Former Journey Frontman Steve Perry Criticizes Musicians Using Auto-Tune
Steve Perry, the former singer for Journey, recently criticized the use of Auto-Tune. He spoke to Kyle Meredith about the pitch-correction technology in a recent interview. You can listen to their full discussion below.
Auto-Tune is a software program that digitally corrects pitch. It was created by Dr. Andy Hildebrand, a musician and mathematician, in 1997. The original patent asserted that, "When voices or instruments are out of tune, the emotional qualities of the performance are lost.”
The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer told Meredith that a perfect pitch is almost impossible to achieve, and that the natural flaws in a musician's vocals is actually what make it memorable and effective.
"Auto-Tune has turned everybody into the same singer, which I think is tragic," he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH).
"I was told a long time by a very bright musician, he said when you listen to somebody as beautiful as a [Barbra] Streisand, your heart just goes, 'I can't believe she can do this. How is she doing this?' And then you listen to Muddy Waters and you get an emotional touch too. Well, they're totally two different vocal directions, totally two different vocal timbres, different styles. Well, one is angelic and beautiful and the other has some struggle in it, and it's the struggle and the imperfections that you pull for too. There's this human thing.
"Singing is the most primal thing — it really is a very primal form of communication," Perry added. "And, obviously, it's gonna be around for a while. Which is why I'm not so happy that people are washing out this description we just talked about with Auto-Tune."
Steve Perry's Interview with Kyle Meredith
Perry recently released a holiday album titled The Season on Nov. 5 via Fantasy Records.