Is pitch correction necessary?

[Akos Janca]

The 5 most important parameters of any sound/music is: 1. pitch, 2. timing, 3. dynamics, 4. timbre, 5. space. I think this is also the order of importance for people.

All of them can be created or modified artificially. Interesting that we can not only tolerate but even enjoy if we change the last three (using compressors, filters, reverbs). It’s usual and everybody likes it.

But the most important ones, the first two parameters are different from this point of view. We don’t want them to be artificially changed – or more precisely: we don’t want to know about it – because then we consider the result to be unnatural/fake.

This is true for all live players but we are particularly sensitive to human voice. Artificial voice (including auto-tune, vocoder, talk-box, computer-generated singing) is a part of certain genres where it is clear for the audience because everybody can see this or it is easily audible.

So, I think the problem is, when a live performer is using these corrections on stage inconspicuously and without informing the audience about it, pretending he/she can sing or play so good without anything. This is a lie, worse than playback.

(It's like paying for a concert ticket with fake money. )

[Bertotti]

Good analogy it for me it is more like buying a concert ticket and going inside and seeing they are just going to play records.

[jeremykeys]

Ithought people did and called those things Raves!

[Akos Janca]

Good analogy it for me it is more like buying a concert ticket and going inside and seeing they are just going to play records.

Yes, but I wanted to say that the audience could also deceive the performers, for example by paying with not real money. They wouldn't like it either.

[Bertotti]

Went right over my head but I gotcha now!

[bloomes]

what to say? if it sounds good, its good. if you know that the vocal is out of tune, pitch it.

[jeremykeys]

what to say? if it sounds good, its good. if you know that the vocal is out of tune, pitch it.

Myself, I'd say re record it but that's just me. If the singer can't get it in tune, get another singer and gently suggest that the singer take singing lessons.

[SanderXpander]

I would certainly not suggest someone like Alicia Keys take singing lessons, yet she often pitches a bit low. In the hit song "No One" it's clearly audible. They left it because she prefers it to sound natural I guess. Personally I'd have nudged it just a little.

I do enjoy a natural performance but sometimes it's simply quicker to judge nudge the off note if the complete take has the right feel. Rerecording often doesn't nail the same feel and especially if you're punching in it's tricky to match the previous performance. I try to let each tool do what it does best.