Today, I'm fighting both my computers....the MacBook Pro and the Mac Pro.  I also had a fight with my iPhone on Sunday.  I've never had so many problems with Apple products in my life, and I've been a staunch Applephile for over 20 years.  Was it the electrical storm on Sunday night?  Was it some weird electromagnetic charge that my body picked up somewhere along the way this past weekend and spewed on everything unknowingly?  Was it just my turn for EVERYTHING electronic that I own to take a shit?

Honestly, technology is both the joy AND bane of my existence.  I wouldn't be typing this, nor would I be able to compose, record and produce the music I produce without it.  I remember dreaming years and years ago, about the capabilities that modern technology would empower me with....someday.  Well, that day is here.  I can recklessly manipulate audio and music to whatever end I choose now, with unparalleled precision and without any audible trace or artifact of my monkeying with anything.  But, THIS IS THE PROBLEM.

I've read several articles recently, the common theme being that we're using technology and increasing our technological capabilities, simply because we CAN.  This is true with regard to everything from genetic manipulation to smartphones.  And, for the most part, the advances have been responsible for wonderful gains in medical science, computational speed and power, automotive safety, disease control, etc.  We HAVE gained from it.  BUT, are we going too far?

With that being said, I'm here to say that I'm NOT gonna get into any arguments with anybody about gene splicing or artificial intelligence or any such emotional and/or inflammatory subjects.  I'm not that stupid, kids.  I'm going to write about what I know best.  I'm talking about music.  Music, and the technology that most people are using to produce "music" from talentless, plastic, artificially produced "artists".

Have you listened to country music the past 8-10 years?  OK.  I'm not picking on country music...I have many friends in Nashville (including my cousin Matt) who create some great country music, and are actually incredibly talented at singing and playing their instruments.  But, not all Nashville products these days are honest ones.

This past Christmas, I happened to see a rare video (people still make videos??) of Rascal Flatts doing an a cappella (voices only, no instruments) version of "I'll Be Home For Christmas".  Set to a film montage of the band traveling on the road inbetween gigs, staying in hotels, etc., it was a great concept for a touching holiday music track/video.

But, just listen to the vocals (that's all there is on the track).  There's no nuance.  No imperfections of any kind in the timing, phrasing, pitch....it's been sterilized, purified and cleaned to a sheen that is impossible in the real world.  It sounds like a fucking machine.  And as a result, it SUCKS.  It's flat, it lacks any depth or character, and to perfectly blunt, it's DISHONEST.

I work with enough people (myself included) in the studio, who aren't perfect.  OK.  I'm not perfect, and to be honest, almost nobody is in this business.  The software (and now hardware) that's out there gives we producers/engineers the capability of fixing and manipulating nearly anything.  The whole "T-Pain effect"?  The whole "Cher effect"?  Remember Imogene Heap?  They're all extreme examples of this software and what it can do.  AND, it's pretty cool when used as an effect like that....and all three artists have extremely memorable tracks primarily because of this cool effect.  It's now, of course, overused....much like the gated, thundering drums Phil Collins used back in the 80's on "In The Air Tonight".  EVERYBODY loved that effect (so did I), but it ultimately got overused, as any good idea does.

But I digress.

My point is, it's an EFFECT when used like that.  Kinda like bright red lipstick on a hot runway model.  When it's used, in that way, it's cool.  HOWEVER, to take a singer who CAN'T sing (read: Taylor Swift and 85% of people singing on radio/TV/YouTube), and make them sound like they CAN sing, it's a LIE.  I will freely admit that I use this software on some of the people I work with....BUT, I use it judiciously (read: not much) to fix a few minor things here and there.  From a producer's standpoint, it saves time, money, and hassle; when (instead of beating your vocalist to death for the perfect take, which is about as likely to happen as a tsunami in Michigan) you can fix a few little things after they're gone from the studio, it's great!  BUT, to use it all over every vocal track on "artists" who can't sing??  It's just wrong.  WRONG.  It's a lie.  Like fake boobs.  Like margarine.  Like light cigarettes and light beer and light salad dressing.

That's why I pride myself on my performances....and why people like Taylor Swift get shitcanned by people who really KNOW who knows how to sing in this business.  The fallout from her Grammy performance 2 years ago was JUSTIFIED.  Whoever told that kid she could sing should have been shot.  She's young enough to believe at least some of her hype, unfortunately.  Nice kid, great songwriter, but she CAN'T SING!!!!

The Jessica Simpsons and Rascal Flatts of the music world use this stuff to effectively LIE to the public.  Used to be, this technology was software based only (on the computers that almost all of us now use to record/edit/produce music now), but in the last few years, they've come out with hardware versions that can be used through a PA system live.  SO, you can sound like you're a REAL singer ANYWHERE....not just in the studio.  Come to think of it, why didn't Taylor Swift use it 2 years ago on the Grammys?

As with so many things in this world, you have to really dive into something to find the REAL truth.  Music is the same.  Listen to the artificially perfect stuff on "Glee" (a great show, by the way).  Those actors aren't (for the most part) really good singers.....they're AutoTuned electronically on every track, so they sound perfect on every song.  Same thing with Rascal Flatts, Taylor Swift, and a shitload of other "artists".

Writing is one thing (Taylor Swift is a great pop songwriter).  Studio performances are another.
Really great live performance?  That's the one thing that will never go out of style....and will always be the ONE thing that separates the TRUTH from the LIE.  Check out the Foo Fighters anytime, on record (especially their last one, "Wasting Light") or in concert.  TRUE performances.  Willie Nelson too.  Elvis Costello too.  Bon Iver.  How about Gaga??  What an AMAZING performer, both on piano and vocally.  She's the REAL DEAL.  I personally don't like most of her music, but she not only has talent, she has WORKED at BEING GOOD all her life, and it shows.  She uses a lot of electronic wizardry on her studio recordings, but her voice doesn't need fixing, nor does her piano playing.  The toys used in the studio are for effect only, and to creative ends, not subterfuge.  This kind of dishonesty has been going on for years in many forms, but it's now completely rampant, because the cost of the technology is just a few hundred bucks now.  So much for progress....

So many great performers out there....and so many shitty ones masquerading as competent ones.

Bottom line:  performance is what music is really all about.
Don't let technology fool you into thinking that some people are really performing, and actually have talent.  Listen.  Listen closely.  You will be rewarded if you do.

And musicians out there?  Have the fucking balls to go without a net....try actually improving your skills and work on fixing your vocal and/or instrumental inadequacies by PRACTICING and actually WORKING at it, instead of using some little box to do it for you.  That's one of the reasons I don't use any backing tracks live.  I want people to hear what I can do WITHOUT any help from technology.  I'm not dissing people who do....I just like flying naked.  Makes me feel more honest about it, and always has.

The moral of the story?
Just because I HAVE the technology, doesn't mean I should use it just because I CAN.

Support live music.  REAL live music.
There's nothing more sublime or fantastic in the entire world than a really great live musical performance.  It's the closest thing I know of to pure magic.  It transcends language barriers, politics, economics, social inequality, and everything else shitty this world is and can be.

And, there's so little in the world that's good or real anymore....

PCK