The Smiley Smile Message Board

Videos from Monday's show seem to show the autotune has (completely) gone from Brian's voice. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Woh6IjtBqzc&feature=plcp.

I'm extremely pleased about this, as Brian sounds great, and the whole thing is so much more natural. I could 'look past' the autotune - but would much rather not have to! No autotune on QVC either, so looking good.

So, it makes me wonder, is that a response to the fan community or just good judgement by the sound engineers? If the former, I really hope we can get them to do some last minute toning down of autotune on the album - although by now it's probably finalised and pressed I guess.

Also not here, from Mohegan CT http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8aNyp8wFR1Y&feature=relmfu

Well, this is amazing!

So glad to hear this, hopefully this trend continues.  I'd much rather hear imperfect but genuine vocals...

wow.. it sounds really good and natural. PLEASE KEEP IT THIS WAY! that heroes and villains sounds great as well!

And who woulda thunk - Brian doesn't sound bad at all, just as I had guessed. Glad to hear this. ^_^

So it's been confirmed: Stamos does read this board.

a result!!!!

miles better listening experience going off the youtube clips posted here.
hurrah!

Dear autotune-deniers,

If the people who said there was autotune were just making it up, how is it now agreed that it's gone?

Maybe it was just there for shows that were taped for the eventual DVD. Which means it could come back, later on the tour. Or maybe it didn't have to do anything at all with the taping. Who knows.

And yes, Brian sounded great in Mohegan. Brian and Mike onstage together in 2012, singing H&V.... who would've imagined...

It wouldn't make much sense though in this scenario, because pitch correction can easily be applied in post-production. That's what it's designed for, after all, and that's why live pitch correction doesn't work very well.

I know, but I thought it might be some kind of new software/technology that is applied live which makes it easier in post-production to tinker with the vocals. Something that would turn out better sounding than pitch correction that is only done in post-production (see Mike's vocals @ Knebworth '80).

Plus if need be Brian could always come back and dub new vocals over anything that needed improving.  I think Fogerty does that a lot on all of his live DVD releases...

Yeah, considering they can just push a button if Brian needs it, I'm not seeing why they need to have it on.

That doesn't really make any sense.  You can do whatever you want with a raw, uneffected vocal track after the fact; you have the full range of processing options available.  But if your captured vocal is already imprinted with effects, you are limited in your choices. Besides which even if there was some reason to apply live effects primarily for recording purposes, it wouldn't follow that they must then also be sent out to the live audience in the venue.  An effect that you can manually calibrate after the fact, and throw as much processing time and power as needed, there's no way it won't be superior to an automated effect having to sweat to do everything in real time.

The only, incredibly obscure reason I could think for doing this for a recording is if they intended to blend close-up or direct feeds with ambient, open-mic'd venue sound and had to make sure the audio matched.  But that's just crazy talk.

Superb.  Kudos are in order if folks on the inside are reading and reacting to this board.  Given the band's history and fractious personalities, I've been really impressed with how they've pulled this whole thing off.  The set list is a fan's wet dream.

If you listen closely from 02:06 - 02:19 in the above video you can clearly hear Brian is autotuned.

I think the autotune must've been a security blanket - if Brian starts talk singing, that'll cover it up a bit. But with Brian seemingly giving it his best, then let it be naked.

 ;D ;D ;D

:lol

I must say I'm slightly pissed that the show in my town had to be so early in the tour. I pretty much got robo-Brian in full force. I would've much rather heard Brian's natural voice. At least I know there won't be any articles badgering their auto-tune use since it was taken off before the end of the first half of the tour, good for Brian!

Brian seemed not as into it at the beginning of the tour. Stebbins said Brian did have an off-day at the Jazz Fest. So maybe autotune was used because Brian was in a bad mood. When that changed so did the use of auotune. At least that's my impression reading the board and seeing youtube clips

I think it's pretty obvious just from watching Fallon to last night that the guys have improved a lot over the course of this tour. Makes sense that they could start ditching the autotune more and more.

I'm a denier. I heard the wobbling and funny note-shifting on the videos, of course. But did not hear any of that live. Nor has any other concert goer, apparently. No one who attended has reported to have heard, in the venue, the shameful effect of Brian's voice in the beggining of DYWD in Florida, for instance. And every strong supporter of the AT theory, after attending a concert, said the effect was gone or subdued. I guess we'll have to believe Stebbins and AGD's sources then.

Certainly not that person who posted upthread?  ::)

If you are talking about the Hollywood show, it was extremely obvious (at least where I was sitting, 23rd row on right side of the floor). DYWD was probably the worst one, along with H&O and You're So Good to Me. It was slightly heartbreaking on the really jumpy moments, but it seemed to be something that no one noticed if they weren't listening for it. That said, I was just happy to see Brian up there with the guys no matter how he sounded, but I am a little irritated at whoever had the idea to saturate his voice with it so badly on those first 10 or 11 shows. I'm glad it's off now (if slightly jealous!) and happy that Brian's more confident on the recent reunion shows. He sounded wonderful on the QVC performance last night, and not a hint of autotune to be heard.

You must mean me.  It's not gone, it's actually finally there!  Their ears are completely backwards.  The original shows had no autotune, while the present shows clearly do.  You don't hear it?  Listen to the lead on "Heroes and Villians".  So clearly autotuned it's not really disputable.