Althouse: "Auto-Tune the News."

July 30, 2009

"Auto-Tune the News."

"'Auto-Tune the News' is the brainchild of [Michael] Gregory, 24, and his two brothers and sister-in-law. Using the software program Auto-Tune (which is used by musicians — like Cher — to simulate perfect pitch) and a green screen (which places one image on top of another in a video, as in weather forecasts) they’ve produced six videos — which have been viewed at least 6 million times."

Here's what we're talking about:

15 comments:

rhhardin said...: Perfect pitch means ability to recognize what note is being played without reference to anything else.

The phrase they want is something like pitch correction.

``I feel like breaking into song.''

``You wouldn't have to break in if you had the right key.''; 7/30/09, 8:24 AM
Robert Cook said...: Bizarre and brilliant.; 7/30/09, 8:32 AM
Ron said...: ``I feel like breaking into song.''

``You wouldn't have to break in if you had the right key.''

``All right, a song home invasion then!``

Can we get Bob Wright to Auto-Tune Kaus on Bloggingheads?; 7/30/09, 9:08 AM
Fred4Pres said...: Ann, can they do that to your blogging head apperances, because that would make them more watchable.

And those google folks are doing little pop ups for mail order live maine lobsters here. Did you notice, they popped up in the video imbed. Coincidence? There are no concidences.; 7/30/09, 9:13 AM
Anonymous said...: Perhaps this is the future of "news." Particularly well-suited for the ever-increasing four-second attention-span nature of its viewers. Thrown in a couple of dancing bears and some monkeys on a unicycle and you've got it made.; 7/30/09, 9:15 AM
Moose said...: Auto-tuning the news = mildly amusing.

Making fun of the bad speeches in Congress = low hanging fruit.

Let's step it up here, folks. This is small beer...; 7/30/09, 9:18 AM
John Burgess said...: 'Small beer' perhaps, but it's still amusing.

jacksonianlawyer: you missed the T&A component to make it really rock.; 7/30/09, 10:10 AM
Methadras said...: The only human being I know of that had perfect pitch that you could literally tune instruments to was Karen Carpenter. Her voice, to this day is still as stunning as the first time I heard it.; 7/30/09, 12:20 PM
Methadras said...: Auto-tuning is fucking annoying. Sorry it is.; 7/30/09, 12:21 PM
rhhardin said...: You can think of auto-tune as a spell checker.; 7/30/09, 2:03 PM
Moose said...: Not strictly speaking the same, but I hold this to be the same as Rush and Jon "Stewart".

I stopped listening to Rush along time ago. When "Stewart" came around, I found his brand of "commentary" to be in a similar inane vein. So when the AutoTuning came along, it was "ho hum".

Political parody is rapidly becoming the primary delivery mechanism of news for too many people. I really wish we'd all quit sucking up this drivel and actually get our news from non-entertainment sources.; 7/30/09, 2:08 PM
hdhouse said...: that's odd. i hadn't notice that Sarah was autotuned until i read this thread.

ya'betcha!; 7/30/09, 2:39 PM
Anonymous said...: moose:

I stopped listening to Rush after "A Farewell To Kings." Geddy Lee's voice never really did appeal to me anyway.; 7/30/09, 2:55 PM
Kev said...: That's some funny stuff. Thanks for posting.

And what rhhardin said about perfect pitch; the use of that term in the manner that they did in the article was confusing to me too.; 7/30/09, 4:33 PM
Unknown said...: @jacksonian lawyer and m00se: I don't think you old people get it...this is a comedy bit, not a way to inform people of the news or even political commentary. It's just absurd humor. If anything it's making fun of today's overuse of autotune in pop music.

see: "SHORTAY!" If that didn't make you laugh, then you're watching this from the other side of a generational gap the size of the Grand Canyon.; 7/31/09, 9:32 PM