Off stage singers?

Bob-Dubery

From an interview I just read

I can see how you might use autotune on a record where you just want to sweeten things up a bit, there’s a bass note a bit out of tune, there’s a harmony note a bit out of tune … I think maybe that’s ok, maybe if you didn’t use it it would be better, I don’t know, because some of the records that we like, that we grew up listening to, things are out of tune … things are out of tune, things are out of time, but they’re classic records … and if you sweeten them up too much, if you pull the tuning in too much it’s going to lose something … there’s a certain edge that’s going to be missing … using autotune live I think is very controversial, as far as i’m concerned I don’t like the fact that there are people having their vocals tuned in concert, it feels like it’s kind of cheating, it’s a misrepresentation to the audience, you’re saying that you’re a better singer than you really are … there are also performers who have other singers offstage who are basically singing their parts, if not for them then certainly along with them … so it’s like a double track. Because stage shows are very energetic these days, people are dancing around, it’s almost as if there’s more focus on the show than there is on the musical aspect … it’s the lights, it’s the production it’s the dancing and it’s the singing … and the singing is a component but it’s not the main factor, maybe … so they’re tuning vocals, using other singers, all that kind of stuff

Now this amazes me - or does it? Performing artists, supposedly able to sing, with extra singers, duplicating their lines, off-stage?

Yes... I know they have a lot of dancing and stuff to do, but even so...

Any ideas? OK.... the obvious one is Milli Vanilli, but does this practice still go on? (the interview is very recent, not dragged out of some archive)

flatfourfan

X-rated Bob wrote
Any ideas? OK.... the obvious one is Milli Vanilli, but does this practice still go on? (the interview is very recent, not dragged out of some archive)

I remember a while ago that some female singer was bust on national TV (US)........I think she walked out while she was apparently (according to the speakers) was still singing...........some issue with sound.

There was also a rumour back in 2006 for the winter games. Luciano Pavarotti faking it as he couldn't sing on the opening night of the games. Was a huge touchy point...........I avoided the topic the whole time I was there as guys were a tad too passionate on the topic........

Bob-Dubery

flatfourfan wrote There was also a rumour back in 2006 for the winter games. Luciano Pavarotti faking it as he couldn't sing on the opening night of the games. Was a huge touchy point...........I avoided the topic the whole time I was there as guys were a tad too passionate on the topic........

I think miming goes on quite a lot for televised pageant-type events run to a tight schedule.

There was a performance at Barack Obama's inauguration by a quartet that included Yoyo Ma and Itzhak Perlman. They recorded the piece ahead of time and mimed during the actual inauguration. Two reasons were given
1) Presidents get sworn in in Washington DC in January - so it was likely to be very cold on the day and possible that fingers wouldn't be working too well
2) To keep things running to schedule for the TV stations.

I doubt Shakira was live at the Soccer World Cup opening, and the little girl who sang at the opening of the Beijing Olympics was miming.

Bob-Dubery

X-rated Bob wrote I think miming goes on quite a lot for televised pageant-type events run to a tight schedule.

There was a performance at Barack Obama's inauguration by a quartet that included Yoyo Ma and Itzhak Perlman. They recorded the piece ahead of time and mimed during the actual inauguration. Two reasons were given
1) Presidents get sworn in in Washington DC in January - so it was likely to be very cold on the day and possible that fingers wouldn't be working too well
2) To keep things running to schedule for the TV stations.

I doubt Shakira was live at the Soccer World Cup opening, and the little girl who sang at the opening of the Beijing Olympics was miming.

Hmmmm..... I see that Christina Aguilera fluffed her lines when singing the national anthem at the Superbowl. So we know she wasn't miming.

flatfourfan

I agree.............pre recorded stuff tends to go that route.

Here's the one that I was talking about................Ashlee Simpson on SNL........douchebagsayswhat! The song actually starts without her.........lol.

singemonkey

Ok. You guys are mates right?

I've got this little guy called Hemanth - from Bombay. Voice like a hurricane. Face like a troll on whiskey. About 4'6". Well, he's doing all my singing. He just watches my lips (mic's off of course) and let's rip backstage.

Don't tell anyone.