Show 5: Raleigh Amphitheater - Raleigh, NC 4/29/12 (SETLIST/PICS/REVIEWS)

[LostArt]

Is it possible that something is happening in these audience recordings that's due to how they're being recorded? Can the recording program in an iPhone, for example, automatically add pitch correction or fx? Might there be a digital form of feedback, multiplying effects?

I've never worked with digital recording, so I have no idea. But I know with digital imaging, you can turn off automatic correction, so I was wondering....

Yes.  These recordings are not accurate representations of what the human ear would hear in the venue.  The phones would not add auto-tune or pitch correction, but all kinds of frequencies and room ambience are being enhanced or diminished by the small size of the microphones in the devices, the distance of the mics from the speakers, the cheap analog/digital converters, and the bad compression rate, lots of factors.  It's really impossible to tell for certain from any of these recordings if any kind pitch correction was used or not.  I'm not saying it was, and I'm not saying it wasn't.  I'm saying it's impossible to tell for certain.
I do hear Brian singing out of tune in spots, which would indicate that pitch correction isn't being used, but I can't be certain of anything from these recordings.  That's why I'm inclined to believe reports from folks who were actually in attendance, and from the band members, rather than some folks listening to bad recordings.  

[Stegibo]

To those who say no autotune: Pls explain why just Brian's voice sounds so robotic on the recordings and not the others? And not all recordings were taped on an iphone.

[MZ6]

Lot of good quality videos in that channel...

"Cottonfields" really rocks...they're jamming out on that one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJuQtLf_od0&feature=relmfu

And it sounds like someone (Scott Totten?) is using a b-bender/pullstring. It's hard to see on my phone...

[LostArt]

To those who say no autotune: Pls explain why just Brian's voice sounds so robotic on the recordings and not the others? And not all recordings were taped on an iphone.

It could be something as simple as the timbre of Brian's voice, or how it's being eq'd, coupled with whatever frequency response the crappy phone mic (or whatever miniature recording device is being used) has.  Again, there are too many questions to be certain.  For example, if Brian's voice is being pitch corrected, why are some notes out of tune (and I'm not talking a full half step out of tune, which is what you'd get with pitch correction)?  Again.  I'm not saying it's being used, and I'm not saying that it isn't.  I'm saying that it's impossible to tell for certain.  

[Runaways]

Brian sure is out of tune alot for using autotune

[Autotune]

Brian sure is out of tune alot for using autotune

Yeah and there was nothing robotic at the venue in NOLA

[seltaeb1012002]

For example, if Brian's voice is being pitch corrected, why are some notes out of tune (and I'm not talking a full half step out of tune, which is what you'd get with pitch correction)?

Because sometimes it takes a little longer for the autotune to figure out which note to jump to depending on where the original source lands on the scale.  This would only happen rarely, on very short notes. And even when that happens you will still get the robotic pitch jumps right before and right after said note.

Brian sure is out of tune alot for using autotune

Yeah, he is. He sings flat often, so the autotune is just "perfecting" his flat notes. Fact is Brian's a pitchy singer & LIVE autotune is not the answer for him.

Post-production vocal editing is a different story.

The only way live autotune sounds good, is if it's applied to a very strong singer pitch-wise, and even then, there's a good chance it would still require editing in post. It's pretty much pointless to use it live though, if you think about it. I don't think it's achieving the effect they want it to. Or maybe it is. They're giving us something to talk about.  

[Ron]

Or.... he's almost 70 and sings out of tune. 

I mean... I GUESS it's theoretically possible that there's a computer program helping him sing out of tune. 


Or.... he's almost 70 and sings out of tune. 

I suppoooooose, maybe..... there's a computer program that only works on some notes, misses almost all the others, is only recordable if you RECORD the sound you hear instead of just LISTEN to the sound you hear, and is capable of escaping detection by even the most hard-nosed, negative reporters........

Or.... he's almost 70 and sings out of tune.

[bgas]

Or.... he's almost 70 and sings out of tune. 

I mean... I GUESS it's theoretically possible that there's a computer program helping him sing out of tune. 


Or.... he's almost 70 and sings out of tune. 

I suppoooooose, maybe..... there's a computer program that only works on some notes, misses almost all the others, is only recordable if you RECORD the sound you hear instead of just LISTEN to the sound you hear, and is capable of escaping detection by even the most hard-nosed, negative reporters........

Or.... he's almost 70 and sings out of tune.

Maybe he's simply working so hard at singing out of tune, that he can't buy the right autotune to fix it.
God forbid the BBs should be guilty of using autotune;
tho why anyone really cares is beyond me

[endofposts]

Is it possible that something is happening in these audience recordings that's due to how they're being recorded? Can the recording program in an iPhone, for example, automatically add pitch correction or fx? Might there be a digital form of feedback, multiplying effects?

I've never worked with digital recording, so I have no idea. But I know with digital imaging, you can turn off automatic correction, so I was wondering....

Brian sounds completely different than the rest of the lead singers in terms of his sound quality.  He is much higher in the mix and louder than Mike on "Sloop John B." when they swap lead parts as the song goes along,and Brian's voice sounds really weird.  If it's not autotune or pitch correction, it's something going on (live doubling effect or some other type of processing).  It can't be an iPhone making Brian's voice louder and odd-sounding if the same thing isn't happening to Mike.  Also, the video on YouTube that people are posting links to from this particular show are not iPhone or smartphone videos, it has to be some type of video camera. It's HDTV.  In fact, the better sound quality of those videos makes Brian's voice sound even more processed and it really brings it out.  

[b00ts]

Or.... he's almost 70 and sings out of tune. 

I mean... I GUESS it's theoretically possible that there's a computer program helping him sing out of tune. 


Or.... he's almost 70 and sings out of tune. 

I suppoooooose, maybe..... there's a computer program that only works on some notes, misses almost all the others, is only recordable if you RECORD the sound you hear instead of just LISTEN to the sound you hear, and is capable of escaping detection by even the most hard-nosed, negative reporters........

Or.... he's almost 70 and sings out of tune.

Maybe he's simply working so hard at singing out of tune, that he can't buy the right autotune to fix it.
God forbid the BBs should be guilty of using autotune;
tho why anyone really cares is beyond me

Because it makes Brian's voice sound worse than if he just hits some bum notes; in fact, it causes more bum notes and random pitch changes in many cases. If you can't hear it, that's great - I wish I could un-hear it.

[anazgnos]

The first show was recorded on an iPhone.  Another show was recorded on good gear and circulated in an uncompressed format.

[Emdeeh]

What's curious to me is that I heard Brian sing a whole song at the Atlanta show (forget which one now) and he sounded, from my vantage point about halfway in the amphitheater, about the same as he did in the Gershwin tour at the same venue last year. That is, pitchy (sometimes off, sometimes on) and with all the charactering that is usually there in his vocals, natural sounding.

The Raleigh audience recording video of SOS that has the "B-Pain" effect sounds very different from what I heard in person in Atlanta. I didn't hear anything remotely like that, although Brian did sound like he was singing a harmony part instead of the lead on SOS at first.

So this is why I'm asking if there are other factors that could account for some of what we're hearing in audience recordings.

[Craig Boyd]

I'd rather hear Dave sing Sail On Sailor (well i'd rather hear Blondie but that's another matter) because Brian for whatever reason just isn't into that song.

[endofposts]

A recording might be more accurate that what you hear in person.  If the recording is not distorted, then the sound level is lower than what you would hear at the venue.  Even at a show where the volume isn't loud enough to bother your ears, it's still very loud.  So the sound isn't that defined, it's just a loudly amplified wall of sound so your ears can't hear every detail.  The recording devices have a limiter that sets the levels lower, either automatically or user-set, because otherwise, the sound would be distorted from excessive recording level volume.

[Mikie]

Brian sure is out of tune alot for using autotune

Yeah.  Alot.

[ontor pertawst]

I do wish he'd watch his ooo's and ahhh's.

I kind of like the effect on "Heroes and Villains," but yeah -- after watching the recent videos it's pretty damn goofy voice processing on "Sail on Sailor" if not technically Antares Auto-Tune. Just the sort of faux cutting-edge, instantly dated thing the Beach Boys would do to annoy people tho, isn't it? If only we had a cutaway of Joe Thomas perched behind an amplifier playing a little MIDI controller live and twirling a villainous mustache.

[bgas]

Brian sure is out of tune alot for using autotune

Yeah.  Alot.

I salute you for finally seeing the light!

[Aegir]

If the autotune worked the way it was supposed to, then its presence would be less of a problem!

[Stegibo]

Yeah I wouldn't mind if it worked and supported his singing, but it's just way too robotic...

[anazgnos]

If the autotune worked the way it was supposed to, then its presence would be less of a problem!

EXACTLY!

At this point I pretty much don't care whether it gets used or not.  What makes me angry is that it's being used so badly, and making the problem it's there to solve worse.

[Mikie]

I salute you for finally seeing the light!

Yeah.  Duuuuh.....hut!

[Zach95]

I hear it especially on his extended notes, anyone else feel that way too?

[Autotune]

Too bad that the highly professional sound people in the highly professional entourage for this BB massive tour are bastardizing Brian's performances with an autotune machine that does not automatically-tune Brian's vocals anyway and does not fix a thing.

One would think that the Beach Boys with Brian Wilson at the helm, or the extraordinary musicians from their backing band, or their extremely professional sound crew should know by now; if not because of their decades of experience, or their extreme expertise, just because of their experience during the first 4-5 shows of this tour.

But no, they keep screwing it up instead of doing as this board's people tell them to.

Audiophile fans can't be wrong (they've never been). But the sound people hired and paid for it can.

[anazgnos]

I don't know about you, but when I look at the Beach Boys entire career, I don't exactly see a faultless, unbroken string of great decisions that have put them beyond all criticism.