# Autotune the News (YouTube video) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 24, 2009, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/autotune-the-news-youtube-video/494240 "2009-04-24T17:31:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Richard\_Parker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/35a633/32.png) [@Richard\_Parker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Parker)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/autotune-the-news-youtube-video/494240/1 "2009-04-24T17:31:12Z")
I find this video oddly mesmerizing: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBb4cjjj1gI&feature=related](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBb4cjjj1gI&feature=related) Questions: (1) Did they write that beat? If not, what is it? (2) How hard is it to use autotune like that? (3) Are you similarly mesmerized? What is it about the song/video? ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/autotune-the-news-youtube-video/494240/2 "2009-04-24T23:16:09Z")
Godalmighty that was terrible. If that’s the best that can be done with it, it must be very hard to use indeed. I found the exaggerated effects on the Gregorys to be really annoying, and the effect was unimpressive on the rest. The first time they tried this was better, but still pretty hit & miss. This one, though, I just couldn’t listen to it all the way through. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/autotune-the-news-youtube-video/494240/3 "2009-04-24T23:28:28Z")
I’ve seen some of this channel’s stuff before, and I like it. I like the [Academy Award one](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdal9Pozd_c), and this [Churchill](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lW6jW9y59JY) one is kinda interesting. ---
**Author:** ![Ersatz\_Shmoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@Ersatz\_Shmoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ersatz_Shmoe)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/autotune-the-news-youtube-video/494240/4 "2009-04-24T23:41:18Z")
Auto-Tune is as easy to use as it sounds. You set the key (or a chromatic scale), set how quickly the effect takes to bend the incoming pitch to the nearest note in the desired key, and set how “choosy” the software is at correcting the notes. Most hip-hop artists that use it seem to have it set to kick in as fast as possible and on as many notes as possible. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2009, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/autotune-the-news-youtube-video/494240/5 "2009-04-25T03:19:16Z")
The [“I Have a Dream” speech](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0F4iXEzOqY&feature=channel) one is really great. I don’t listen to current pop radio, so I’ve been spared over-exposure to this effect and can sound interesting to me. The [Nashville Presidential Debate](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LLrVlw6Qqc&feature=channel) is great as well. ---
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2009, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/autotune-the-news-youtube-video/494240/6 "2009-04-25T19:14:18Z")
MSNBC had this on Rachael Maddow. I think that Katie Couric’s pieces are the absolute best. Now, if we can just get some Anchor to cover the story on the Aperature Science Enrichment Center. Welcoming me, and telling me that my Specimen has been processed. What? ---
**Author:** ![thirdname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@thirdname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdname)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2009, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/autotune-the-news-youtube-video/494240/7 "2009-04-25T19:19:07Z")
I’m surprised that this autotune thing is so popular in hiphop now. Cher was using it something like 10 years ago, so I would have expected it to be out of style by now. ---
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2009, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/autotune-the-news-youtube-video/494240/8 "2009-04-25T19:20:49Z")
Quasi Related: Barack Obama “Sings” Rick Astley “Never gonna give you up” mixed from actual speeches he made. [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrerzsFGiNI) ---
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2009, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/autotune-the-news-youtube-video/494240/9 "2009-04-25T19:30:10Z")
> [@mobo85](#): > > Ithis [Churchill](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lW6jW9y59JY) one is kinda interesting. The “We will be born again… The Glory of Mankind.” Alone does it for me. I mean, That one touches something in me. I don’t know what. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2009, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/autotune-the-news-youtube-video/494240/10 "2009-04-25T21:37:40Z")
> [@Meeko](#): > > The > > “We will be born again… The Glory of Mankind.” > > Alone does it for me. > > I mean, That one touches something in me. I don’t know what. Hear, hear! I had to go track down the original after hearing the remixed version. Churchill made some questionable decisions after WWII, but damned if I wouldn’t follow the man through Hell and back. ---
**Author:** ![thirdname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@thirdname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdname)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2009, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/autotune-the-news-youtube-video/494240/11 "2009-04-25T22:28:30Z")
Speaking of computer-generated music, Microsoft has a program called Songsmith that will take a vocal track and automatically generate an accompaniment in a chosen style. Of course, people have been using it on vocal tracks from popular songs and posting the results on Youtube. [Billy Idol’s White Wedding with banjo](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlCWo1qdTdE) [Hurt - Songsmith Version](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ci1K9Zcwvy4) [Other songs](http://www.youtube.com/results?search_type=&search_query=songsmith&aq=f) Interestingly, someone found that Songsmith was able to make sense of a Barack Obama speech: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YN9pGgg8YlQ](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YN9pGgg8YlQ) ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2009, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/autotune-the-news-youtube-video/494240/12 "2009-04-26T01:33:12Z")
> [@Mr.Excellent](#): > > Churchill made some questionable decisions after WWII, but damned if I wouldn’t follow the man through Hell and back. “If Hitler invaded Hell, I would make at least a favorable reference to the Devil in the House of Commons.” Although it has nothing to do with actual voice technology, since Songsmith was brought up, I have to post a link to [my Taft song](http://www.tindeck.com/listen/xlcc). I did this for another message board as a test of Songsmith and it went over surprisingly well. ---
**Author:** ![mecaenas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/91b2a8/32.png) [@mecaenas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mecaenas)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2009, 9:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/autotune-the-news-youtube-video/494240/13 "2009-04-26T09:30:51Z")
> [@riker1384](#): > > Speaking of computer-generated music, Microsoft has a program called Songsmith that will take a vocal track and automatically generate an accompaniment in a chosen style. Of course, people have been using it on vocal tracks from popular songs and posting the results on Youtube. > > [Billy Idol’s White Wedding with banjo](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlCWo1qdTdE) > [Hurt - Songsmith Version](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ci1K9Zcwvy4) > [Other songs](http://www.youtube.com/results?search_type=&search_query=songsmith&aq=f) > > Interestingly, someone found that Songsmith was able to make sense of a Barack Obama speech: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YN9pGgg8YlQ](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YN9pGgg8YlQ) Hahahaha! Awesome. I stumbled across this gem, I think it’s actually pretty bad ass. [Never Gonna Give You Up by Rick Astley reinvented via Songsmith](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nd2oDClUw20)