t! Brian was T-Pain'd on SOS! So where's the record scratching and house beats? Is Lil' Jon gonna pop out and scream "WHAT YEAH OK SKEET SKEET!"?

[jamsvet]

Didn't see it anywhere but a good review in the LA Times

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2012/04/live-the-beach-boys-kick-off-50th-anniversary-tour-in-tucson.html

[anazgnos]

Because I'm the only one who clearly hears autotune on this.

No, you're not the only one.  There's still no question in my mind that autotune was used in Tucson.

My attitude right now is wait and see what any further clips that come out sound like.  If there continues to be evidence like this, then in a week or two I'm gonna lay down a Warren Commission-style report on the B-Pain phenomenon so everybody can hear what is happening.

[Ron]

I hope when you do, you have more evidence for us non believers than just pointing at 3 or 4 notes in a 35 minute concert recording. 

I hope you're aware too when you do it, of the reason you're doing it.  If we dont' hear it, why would you want us to hear it?  Isn't that kind of like telling a 5 year old there's no santa claus?

[Quzi]

I'm not meaning to ignite any anger here, I just want to point out how autotune works in a live environment. Because people can't alter each note of a vocal performance to what it should be (because the audio is being streamed live) an autotune filter instead "pushes" the note a person is singing so it hits the note that is closest to what the vocalist is producing. So for example, pretend Brian was singing a note just a little off being a perfect D. Even if he should have been singing a G at that point in the performance, the autotune would "push" that note into sounding like a perfect D as the technology has no way of knowing that it isn't the note he is trying to achieve.

Long story short, it's entirely possible to sound awful when using autotune (I know, I have tried using it before and achieved a less than stellar outcome  )

[anazgnos]

Which is why you hear Brian's notes juddering back and forth in a way that no human voice is capable of producing.

[hypehat]

Which is why you hear Brian's notes juddering back and forth in a way that no human voice is capable of producing.

This. Quzi's point would agree with Heroes & Villains being the worst offender, because that melody is so complex/intricate and so the auto-tuning thingy is pushing what could well be a shaky BW performance absolutely everywhere.

I don't suppose anybody reads my posts here anyway, mind. But if that's what you think Brian Wilson sounds like all the time I am so sorry for you.

[absinthe_boy]

Found the vimeo upload.

Brian is autotuned on his Surfer Girl solo for sure and it sounds at once awful and sad. It's one of the worst applications of autotune I have ever had the misfortune of hearing and it is very obvious. If you can't hear it, then please get your ears syringed. really, this is almost as bad as the deliberate special effect Cher achieved on "Believe".

By sail On Sailor I think whoever is handling the autotune has changed the settings and it's less obvious but it is still there.

Personally if I'd attended that concert I'd have walked away crying. Maybe Brian has a cold or something and on later dates they won't use autotune. It is an offense to the ears and to a great artist who just a few months ago sang many of those songs in concert to a good standard.

Anyone who says that no sort of pitch correction has been used is just plain lying.

[18thofMay]

Found the vimeo upload.

Brian is autotuned on his Surfer Girl solo for sure and it sounds at once awful and sad. It's one of the worst applications of autotune I have ever had the misfortune of hearing and it is very obvious. If you can't hear it, then please get your ears syringed. really, this is almost as bad as the deliberate special effect Cher achieved on "Believe".

By sail On Sailor I think whoever is handling the autotune has changed the settings and it's less obvious but it is still there.

Personally if I'd attended that concert I'd have walked away crying. Maybe Brian has a cold or something and on later dates they won't use autotune. It is an offense to the ears and to a great artist who just a few months ago sang many of those songs in concert to a good standard.

Anyone who says that no sort of pitch correction has been used is just plain lying.

Say what.. YOU THINK I AM LYING?Do you live inAustralia?You call a bloke a liar and you get a smack in the face.

[hypehat]

Sounds like a nice place.

[absinthe_boy]

Whoever from within the band says there is no pitch correction on Brian not telling the truth. If they believe they are telling the truth then somebody has lied to them. Somewhere, somebody has lied.

And I would say so in any court of law.

And I would win.




That is, unless somebody has managed to take the recording that is circulating and somehow autotune Brian's voice only on a single-track recording (which cannot be done).

I categorically state here and now for posterity that Brian Douglas Wilson, as presented in the Vimeo recording doing the rounds, has been pitch-corrected.

[The Shift]

nice review:

http://the814times.com/2012/04/26/beach-boys-kick-off-50th-anniversary-tour-in-tucson/

[Wirestone]

Whoever from within the band says there is no pitch correction on Brian not telling the truth. If they believe they are telling the truth then somebody has lied to them. Somewhere, somebody has lied.

And I would say so in any court of law.

And I would win.




That is, unless somebody has managed to take the recording that is circulating and somehow autotune Brian's voice only on a single-track recording (which cannot be done).

I categorically state here and now for posterity that Brian Douglas Wilson, as presented in the Vimeo recording doing the rounds, has been pitch-corrected.

I think it is folly to say something so categorically based on such scanty evidence.

[UK_Surf]

Holy sh*t! Brian was T-Pain'd on SOS! So where's the record scratching and house beats? Is Lil' Jon gonna pop out and scream "WHAT YEAH OK SKEET SKEET!"?

'Wipe out'. Fat Boys. Beach Boys.

Possibly one of my favourite musical collaborations of the 1980s.

And while I'm at it - I for one would absolutely love to see Lil' John & BW perform together. ML was the original hype man, so it's a natural progression.

[LostArt]

On one hand we have:

Several accounts by people who attended the shows, stating that they did not hear any auto-tune at the venue.

Two band members who say that no auto-tune is being used.

My ears, good enough to allow me to play guitar professionally for over thirty years, which can not hear any auto-tune on this recording (in fact, I can hear Brian singing out of tune??).

On the other hand we have:

People stating that auto-tune was absolutely being used, based on a recording made with a mic the size of a mouse's asshole that's designed to pick up close range speaking voice, coverted to digital with a cheap A/D converter and compressed to 64kbps, then uploaded to some file sharing site, then downloaded and played back through a computer sound card fed into some cheap low-fi computer speakers or some ear buds or something.

Hmm, I wonder who's opinion I trust more.


Okay.  I get it.  Some of you think you hear it.  I suspect you're mistaken, but whatever.  It's the attitude that I don't like.  "If you can't hear it, you've got terrible ears" or "If you say you can't hear it, you're lying. ()"  I know, I used the word 'idiots' in a previous post, and for that I apologize.  But here's my take.  If you were being rational about it, you might say something like, "You know, I realize this recording is from a terrible source, but I think I hear something that sounds like pitch correction processing on Brian's voice.  Of course I can't be sure because of this very poor recording, but if it is auto-tune, I hope it's not used too much when I see them."  And then be done with it.  We all hope that it won't be used.  We get it.  Please stop.

 

[oldsurferdude]

This whole thing must be hell for OSD! We've quit arguing about Mike and have aimed the lazers at Foskett and auto-tune

I think Jeff sounded great on Catch A Wave last night!

Your post sounds autotuned.

[seltaeb1012002]

Wow, I gotta say I'm surprised that this is still being debated.

There's pitch correction on BW's vocals here. Period. A huge chunk of my profession is dealing with vocal editing (and a huge chunk of that is dealing with pitch correction) and I'm starting to take offense to people not only saying that there's no pitch correction, but that anyone who hears it is "making things up for the sake of making things up".

I'm 100% sure. I'd bet my (and your) family members on it. Low quality audience tape or not. It's very clear to these ears, which allow me to pay my rent.

There is no conspiracy here.  I just wish that everyone who "disagrees" because they can't hear it would chill out and stop attacking those of us who hear it. Personally, I'm not here to offend people, I just wanted to point out an obvious flaw so that hopefully someone in the Beach Boys camp might notice and fix this in the future.

PS - Everyone who keeps referring to this as a "low quality audience recording" - I guess you've never heard Seattle 1970. The quality of this audience tape is fine.

[Phoenix]

No, I'm just busy trying to figure out how to put you on Ignore so I don't have to read your stupidity anymore. 


"Hi guys, I bought a puppy!"


Runnerzdialzero = "Puppies sh*t"

"Hi guys, I won the lottery today!"

Runnerzdialzero = "You're a gambling addict"

If you want to keep trashing everything you imagine you hear, go do it somewhere else.  I refuse to listen to you ivent sh*t to get pissed about anymore. 

What a relief.  Until this thread, I was starting to think it was just me.   

[The Shift]

Correct pitch application:

[LostArt]

Wow, I gotta say I'm surprised that this is still being debated.

There's pitch correction on BW's vocals here. Period. A huge chunk of my profession is dealing with vocal editing (and a huge chunk of that is dealing with pitch correction) and I'm starting to take offense to people not only saying that there's no pitch correction, but that anyone who hears it is "making things up for the sake of making things up".

I'm 100% sure. I'd bet my (and your) family members on it. Low quality audience tape or not. It's very clear to these ears, which allow me to pay my rent.

There is no conspiracy here.  I just wish that everyone who "disagrees" because they can't hear it would chill out and stop attacking those of us who hear it. Personally, I'm not here to offend people, I just wanted to point out an obvious flaw so that hopefully someone in the Beach Boys camp might notice and fix this in the future.

And it looks like they did. They didn't use it on him last night, and that makes me feel good.

PS - Everyone who keeps referring to this as a "low quality audience recording" - I guess you've never heard Seattle 1970. The quality of this audience tape is fine.

Okay, okay.  You're right.  The people who were actually at the venue to hear it in person were wrong.  The band is lying.  My ears are for sh*t.  Will you stop now, please?

[desmondo]

Brian Autotuned??? - no chance

Drummer needs to sort his sh*t though

[Eireannach]

On one hand we have:

Several accounts by people who attended the shows, stating that they did not hear any auto-tune at the venue.

Two band members who say that no auto-tune is being used.

My ears, good enough to allow me to play guitar professionally for over thirty years, which can not hear any auto-tune on this recording (in fact, I can hear Brian singing out of tune??).

On the other hand we have:

People stating that auto-tune was absolutely being used, based on a recording made with a mic the size of a mouse's asshole that's designed to pick up close range speaking voice, coverted to digital with a cheap A/D converter and compressed to 64kbps, then uploaded to some file sharing site, then downloaded and played back through a computer sound card fed into some cheap low-fi computer speakers or some ear buds or something.

Hmm, I wonder who's opinion I trust more.


Okay.  I get it.  Some of you think you hear it.  I suspect you're mistaken, but whatever.  It's the attitude that I don't like.  "If you can't hear it, you've got terrible ears" or "If you say you can't hear it, you're lying. ()"  I know, I used the word 'idiots' in a previous post, and for that I apologize.  But here's my take.  If you were being rational about it, you might say something like, "You know, I realize this recording is from a terrible source, but I think I hear something that sounds like pitch correction processing on Brian's voice.  Of course I can't be sure because of this very poor recording, but if it is auto-tune, I hope it's not used too much when I see them."  And then be done with it.  We all hope that it won't be used.  We get it.  Please stop.

 

Okay, okay.  You're right.  The people who were actually at the venue to hear it in person were wrong.  The band is lying.  My ears are for sh*t.  Will you stop now, please?

This kind of logic has no place on the Internet.

[seltaeb1012002]

Wow, I gotta say I'm surprised that this is still being debated.

There's pitch correction on BW's vocals here. Period. A huge chunk of my profession is dealing with vocal editing (and a huge chunk of that is dealing with pitch correction) and I'm starting to take offense to people not only saying that there's no pitch correction, but that anyone who hears it is "making things up for the sake of making things up".

I'm 100% sure. I'd bet my (and your) family members on it. Low quality audience tape or not. It's very clear to these ears, which allow me to pay my rent.

There is no conspiracy here.  I just wish that everyone who "disagrees" because they can't hear it would chill out and stop attacking those of us who hear it. Personally, I'm not here to offend people, I just wanted to point out an obvious flaw so that hopefully someone in the Beach Boys camp might notice and fix this in the future.

And it looks like they did. They didn't use it on him last night, and that makes me feel good.

PS - Everyone who keeps referring to this as a "low quality audience recording" - I guess you've never heard Seattle 1970. The quality of this audience tape is fine.

Okay, okay.  You're right.  The people who were actually at the venue to hear it in person were wrong.  The band is lying.  My ears are for sh*t.  Will you stop now, please?

Stop what? I was responding to everyone who insists on putting us down for hearing what's there. Again, my intention was not to make anyone feel bad for hearing what they hear. I'm sure you're a great guitarist. And I am a great vocal editor and refuse to be put down in regards to a craft that I've dedicated so much time and passion to.

PS - I wasn't gonna say another word until people started with this whole "inventing things" stuff. I take that as a personal jab. Anyone who heard SMiLE AD knows I know my sh*t when it comes to vocal editing.

[stack-o-tracks]

Listen to T-Pain here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avaSdC0QOUM&ob=av3e

Skip to like 30-45 seconds into the song.

Then listen to the Sailor On, Sailor, the bridge to Surfer Girl, and Heroes & Villains.  There's definitely some sort of flanging. It's all like in my woOoOoOoooooooOoooooody and it sounds like T-Pain. It's definitely not present all the time, at least to my non-audiophile ears, but it's there for sure.

[Aegir]

I only heard the autotune once I started paying attention to it. before that I couldn't hear it.

I'm familiar with autotune. I'm 24 and I listen to pop music on the radio. Wouldn't be able to tell you the names of any of the artists I listen to, but I listen to it. Also, I've recorded in professional studios before and we always use way too much autotune as a gag. Doesn't make the final mix, of course, but it's funny to listen to.

but still, I didn't hear it at all the first few times I heard the concert. at all. and then all of the sudden it clicked. it's something your hears have to notice. there is autotune, but that doesn't mean everyone can hear it. I was happy when I was in the camp that couldn't hear it. but let's not get personal about any of this.