Monthly Archives: February 2010

Auto-Tune

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A few years ago, a Simpsons episode told the story of how Bart, Milhouse, Nelson, and Martin (I think) turned into a boy band that produced recruitment material for the Navy. (Oh, how I love The Simpsons) Even though none of the four can sing at all, they had the right “look” for a boy band, and the music producers made up for the quartet’s utter lack of talent with a mysterious dial labeled Studio Magic.

Although Studio Magic is exaggerated for laughs, it’s based on a real technology called Auto-Tune. Using sophisticated computer processing, Auto-Tune can bend a singer’s voice to match the exact pitch he/she should be singing. Sometimes a singer only needs minor corrections that an average listener’s ear could hardly detect. Sometimes a singer needs significant help. Auto-Tune can make a voice sound normal or intentionally distorted, as in the weirdly electronic vocals of Cher’s “Believe” or Jamie Foxx’s “Blame It”. It can even correct a live performance so that a singer at American Airlines Center sounds in-tune even during an off night.

The majority of singers in popular music now use Auto-Tune for studio work, and many use it in concert as well. Ever notice how some singers sound much worse live compared to their CD recordings? Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, and the Black-Eyed Peas come to mind. I suspect they are not strong singers in term of pitch accuracy, so they use Auto-Tune for studio recordings but inexplicably opt-out for concerts. Kelly Clarkson, on the other hand, produces consistent, in-tune vocals whether on CD or live. Since Kelly earned a spot in the Texas All-State Choir, I assume she has a very accurate voice that needs little pitch correction.

Some purists hate Auto-Tune. They argue that it cheapens the art and craft of singing, produces fake-sounding music, and hides the “character” that makes music interesting. Others love it because it produces a cleaner sound, saves work and time in the studio, and gives fans a better experience when it’s used in concert. What do you guys think?

Paternity Leave

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Friday night I returned to work after a month off (except for a couple of weird nights where my office was desperate and lured me in). Using a combination of vacation time, scheduled time off, and trades, I was blessed with the chance to spend a huge amount of time at home with my newly expanded family, and we had a great time. When I’m working, I’m asleep for the majority of Brenden’s awake time, so this break gave me a chance to wake him up each morning, play with him at the park and rec center, read with him, and marvel as he grows. Although much of our time was spent caring for one or both boys, the break let me spend some good time with Jenny here and there. Finally, it gave me the chance to see a new little miracle, a brand-new life that is partly me, partly Jenny, and partly the mystery of God’s handiwork.

Being back at work isn’t all bad, though. I like my job and most of my coworkers. I enjoy having a routine and official responsibilities outside my home. To be honest, being at work is easier than staying home with two boys under age 2, especially when one of them is Brenden! When Jenny and I can each take one of them, we get by OK, but when Jenny was napping or out somewhere and I had them both, things could get interesting really fast. Just a few days ago, I was holding Jonathan in one arm, propping up his bottle in place with my chin, and trying to cut up a pizza slice with a fork for Brenden with the other hand. Once the pizza slice ran out and Brenden was still hungry, I threw in the towel and called for backup.

In a nutshell, I had to come back to work to get some rest and to have the time and energy to blog! Sorry for the relative lack of posts, but I’m sure you understand. I am now officially back in business.

Thanks again to all of you who helped us out over the past month, whether through meals, babysitting, visits, gifts, prayers, or well-wishes. We are so thankful to have so many wonderful people in our lives.

Snowmageddon Dallas 2010

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snowman

Although it definitely caused problems for some, we were delighted by Thursday’s record snowfall! We mostly stayed inside on Thursday while it fell, admiring out the window and getting some painting and other work done inside. I did take Brenden out front briefly and showed him how to make and throw a snowball. From then on, his favorite word (other than “no”) became “ball”. Brenden loved looking out the window and kept saying, “No! No!” (which, in this context, means snow)

Thursday night I took some pictures during the last few hours of the snowfall. On Friday we bundled up and actually played in the snow. Brenden got to walk around in snow for the first time and helped me build our first snowman. He was a great sport for a while until his hands got cold and wet. Jonathan made a brief trip outside but spent most of the afternoon inside with Jenny. Here are some of our pictures:

Snowmageddon Dallas 2010 pictures