Rhianna v Fest 2011
Discussion
Bit more info on this from a buddy in the music industry.....(producer, writer, etc).
At V, all the singing is live. They also ban Live Time Auto Tune - a bit of software that corrects tonal irregularities. In fact, it does a lot more than that but that's the jist of it (Take That use auto tune on all their live shows).
Very, very few singers have the vocal control to replicate what's done in a studio on a stage. Normally, a good, tight band can compensate for this during a gig and sometimes come up with a different and better rendition of the song.
The problem with a lot of the poppy type acts like Rhianna is that they don't really have a band as such. It's all loops and synthetic replications and even where there are musicians on stage, they are often session guys so lack the sort of sixth sense coherence you get from a proper 'band' that have grown and evolved together over many years.
So whilst the singing may be live, its generally to a backing track containing harmonies crafted to hide any imperfections.
As for people being ripped off! I disagree.
My daughter (aged 16) went - spent the whole weekend there with about 40 mates. She had a whale of a time and loved every minute of it. Got to see acts she likes, discovered new acts she'd never heard of, probably got drunk but had just "the best time ever". She, like all her friends and the many others there, I don't think would have minded if they had mimed. It was and event - a weekend - something to be experienced.
At V, all the singing is live. They also ban Live Time Auto Tune - a bit of software that corrects tonal irregularities. In fact, it does a lot more than that but that's the jist of it (Take That use auto tune on all their live shows).
Very, very few singers have the vocal control to replicate what's done in a studio on a stage. Normally, a good, tight band can compensate for this during a gig and sometimes come up with a different and better rendition of the song.
The problem with a lot of the poppy type acts like Rhianna is that they don't really have a band as such. It's all loops and synthetic replications and even where there are musicians on stage, they are often session guys so lack the sort of sixth sense coherence you get from a proper 'band' that have grown and evolved together over many years.
So whilst the singing may be live, its generally to a backing track containing harmonies crafted to hide any imperfections.
As for people being ripped off! I disagree.
My daughter (aged 16) went - spent the whole weekend there with about 40 mates. She had a whale of a time and loved every minute of it. Got to see acts she likes, discovered new acts she'd never heard of, probably got drunk but had just "the best time ever". She, like all her friends and the many others there, I don't think would have minded if they had mimed. It was and event - a weekend - something to be experienced.
I agree with Rod - 'pop' isn't about talent and is all about image, therefore they feel they can get away with this.
IMHO "live" music should be just that - warts and all. Otherwise how do you know which artists are genuinely good and which are just well-produced?!?
As for "unable to reproduce what was done in the studio" - well isn't that a problem with the original quality of the artist and the level of work the studio needed to do? Rock/indie/metal acts have had to manage for decades, and no-one has complained that "live doesn't sound as good as the album" - often the reverse, in fact!
...so I do feel the punters are getting ripped off. You pay to see an artist perform live, NOT to see them prance around on stage miming. Festivals, admittedly, are more about the overall atmosphere and experience than just the band, but that doesn't excuse lame performances supported by technology.
IMHO "live" music should be just that - warts and all. Otherwise how do you know which artists are genuinely good and which are just well-produced?!?
As for "unable to reproduce what was done in the studio" - well isn't that a problem with the original quality of the artist and the level of work the studio needed to do? Rock/indie/metal acts have had to manage for decades, and no-one has complained that "live doesn't sound as good as the album" - often the reverse, in fact!
...so I do feel the punters are getting ripped off. You pay to see an artist perform live, NOT to see them prance around on stage miming. Festivals, admittedly, are more about the overall atmosphere and experience than just the band, but that doesn't excuse lame performances supported by technology.
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