The Singer "Brandy" Performed On NBC's Today Show...

[arwalden]

... and she sounded HORRIBLE! Is that how she normally sounds?

Off key? Out of sync with the beat? Flat? Lackluster? Bland?

I realize that some artists sound better in studio recordings when compared to live performances... but even THOSE artists have enough talent to pull-off a live performance and make it enjoyable.

Is this the new sound of urban pop? She sounded like she was drugged... over-warbling and scale-juggling (as though she's searching for the note or making up the tune--poorly--as she's going along.)

Perhaps I'm just too old to appreciate kids' music anymore. I just don't get it. What's the attraction?

-- Allen

[ihaveaquestion]

1. She's never been much to listen to, IMO

When she was doing alright, her voice wasn't strong, just pretty. She must be losing it as she gets older.

[CO Liberal]

2. Perhaps....

...her singing was more studio tricks than talent? :shrug:

[Billy Burnett]

3. She really needed good production devices. Like this ...

http://www.antarestech.com/products/avp.html

THE HEART OF ANY GREAT SONG is a great vocal sound. With Antares's new Vocal Producer, we've combined our world-renowned Auto-Tune Pitch Correction and TEC-Award-winning Microphone Modeler technologies with state-of-the-art vocal processing modules to give you everything you need to create stunning vocal tracks in any musical style.

FREEDOM OF CHOICE

Live or in the studio, the AVP lets you instantly select from a large library of sounds. From gorgeously mellow to seriously twisted, we've included factory presets for a wide variety of vocal styles as well as an interface that makes it easy to create your own signature sounds. (And given the power and flexibility of the AVP's processing modules, we've even included a selection of presets for instrumental and percussion tracks.)

The Antares Vocal Producer features:

* Auto-Tune Real-time Pitch Correction - Antares's world-renowned Auto-Tune technology lets you correct the pitch of vocals (or solo instruments), in real time, without distortion or artifacts, while preserving all of the expressive nuance of the original performance.

* Antares Microphone Modeling - Our TEC Awarding-winning Microphone Modeler technology lets you give your vocal tracks the characteristics of a variety of high-end studio mics as well as adjust the proximity effect associated with mic distance.

* Analog Tube Modeling - Gives your vocals the warmth of a classic tube preamp.

* Variable Knee Compressor - A state-of-the-art dynamics processor with threshold, ratio, attack and decay controls as well as a continuously variable knee characteristic.

* Downward Expanding Gate - The AVP's gate, with threshold and ratio controls, works independently of the compressor to eliminate noise and breath sounds.

* Variable Frequency De-Esser - The AVP's de-esser tames vocal sibilance with threshold, ratio, attack and decay controls as well as a variable highpass frequency to match any vocal performance.

* Flexible Parametric EQ - You can fine-tune your vocal sound with two independent bands of equalization that let you select from 6dB or 12 dB high or low cut, high or low shelving with variable slope, bandpass, notch and fully parametric peaking.

* Automatic Mono or Stereo Double Tracking - You can automatically mix a doubled track into the AVP's main output or route it to a separate output for post-processing and mixing.

* Fully Programmable - Once you've created the perfect vocal sound for a particular track, every parameter can be saved as a preset for instant recall.

* Factory Presets for a Wide Variety of Vocal Styles - The AVP comes out-of-the-box with an extensive collection of factory presets for a variety of vocal styles. (We've even included a selection of presets for instrumental and percussion tracks.)

* MIDI Automation - Every variable module parameter can be controlled via MIDI continuous controllers for realtime automation.

* Really Easy To Use - No scrolling though endless menus to find the parameter you want. Virtually every major function is only a single button press away.

[russian33]

4. She never had much of a voice...

..more a whisper...I guess she's making her 'comeback', after having a kid?