7 Modern Arranging Techniques

[@eric33190]

if u aren't pissing people off with your music choices then whats even the point

[@henryrichard7619]

ericoliphant if you aren’t offending people, someone’s going to be offended about it

[@greenatom]

The only point of music is pleasure and/or communication. Pissing people off is a lousy goal.

[@crnkmnky]

@@greenatom some people derive pleasure from exploring new sonic territory. if their communication offends _no one,_ it probably wasn't anything novel.

[@illwittd]

greenatom then how did 69 get so famous so fast?

[@BlockDefender]

​@@crnkmnky Okay but being too "exploratory" is a novelty.

[@tapashalister2250]

I feel like 'T H I C C Arranging Techniques (for modern large ensemble)' is going to be the name of a music textbook in 30 years when the millenials start flooding achedimia

[@innumerable_meanings]

ok boomer

[@ryuukatamura]

*zoomers

[@donjuan3296]

Aren't millinials getting out of academia by now?

[@lcali7496]

And the kids will say "ok millennial" because the memes of our generation are old-ass dad jokes to them.

[@martinmaguire-music6692]

The generation *after* the millennial is currently in academia. Adam Neely is a millennial. It's ok though, the name is a bit confusing because it sounds like it means people *born* around 2000 but it means people who were born between 80 and 95.. ish... But even then, people born around 2000 are in academia. Fuck I'm gettin' old...

[@okolekahuna3862]

Nice arrangement. Your ending gave me goose bumps.

[@meinfs]

You’re awesome, Adam. I’m a music newbie and I just subscribed.

[@dannycastromusic_]

brilliant as always

[@Tomsdrawings]

You are a master.

[@hiromaster666]

The only thing that bugged me about the autotune is the part around 0:30 where kate go "with you ou-ou-ou", one of the "ou" has been corrected to a weird note that sound offkey even thought i'm perfectly sure it was sung on key in the dry vocals. Anyway the use of the Autotune on the chorus is absolutelly gorgeous. Keep it up

[@ArmandKarlsen]

6:35 Extended mix required XD

[@tand3575]

Definitely

[@tand3575]

Needs a bass breakdown too

[@TheElectra5000]

8:36 The problem with auto-tune is that many people use it to mask their inability to sing. So, it doesn't matter if the singer is good, hearing that effect will automatically predispose the listener.

[@jamesm4970]

On autotune, because what else would one comment on: I think part of what needs to be evaluated with it in your arrangement is the degree of effect. The autotune comes full-force in the first chorus, without prior use, and its later uses are significantly milder and more subtle. In short, it comes out of nowhere and lacks context. On autotune in general, I'm personally not a huge fan because I don't find pitch correction musically interesting. It's not to say it can't have its place, but that, for me, a general over-reliance on it makes things sound too samey. But it's one tool in a suite of things that are towards the same end: the way things are compressed, the way they're edited and assembled - the tools combined smooth imperfections into a sheen that, to me, makes the music less interesting. Autotune is simply the most obvious to point out, particularly to those without the technical background behind production. Those same tools can make something wonderful, but I think they need to be used with care to keep from moving beyond servicing the song to immediate (exhausting) impact at all costs.

[@coder0xff]

I liked the way you used auto tune. My girlfriend tried to take the headphones off when it got to that part (I made her listen to the rest, and she liked the rest of the song, btw.) My guess, observing how immediate and visceral the reaction is, is that it's an uncanny valley effect for voices (like CGI faces can make people uncomfortable). It's close enough to a human voice that the brain recognizes it as one, but the formant shift and rapid pitch change feels unnatural or alien. The brain says something is wrong, and perhaps even danger is present.

[@ThomAvella]

People hating on auto-tune in 2020 need to get a hobby

[@TheParadox1010]

Thom Avella auto-tone is basically an instrument at this point.

[@legalize.brokkoli]

People still declaring everything they don't agree with as hate in 2020 need to get a hobby.

[@ThomAvella]

@@legalize.brokkoli I didn't know it was possible to "disagree" with a digital effect.

[@legalize.brokkoli]

@@ThomAvella Your confusion might be caused by cognitive disabilties. Who knows.

[@ThomAvella]

@@legalize.brokkoli You must be fun at parties.

[@meowtherainbowx4163]

Part of what I dislike about autotune in a lot of music is that it is used in genres where everything should sound fairly raw. For instance, there are modern rock and heavy metal records that use it too much. If you listen to most songs off of Hoobastank’s _The Reason_, they’re surprisingly riff-heavy considering that the title track is a soft ballad, but they have just as much autotune, even with the somewhat gritty guitar and drum sounds. This is the sort of music where everything should sound played live, at least to an extent, because that’s part of the fun of listening. As for ballads like the title track, autotune can make the singing sound less expressive. I want to hear a passionate singer croon and wail, and the little imperfections are part of the expression. Getting rid of them makes vocalists sound more cliché and dime-a-dozen, even singers like Ariana Grande who have terrific voices. Furthermore, I don’t understand what aesthetic purpose autotune is supposed to serve outside of making things sound robotic. It can work with electronic music and music with lots of electronic elements for this reason. I’ll even accept it in electronicore or modern metalcore/deathcore if it’s done well. Even when it’s inappropriate, it’s just one of dozens or hundreds of equally significant elements in a song, so I can’t refuse every song that uses it. Still, a lot of the time, I don’t understand what purpose it serves other than to make songs easier and cheaper to produce at the expense of part of a song’s appeal.

[@HyaenaHierarchy]

Fucking fantastic.

[@velvetratm]

Cool

[@davidrobinson6501]

Now I'm wondering what effects for other instruments could be gotten with autotune.

[@Am6-9]

I think people hate the auto tune robot voice because it’s a novelty effect, it’s interesting when you first hear it, but it gets old fast and it has been overused , so using it twenty years after it’s “invention” it just looks like bad imitation. Like if you keep on doing “the Macarena “ in your dance videos. The reason why other ubiquitous sounds like the 808 or the gated snare in the eighties don’t get that reaction is simply that they’re not a vocal. As humans we have a special relationship to the sound of the human voice.

[@NateTheKang]

When you think Adam's normal then he reminds you he's just like you 6:34

[@AnnaKhomichkoPianist]

Nate Kang I liked that moment haha 😂

[@InXLsisDeo]

@The Stammering Dunce What do you mean by "acquainted" ?

[@InXLsisDeo]

@The Stammering Dunce ah, i didn't know she studied music, i remember her saying she started a PhD in philosophy. Interesting that they both went on being successful youtubers.

[@BryanWLepore]

Is there a link to that PATREON! metal video?

[@twirlincurtis]

"Autotune is bad" I say, playing a fretted instrument

[@MouldySoul]

This comment made me giggle! Well done!

[@DraconianEmpath]

wait. you don't autotune your fretted instrument??

[@nochthitus9397]

True temperament frets, yo...

[@noahmay7708]

You have revealed me. a piano player, for a fraud

[@AishawithanEye]

The autotune here is bad because is just sounds bad. It's a bad choice. However, I also don't like how your singer is singing like she's trapped in a squeaky cage, so maybe that's why you added it. Even still, her squeaky singing is better than how you applied autotune to it. Bleh!

[@TheRyanator36910]

1. Sidechain Emulation 0:19 2. Unusual Modal Mixture 2:10 3. This Chord 3:53 4. String Quartet 5:18 5. 808's 6:38 6. Autotune 7:35 7. 12/8 syncopation 9:14

[@jiyukim]

🙃

[@rangamsarmah2061]

Autotune is like CGI; you love it only when it's totally intentionally noticable or absolutely perfectly disguised and realistic.

[@beni6445]

I think the complete opposite. Autotune for me is best as a vocal effect, not as a pitch correction device, when it is really noticeable and the whole vocal just floats away and as robotic as possible.

[@noahmay7708]

@@calebmccardell7030 This.

[@AlbornozVEVO]

So, a sort of "vocal valley of the uncanny" is to be avoided.

[@ochaze1]

Best analogy I think Ive ever read lol

[@spicecrop]

Autotune sucks no matter how it's used.

[@MrMapacheco]

Watch Adam Neely slowly progress towards becoming djent Jacob Collier

[@AlexK-jp9nc]

It's like a slow decent into madness but with jazzy chord progressions

[@alvarengaaustin]

Djentcob Neellier

[@fudgesauce]

@@alvarengaaustin -- you pulled a muscle on that one

[@haha-ju3pj]

already happened with exigence to some extent. not quite as many crunchy chords but some

[@MrMapacheco]

@@haha-ju3pj not enough half sharps yet

[@Mohamed-qu7ju]

I like how Adam treats contemporary music trends/traditions(808's, autotune, sidechaining) with respect and uses them as inspiration instead of writing them off as junk like a lot of musicians do. I wish everyone in the industry had your openness and respect for music. May the Jazz Gods bless you (P.S.Could you do a video covering rhythmic patterns/claves in South African music, specifically in Gqom I think you would find it interesting and I would appreciate an outside opinion on our music since most people outside of Africa don't listen to it.)

[@TheRealMutttastic]

Hey, I've heard of gqom recently, but know virtually nothing about it other than the name. Do you have any recommendations for where to start with the genre?

[@Mohamed-qu7ju]

@@TheRealMutttastic Try listening to dj maphorisa or distruction boyz

[@MrFlippicat]

Rick Beato: Everything sounded much better way back when people actually had to play their instruments Adam Neely: *yeets his arrangements into Ableton*

[@JimijaymesProductions]

@@MrFlippicat Rick beato: feel, rythmn, emotion on performance Adam Neely: harmonisation, arrangement, production techniques Of course both cover each other's areas but I think Adam can look at modern songs as they have lots of interesting arrangement and songwriting techniques but often performance wise relies on production over emotive performance.

[@djsjdh-hoahdi]

Oliver Wattles Rick beato also thinks his fancy gold cables make a perceptible difference. He is smart and skilled but also clearly a pompous dismissive hairy nipple sometimes. Just in case anyone wants analysis on the cables thing: www.google.com/amp/s/www.soundguys.com/cable-myths-reviving-the-coathanger-test-23553/amp/

[@dotmavriq]

One of very few KZbin creators that absolutely never ever let down. Loved the song, loved this video. This KZbinr slaps Thank you Neely.

[@sunspotj]

Commenters: AUTOTUNE HAET LEEV BAI Adam: So my music made you... feel something? Interesting....

[@shmoequey2038]

The sidechain effect with the sax goes so well it’s so cool seeing that outside computer produced music with no pedals or anything just technique

[@Semitotal]

"Generational timbres" is a really interesting concept. I dig it.

[@crnkmnky]

I haven't heard the full arrangement yet, but I think the deepest vocal layer could've been left off. Perhaps it was _meant_ to sound monstrous… indeed a "generational timbre." That said, blanket hatred of autotune is like blind hatred of compression or overdrive on a guitar.

[@sale9667]

crnkmnky imo overdrive and compression arent effects you are able to whack on to mask up lack of technical ability

[@crnkmnky]

@@sale9667 I would disagree. How about delay/reverb and chorus effects?

[@InXLsisDeo]

@@crnkmnky I don't think autotne adds anything over a good olde vocoder A vocoder sounds better, but it requires playing a keyboard at the same time.

[@InXLsisDeo]

@@sale9667 here autotune is used as an artistic effect, not to correct voice pitch.

[@malcelinho]

I like my arrangements like I like my partners...

[@chase4557]

...non-existent?

[@danielnodland4072]

...under 18?

[@pokemonpasta]

hol up

[@malcelinho]

@@chase4557 LMAO I did not think that would be a possible response

[@abelton20]

With 12/8 syncopation

[@turtlezinthesky]

2:18 Spicy dies irae With a picardy third, the madman

[@luizalves8071]

What is a dies irae?

[@turtlezinthesky]

@@luizalves8071 old gregorian chant that's been referenced so frequently in classical and film composition to represent death, that it's essentially become the death motif.

[@tomahawkkid2444]

I'm waiting for Sideways to show up now.

[@shammerHammer]

​@@turtlezinthesky Thats true, but just to add: It pretty much always was the "death motif". Basically it is part of any requiem, so a mess for the dead. Ir basically tells of the day of judgment. What we are talking about here is the tiny little melody you hear in the organ at that time stamp. Thats just the melody of it.

[@jgrocketpup]

The D E T H L I C C

[@IOxyrinchus]

Adam, He’s *S I C C* He plays Bass without a *P I C C* But most importantly, he can play the *L I C C*

[@kubaj8397]

But he also arrange *T H I C C*

[@SLDDPiano]

I like to think that a hundred years from now, when people teach jazz, they will teach about the importance of a certain lick that changed the world. The lick that helped to bridge the meme community with the jazz community thus making jazz popular and cool in the internet age. All thanks to some seven notes....

[@ethanthiele9284]

And above all it makes him E P I C C

[@saulo4302]

Puro roro roroow, ro-roow Sorry.

[@jukesjointOG]

And all those things together definitely do the TRICC??

[@bergh070]

Guitarists use insane pedals to completely alter the sound: everybody happy Vocalists use autotune: Oh mY gOD whAt is THIs CrAp

[@SatchmoBronson]

Yeah, great comparison! There are guitarists out there who are using a dozen or more pedals and people aren't up in arms about that.

[@only4crap]

probably because: 1 - they don't all sound exactly the same (no new use of autotune has been created in a long time) 2 - the guitar is not so upfront in modern mixes, so it doesn't get old that fast in the song I have nothing against autotune per se (love me some Daft Punk), but it's been overused for almost 20 years now, and usually in the exact same way

[@user-no7oj8ud8b]

@@only4crap Cher, Daft Punk, Britney, T Pain, Bon Iver, Frank Ocean, etc etc. Lots of unique uses over the last 20 years

[@nuberiffic]

Because guitar pedals add to the sound. Autotune subtracts from it. And yeah, do something cool with autotune to completely alter the sound; that's cool. But that's not what's happening here. But the actual sound of autotune is just painful to hear for a lot of people.

[@eliasstukos170]

That's (in my opinion) because the majority of people relate to the vocals when they listen to a song and don't really care much for anything else. Autotune to me is the equivalent of chorus pedals on guitars. They were impressive back then but nowadays they sound dated and boring.

[@noreaction1]

4:06 “cruchy”

[@joeycummings8423]

Need cruchy merch now

[@krstfrye]

@@mal2ksc cruchy

[@loganfinn2728]

@@mal2ksc cruchy

[@SuffyANX]

@@mal2ksc cruchy

[@kylepotter5357]

@@mal2ksc cruchy

[@yuvalne]

That dies irae in "death of melody"... I see what you did there.

[@michanowak7060]

it literally killed me

[@fcleffox]

It was dies irae and the lick.... GENIUS!

[@grofinet]

In the end everybody dies irae.

[@zxp3ct3r41]

Stupid nerds

[@MooImABunny]

Oh shit I didn't notice that. Brilliant.

[@drewajv]

Re: rhythmic solfege When I learned 6/8, the teacher counted it "one lolly, two lolly". So, the "lol"?

[@whatskraken3886]

FINALLY! Someone else who learned it the same way I did It's 1-la-le 2-la-le etc, ofc

[@brettsuydam]

On the autotune hate: Attempting to please everyone pleases no one.

[@martinmaguire-music6692]

"Baby can't you see ... you're my fantasy ... " - The Most Wanted Song

[@GrayMM]

7:44 IMHO with a degree in linguistics, the reaction may be less to autotune than that formants were shifted around. People are more familiar with blaming autotune, but formants are so key to perception of speech that people are very sensitive to any weirdness there. F2 correlates to "frontness" and F1 correlates, weirdly, to "lowness". If you drop F1 the vowel sounds higher (dress -> driss) , and if you drop F2 the vowel sounds farther back (dress -> dross). When you drop both, words sound both high (closed mouth) and backed (low tongue). Those usually don't happen together. The weirdness of comes from F1 being *inversely* related with vowel height.

[@Mouscat5]

This really helps me understand why the dropped formants give such an "unnatural" sound. At least for me, it's hard to even make a vowel sound with the mouth shape you described. Neato!

[@36inc]

Neat theory but the fact is autotune is hated blindly because people imagine music to require abundant skill and they veiw this one technology as cheating that skill. Its bunk of course that alien monster sound is fantastic

[@el7284]

@@36inc or probably that some of us genuinely find it discomfiting. Not everyone likes to jump on a bandwagon, hunny

[@36inc]

@@el7284 you will need more than a refusal to accept it for me to believe what youre saying- itd be far too convenient. Oh no Im not a music snob it just is the one item in the entire effects library that sucks. bullshit.

[@36inc]

@@frdyfzbar Its different if you bother to discriminate and like it in other songs where its used well. but I will never buy that one effect especially a versatile one like pitch correction is universally bad no matter how its used. but lets be real most people who say they hate autotune are just blaming it fo ruining music. and you know why I think that is valid too.

[@Kapin05]

Adam: *uses autotune and other vocal effects carefully to create a more interesting vocal timbre* Comments section: Wait, that's illegal

[@groovemoustache]

A classic example of people being sheeple. None of them care about the actual sound, it's just about repeating something to be part of a specific social circle - musical elitists.

[@Beegpapijimbo]

It really seems like generally people don't have a good understanding of auto tune. T-Pain is the best example for me, he has an amazing soulful voice but chose to use auto tune for the effect. You still have to be a competent singer to begin with for autotune to not sound like trash afterwards

[@aislingoda6026]

@@groovemoustache To some extent I think that part of it is an immediate jump to decry something you believe is wrong. People do it with spelling a lot too. I've noticed a few times when I write something like 'I'm gunna go', 'I need to practise', or 'I'm going to enrol in...', people are quick to jump to *enroll or *practice me, clearly without even looking up to check if there is another way. It's people with a mindset that there's a right way and a wrong way, and by offering their correction or dismissal of the other way, they feel superior in some way.

[@paavoilves5416]

@@Beegpapijimbo Well, I don't consider myself a competent singer BUT I do agree that you must be at least an ok singer as autotune tunes to the nearest note in the scale. It is amazing how people still have this grudge against autotune as an effect.

[@arcaneminded]

I just don't like being raped in the ear. Apparently that makes me sheeple, says the guy parroting what the youtube influencer says.

[@Sk0lzky]

Is that guy in 5:45 actually Italian or has "legato" influenced the rest of the sentence in this way? :D

[@justincarrasco3680]

best comment

[@ermannoantonucci8690]

He sounds so italian

[@stefmethaudsw]

Sk0lzkiy in classical music we still use the italian words, like legato, staccato, and so on

[@Sk0lzky]

I know, I've classical education. I mean that he had a pretty Italian accent throughout the whole sentence, not just when saying the word (most people don't even pronounce legato like that)

[@DarkSideofSynth]

My thoughts exactly! And I'm Italian ;) Great mind think alike.

[@markknoop777]

This is one of the most interesting videos I've watched on recording techniques and music theory. Really appreciate the insight.

[@lavaande]

okay wow! about the sidechain: I thought like "okay adam edited the recording .... thats new?!" but the sheet music requiring it amazes me heavyly :D

[@MichaelPuterbaugh]

Maybe most softsynths don't support polyphonic aftertouch but most live wind players do!

[@daxterquiny]

+

[@drumsforever101]

I've watched enough Sideways to finally be able to pick up the Dies Irae at 2:19

[@luizalves8071]

What is a dies irae? I'm seeing people talk about this in this comment section but I'm completely lost in its meaning

[@v0Xx60]

@@luizalves8071 it's a sequence that's been used for a looooong time to denote "death". It's exceedingly common in film.

[@noviatoria2436]

b3-2-b3-1

[@Aut0mati0n]

Hey question, when you record these arrangements, which section of the orchestra do you start with, and what are people listening to when they're recording for their parts?

[@cian.horgan]

Oooh yeah also curious about this cheers

[@Jkdrs]

Yess, interested!

[@votch2798]

music production student here! generally, when dealing with large ensembles, the best place to start is with drums. the point of a drumkit has always been to keep the rhythm for the rest of the musicians, and this usually stays the same when recording music. (also, drummers are usually used to playing to a click anyway) another way to record is to have a demo track ready and mute out things that are being recorded (i personally use this method to first record a drumkit and then the rest). that being said, you can start with practically any instrument and simply let them play to a click track, but from my experience, some people have difficulties keeping rhythm this way, resulting in a provisional midi drumkit anyway.

[@SatchmoBronson]

If it's anything like most multitrack recordings, he started with drums. On his "Hello" reharmonization they recorded drums and I think keys in one room, horns and strings in the other, and played live to get that nice "live" feeling but still have *some* separation allowing easier editing. On a recording THIS massive I assume he started with drums and built it out from there. I'm an amateur musician and recorded an album last year. We started with drums but I played along with the guitarist playing through DI (direct input) to get a somewhat more organic feeling. The guitar was re-recorded later, though.

[@DavidDiMuzio]

Thanks for sharing 🤘

[@mordentDA]

Re/ Autotune - -- hmmph. There's a sort of "Uncanny Valley" effect that hits me with certain treatments, but not others... it's strange. It's almost as if I hear the tweaks TOO CLOSE to actual Singing it bothers me, whereas when it turns the voice into ... something else entirely, it just becomes another instrument in the arrangement. Also, if the treated vocal LOOPS, the trouble ( for MY ear ) goes away... dunno. But thanks for this vid in particular, Adam!

[@crumblingronald3012]

It's kind of an acquired taste. I'm an electronic producer, so weird timbre is something I love a lot. But I can totally see how it might not be for everyone. You're respectful about it, too, and open to it. There are a lot of really cool artists that really play with vocal manipulation, musicians from Daft Punk to 100 Gecs and Fraxiom.

[@mitchhamburger6024]

The uncanny valley analogy is the best description I've heard. Perfectly encapsulates my experience listening to auto-tune

[@kkyehh]

can't wait for "autotune NOPE close tab :)" to become the new "make sure the synths and vocals are in the same key"

[@pixelator9002]

This isn't important but I got the 69th like on this comment

[@awabqureshi814]

I loved it thanks Adam I love how this was a collaboration of all the side characters on this channel

[@onetouchtwo]

Awab Qureshi Agreed. Adam’s circle of collaborators is actually one of my favorite things about this channel.

[@SatchmoBronson]

Oh, you mean the Adam Neely Cinematic Universe?

[@LemakiMusik]

7:52 I can only speak for myself, but I actually hate the sound of this talk box even more than autotune. Same thing with Daft Punk's Around the World and the like. I know "hate" is a strong word, but I think it fits how visceral my reaction is to that "robot sound": it is actually really uncomfortable for me for some reason. Might be something to do with the uncanny valley, but with human voice, which is weird because I'm not much sensitive to that phenomenon with animation or robots. I'd like to know if I'm alone there.

[@DruiiChannel]

I hate it too. Sounds too artificial and just UGLY. I hate both flat-pitched autotuned vocals and the artificially fast changes of the pitch. Otherwise I would like the song. That alone destroys it completely for me. Still there could be -2oct with lower speed, total retard sound so popular in pop-made-by-singers-and-rappers-that-cant-sing. (Not because they can't sing, it's because it sounds ugly). Then I would unsubscribe and block from recommending ever again.

[@juno980]

@@DruiiChannel hey dude how about laying off the vitriol for shit some time

[@LemakiMusik]

@@DruiiChannel Yeah damn bro, chill!

[@citizensnips2348]

I can’t stand it. It sounds so kitch and cliche. Even when Adam played the string part on keys it sounded awful to me until the strings played it. I think it’s the harmonics but I’m not sure. My ears are really sensitive, not trying to act superior, I just hear things other people don’t.

[@citizensnips2348]

Obviously there’s a psychological element too though. Whatever you associate it with can drive your opinion I suppose.

[@celestialmonkey]

10:27 I love this kind of shit so much. Syncopated heavy guitar and horns

[@JorgeLTE]

Ever heard of "Thank you scientist"? I think that you may find that band interesting

[@celestialmonkey]

@@JorgeLTE Yup, big fan of them already. My favorite example is Calabi Yau by Tesseract

[@Stephenkortheuer]

For the record, when I heard that autotune, I was like, "damn, Adam, this tune slaps."

[@NZsaltz]

Same! I was feeling fine about the song up until that point, and then the autotune hit and I was blown away. I think that the 808 syncopation helped with that too.

[@benjaminmarks8765]

Davie504 would like to know your location

[@nuberiffic]

Really? I heard the autotune and turned the song off. I still can't get the whole way through this piece - it just sounds bad.

[@nuberiffic]

@@erisse3503 Why? What's that got to do with me thinking it sounds bad?

[@kevinsundelin8639]

So did I, I think it went in a cool direction and was an interesting style change.

[@pantoleonantonio9653]

i've learned to respect, learn and sometimes even enjoy genres outside of classical, BECAUSE of sir neely. thank you for being a good influencer

[@toyuyn]

I think many people think that autotune is a crutch, to help those who'd otherwise sing off-tune. While it can be used for that, I think those same people ignore that autotune can give genuinely interesting effects to vocals, changing the style and mood of the music.

[@reillywalker195]

It's also used just to save time. It's rare to get a perfect vocal in one take in the recording studio, but Autotune can reduce the number of takes needed to get something usable.

[@Kapin05]

I think hating autotune is one of those natural assumptions a lot of people learn as a kid and don't really think too much about. For a long time, I had an unreasonable distaste for it as well, before I actually thought about it and tried to consider the positives only to find that, like with all musical elements, it's an effect that takes a lot of care to get right and can be used effectively to make very interesting music. Nowadays I don't hate autotune, but I still dislike the way it's commonly used without attention, as it _can_ have a negative impact if you just slap on a preset without much thought. With careful intent, it can be amazing. Without, it can be shallow and uninteresting. That sums up most musical elements, really. In conclusion, most people simply don't _want_ to consider the depth and potential of autotune and dismiss it instinctively, possibly as a result of deep-seated biases and previous underwhelming experiences.

[@gcal8263]

the inclusion of autotune is really great in my opinion especially when it's used to create weird textural qualities like how kanye and tpain does it, similar to the arrangement

[@turkeypedal]

Thing is, to people who don't like it, they can't hear those qualities, same as people who don't like a particular food can't taste how you made it differently. If cilantro tastes like soap to you and overpowers the dish, it doesn't matter what else you put in it.

[@JT-hs6hc]

@@turkeypedal that doesn't make much sense as an analogy, does it? Do you rlly think ppl are chemically hardwired to like some sounds and dislike others?

[@StanislovasRiska]

Mr. Josh Bailey is a national treasure, putting his classical percussion skills to good use - DJAZZ

[@TheDigitalrunner]

I have watched the whole video and have thoroughly enjoyed it.

[@FlowersInHisHair]

I read your comment and clicked Like.

[@afrohop]

Objectively, this was explained extremely well with great concise detail. I personally love the song. I would go so far to say you can win people over through your mindfulness and intentional musical choices. There are many artists I like simply because they are executing their music at a high level. “If it’s good it’s good” *also I like it 🤘🏽

[@zanovran2569]

Bro, every time he says "vibe" the amount of "laid-back"edness and pure chill just amplifies to beyond what any etherial chamber choir or xenharmonic lo-fi hip hop tunes could give me. This is a man who passed his vibe check without needing to get his vibe checked. Keep up the vibes, my dude.

[@Mr.Nichan]

That just makes me wonder what if anything he's written for vibes.

[@Randinator]

10:27 Inferi made it into an Adam Neely video.

[@ark4b50]

I was so happy to see the shirt in the original video. Tyreek nails it too.

[@Legendary682]

I love how this channel has changed. keep doing you man

[@kais-music]

how do you mean?

[@Legendary682]

@@kais-music The concept of his channel hasn't changed however the style and formatting of the videos have changed and I find them more enjoyable to watch. (it hasn't happened in this video alone it has been going on for a while and only put this out there now)

[@sam-kk5do]

this guy could be the whole damn orchestra.

[@zanka53]

8:07 that yellow car is fine af tho

[@shaihulud4515]

To me, autotune is the uncanny valley of music.

[@FacePomagranate]

I think it mostly reaches that level when it's not intended to be used as an effect. Used in this way, it's just another over-used pop/electronic music cliche that, no surprise, music enthusiasts who distance themselves from those genres aren't particularly interested in.

[@Millie-um2bi]

@@FacePomagranate yeah I agree. If autotune is used (badly) as a corrective measure not meant to be noticed, it can instantly switch me off. If it's used as an effect, I'm all cool with it

[@aylbdrmadison1051]

@Peter : But if it's used even half decently to correct out of tune notes, you wouldn't know it was there. Almost all recordings use it these days by the way (so basically you don't like any modern music is what you're saying). Whereas the autotune vocal effect is blatantly obvious to even the most dense ears and has been over used like the biggest ho anyone has ever seen to this day.

[@Millie-um2bi]

@@aylbdrmadison1051 that's why I said "badly". Well done corrective autotune is fine. And yes, it's on almost every track these days. I've got no problem with that. It's the poorly done corrective autotune that really bothers me.

[@FacePomagranate]

​@@aylbdrmadison1051 I think if your vocal performance is so good you can't tell it's tuned, it's good enough that it doesn't need to be tuned in the first place. It's not the end of the world if a note is a bit flat.

[@kylechauvette9121]

Wouldn’t the rhythmic solfege for triplets be “1-trip-let 2-trip-let” since the first note is on the downbeat?

[@crono303]

Interesting how the triplet subdivisions don't seem to be nearly as standardized as duple divisions. I learned with "1 and uh 2 and uh," when I was growing up, but nowadays use the Indian Konnakol syllables "Ta-ki-te"

[@slowmo56]

Loving these videos. The reharmonized tracks are fantastic, and hearing the theory(Theory) behind it makes it so much more enjoyable.

[@calebjohnson4954]

4:03 CRUCHY!

[@mikesimpson3207]

The autotune didn't bother me at all. The shouted "heys" gave me an instant negative reaction though.

[@hugothomas776]

Mike Simpson why?

[@mikesimpson3207]

@@hugothomas776 Flashbacks of about a billion bad hip-hop beats from my teen years.

[@Rik-B]

Yep, those "gang vocal" type of things hardly ever work for me and also is one of my gripes with the original song.

[@josep43767]

9:00 I like this effect with autotune because it almost gives the impression that there is 2 different singers with very different voices collaborating

[@Officialhelpkenet]

The reason I think why I don't like autotune is the fact that the notes sound too stable and artificial. The robotic sound I'm not a huge fan of either, but I like bands like Kraftwerk who use that sound. I think autotune kind of removes some of the inherent qualities to the "art" of singing, kind of like if you were to put frets on a cello or something.

[@udonthavetoknowmyname]

how does one remove art from, well, art?

[@Officialhelpkenet]

@@udonthavetoknowmyname Well, I mean art more as skill rather than subjective art. Same as I'd find an oil painting more pleasing to the eye than a painting made i MS Paint. Both are still art, but the natural beauty of an oil painting is way more beautiful to me. The same goes for autotune. Of course it's still art, but I find the skill and natural beauty of a great singer to sound way better.

[@hansmahr8627]

Singing is also so raw and emotional (if it's done right), there's so much a singer can do to modify the sound, much more than with any other instrument. Autotune kind of destroys the variety and richness of the sound to achieve an effect that's ultimately rather bland.

[@69UM24OSU12]

Are you doing a whole album of pop covers in your style of Jazz fusion? I would be very happy if you did.

[@Carlomanden]

I don’t think I have to have a good reason to not like autotune. I don’t like it because I don’t like it.

[@leftaroundabout]

I do have a good reason to not like autotune (because it basically _takes away_ those elements of a performance that I'd consider _musical_ - leaving behind only technique). But that doesn't really apply to this particular performance, which is anyways to over-layered and -produced that there's not much space for individual expression; I too mostly don't like the auto-tune sound just because _it sounds subjectively bad._

[@jeffirwin7862]

Same. I can't always explain why I like some things and not others, and I think that's ok.

[@samuelthorn408]

That is a very good reason to not like autotune. It's an honest opinion that doesn't use rationalization or elitism to try and justify itself.

[@internetuser8922]

Auto-tune's TIMBRE is so grating to my ears, that's why I usually don't like it.

[@nuberiffic]

It's like nails on a blackboard to me. Actually causes me physical pain and discomfort sometimes

[@kassemir]

I'm not a big fan of it myself, but I wouldn't go as far as saying it causes me pain or anything, I just much prefer a talk box or a vocoder instead. But, I also recognize that it's just personal prefrence on my part. And, a small section of a song using it doesn't ruin it in any way.

[@keanodaley512]

Weird I'm attracted to that. Saw wave sound

[@nuberiffic]

@@keanodaley512 It's not a saw wave though

[@keanodaley512]

@@nuberiffic I get you. It just sounds electrifying. When you hear it in the radio, I get it must get frustrating. Some people actually push the autotune thing less pop-like. N it just sounds so beautiful..

[@craigsbro22]

Are we to expect an entire EP/album of these kind of songs?

[@fallen1102]

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE KEEP DOING THIS! THAT ARRANGEMENT IS AMAZINGLY EPIC! And I'm not just saying that because I've listened to it over 50 times...

[@michaelandrewnewell]

I cannot get over how sick your arrangements are, man. Brilliant.

[@BryanWLepore]

So THICC means “thick” but has a different spelling imposed to look hip, like LICC? And THICC means the sound is very dense?

[@criticallyconk4944]

No no you're getting it wrong

[@ZipplyZane]

THICC specifically refers to people who have some girth but are still quite attractive. Often it means they have a big butt and/or chest, though it can also be bit strong thighs and such. So I'd guess the LICC is just the sexually attractive version of The Lick.

[@BryanWLepore]

I see. Thank you.

[@SynthApprentice]

THICC refers to people with attractive curves.

[@alessandrorumbo490]

Sometimes it takes so little to get that VIBE (3:43), but without a solid background in music it's a shot in the dark. I love your videos for these little gifts

[@flamshiz]

10:27 give me all of these three tracks omg

[@justincarrasco3680]

flamshiz bro same

[@blenjamin]

3:00 You can hear this kind of alternating modal mixture really strongly in the chorus of Kendrick Lamar's These Walls, very tasty harmony

[@Afro21Ninja]

This 👍👍👍

[@duchi882]

Honestly That Music Video deserves more than a Million views

[@danielcudneywicab6653]

i think the answer to the autotune dilema is the uncanny valley. Peter Frampton dosen´t sound like a human at all so he gets away with that.

[@CommunistRainbowdash]

Idk, I was a bit ticked off when Adam said "the people who complain about autotune don't have a problem with talkboxes" but I never liked talkboxes and I can't even listen to I Monster, Cynic, or Daft Punk whose musicianship I appreciate.

[@TylersTrying]

I think the issue with autotune comes down to some people mistakenly categorizing it as a sort of fake corrective utility, rather than a timbral choice. There may also be the feeling that it's "easy," like "all you had to do was pop a stupid plugin on it", where a talk box somehow reads as difficult and "real." Personally, I think that anyone who gave Kanye West or Bon Iver's music a fair shake would be able to see the huge creative potential of such a tool.

[@36inc]

Anti autotune is boomer energy. All music is valid difficulty is not the point.

[@thebaconwheel]

People didnt like the autotune bc it sounded creepy dude.

[@nuberiffic]

lol no. I don't think anyone has ever thought that haha It just sounds so fake and lifeless.

[@thebaconwheel]

@@nuberiffic I did. It was D E E P V O I C E

[@gangofgreenhorns2672]

I got a synth from 2015 and it includes the 808 as a bass tone. So this has been happening at least long enough for Roland to pick up on it 5+ years ago and include it as a preset.

[@normaldefault2206]

the mouse you have is exactly the same as my mouse and i saw it in the background and for some reason my brain thought "how did my mouse get over there?" like i had accidentally placed it on the desk behind my monitor

[@danstaaar]

I really dig the eerie auto tune vibe in the chorus! ... just wanted to let that here - negative feelings are much quicker put into a comment than positive ones... ;)

[@GryptpypeThynne]

SO glad to the see the 2nd of the triplet being used more. It's hit a lot (as is the 2nd of 4, the 'e' 16th of the beat) in modern cuban, afro-cuban, and other african diaspora music, and to me it's one of the funkiest of subdivisions!

[@jerbear97]

now i've just understood the use of a sidechain outside EDM

[@flyingsquirrel3271]

8:23 My answer to the autotune question: It is a very drastic and distinct effect and as such enormously overused. That's why people hate it. I think you can't really compare it to an 808 Kick, since that's just a certain sound source/ instrument (which is also processed differently and is not necessarily the element people focus on while listening). A better analogy would be another kind of strong effect. Let's say a phaser. If everyone would put a strong phasing effect on their main vocal, many people would very soon hate that to. By the way, I personally don't have a problem with extreme autotune being used as an effect. The "subtle" usage of autotune is what I really hate with a passion. Not because it is fake polishing bad singers intonation - I don't care about that at all! - but because it makes good singers sound like the cheapest crap ever recorded. That applies to pretty much all pop music nowadays, but the absolutely worst example I can think of is singing in movies (disney, etc.). It always sounds beyond disgusting.

[@Ernthir]

Autotune give a very particular sound that instantly reminds people of other tracks using the same effect. Those sound worlds may be in conflict with another according to the listener. It's the same as bitrusher. When I was in music school we were forbidden to use it. Because it immediately sounds a certain way. Maybe you can even compare it to using The Lick in a track. You can do that if you want, but people will just hear The Lick and it's super distracting. They can't take the song seriously anymore.

[@johnnew3182]

Nothing against the singer (more against the original song itself) I would LOVE to hear the whole song with no voice. Again nothing against the singer she was GREAT.

[@FunnyFany]

An instrumental track would indeed be great

[@zacharygh]

I think the reason most people had such a negative reaction to the auto-tune segment (myself included) is that it felt so jarring compared to the rest of the arrangement. There was so much energy coming up to that point that the detuned sound of it held the rest of the arrangement back (for me at least).

[@nuberiffic]

But there was autotune right from the start of the song. I didn't even make it to the part that people are complaining about before I turned it off in disgust

[@Arsenicsquirrel]

Yup that's the point that it's jarring

[@kevinsundelin8639]

That was what made it good to me, the style change was cool and nice to listen to

[@freelookmode9837]

Most people?

[@KizulEmeraldfire]

In regard to the auto-tune: I actually *don't* have a problem with Auto-Tune itself. Sure, it's become overused in recent years, but it lends an interesting synth-y effect to the vocals (or whatever other instrument to which you apply it), and I still really like listening to Eiffel 65's "Europop" album - which contains the (in)famous "Blue (Da Ba Dee)". What made me flinch and reflexively hit "Stop" was the *transposition* that you did to her vocals: transposing her voice down a few semitones gave it an unnatural distortion, and… yeah, I really didn't like it at all. *But:* that said, the *rest* of the song that I listened to was great, and she *does* sing very well - despite the distortion that, alas, my ears simply couldn't take. I suppose that it was too spicy for me. To make a food analogy: it's rather like someone you know and trust offering you a piece of chocolate, and when you take a bite of it you discover that it's got a fantastic flavor and it's delicious and creamy - but then soon after you take that first bite, you discover that you've been pranked, because the chocolate has habanero pepper in it, the heat of which just kicks in *suddenly.* It doesn't ruin the flavor of *chocolate in general,* but the experience of *that specific piece* of chocolate has been tainted/ruined for you. On the other hand: a lot of people actually *like* their chocolate spicy like that. It's just an acquired taste, and I've not yet acquired a taste for it. :)

[@GhostSamaritan]

Alterboy is another plugin often used to modify the formants (you get a similar sound as this one), and the plugin has become a meme in music producer circles because it's so overused in Pop music.

[@1UpsForLife]

it's not transposed though, listen again. the harmonics are just edited, like he was explaining in the video. as for the feel of it, i still agree that it sounds a bit odd to me. it just seems to be up to the taste of the listener as to whether they like it or not.

[@thibautzadina7013]

I made some research because I wasn't sure Blue da ba dee was sung through autotune and apparently it isn't but then re-read your comment and listened to other songs on the album and it seems like yeah even though they don't use it on Blue (where according to this video, it's more of a vocoder treatment kzbin.info/www/bejne/bpeXXnmAe76lnsk ), autotune does eem to be present on other tracks on Europop. I know I just get easily triggered by people that mix those two up so i got a little excited as I shoudln't have cause I didn't read your comment fully but I figured maybe I'm not the only one so I'm going to leave a comment :)

[@KizulEmeraldfire]

@@thibautzadina7013/videos Yeah - Move Your Body, The Edge, and My Console (some of my favorite songs on that album) are more "Auto-Tune"-y examples than Blue (Da Ba Dee) - but I figured that more people would be *familliar with* Blue (Da Ba Dee), so that's the one I named. :)

[@antonio-onism9814]

Not all people like trombones, not all people like autotune. It's not that big of a deal.

[@DCFusor]

Could it be that I thought Kate sounded a lot better without the autotune? As you said, she can obviously SING! Why hinder that, it's not that great a sound - to sharp edged for the rest of the arrangement. I don't hate autotune, just that it's a balance thing, and this wasn't where I'd have put that balance. To me, it sounded like sharp stainless steel, where good old blued steel would have been nicer - and was for the rest of the tune.

[@david_aria]

Adam Neely - Auto-tune is extremely context-dependent, in terms of how it's received. There *are* bad singers who use it as a crutch- they do deserve criticism. There are also great singers who use it as an effect- but if they *overuse it* it becomes an annoying problem. ("Okay, maybe don't use auto-tune for every song on the album, please") Then there are the non-singers (rappers or otherwise) using it as an extreme effect or to make it sound like they're singing... this is the most annoying affect for me because if I can't understand half of what they're saying *without* the auto-tune, it's so much worse with it on. Sidenote: mumble rap is hilarious for kinda rhyming with "humble brag"... which accurately describes its aesthetic, lol. Lastly, it's a little disingenuous to compare autotune to talkbox.. which sounds smooth, analog and amazing with all the little details of a voice.. whereas auto-tune is often not smooth and much of the vocal's detail becomes masked by the effect. I'd say Vocoder would be a better comparison but analog synths still sound so much smoother and detailed, despite the intelligibility factor being comparable between auto-tune and vocoders. It all depends on how they're played, I suppose. Anyway, I think what you did with the song was mostly fine- sounded good in the track, though the way you mixed it was the real culprit in terms of impact, in my opinion. Your delay effects were all too clear and cold.. all very loud in the mix. At that loudness, I would have softened the repeats with some low pass filtering and saturation to warm them up.. then maybe automated the delay time to move slightly up or down over time to unhinge them from the coldness of being too quantized/locked into the bar. You have to give those delays and reverbs their own life if you want people to not feel like they're stuck in an auto-tune nightmare. Other creative effects would help give it (esp the bg vox) personality too.. like randomized volume manipulation at high speeds or other interesting modulation effects. Moreover, the octave doubling on the background vocals is very intense- there are other ways to approach mixing that without being so jarring.. my first instinct would be to try using the sidechain effect onto a (bandpass?) filter which kept the low octave's frequency profile in check.. it's just overwhelming to leave it full as most producers do. It's not a happy sound to my ears, so that means the mix should attempt to make it happier in a happy song. Auto-tune shouldn't feel like playing whack-a-mole when it pops up.. it should feel like it makes sense with the song and doesn't break the 4th wall, so to speak. That's kind of the main point- I believe auto-tune is disliked because it can be as emotionally upsetting as an alarm clock; how you mix it is *everything*. I like the idea of using auto-tune and then burying the evidence creatively so it comes off more as a synthy effect / played effect than as a box that you turn on and leave alone. My two cents which may or may not be noticed, lol.

[@qwerty_and_azerty]

2:19 *Sideways has entered the chat*

[@reme7903]

it's always cool to see more about these projects, thanks Adam!

[@RC32Smiths01]

T H I C C

[@jamesdavis6082]

What I personally dislike about Autotune: It makes the human voice sound like it's being played using frets and the organic, analog quality of artistically and manually manipulating head and chest voice frequencies that makes a voice what it is, is replaced by instantly recognizable artificiality that is not an enhancement, but a detractor, of the original quality. It's like talking to someone you know is being 100% fake with you and, annoyed, you just want to end the conversation and walk away.

[@LupinoArts]

Hach, autotune... If used as deliberate effect, i'm fine with it. But i wouldn't use it as a correction tool. Moreover, i think musicians (and listeners!) should learn to stand to their mistakes and deficiencies. Noone is perfect, so why do we try to appear like we were?