The use of digital pitch correction software on vocal recordings

Anything that is recorded and reproduced by "mechanical" means, whether it be a photograph or a sound recording is by definition artificial. There are times when I've softened skin in portraits a little because my medium format digital camera and lenses are just too resolving for what the subject wants to see.

When it comes to recording, I prefer to punch in any parts of vocals that are sharp or flat. But that said, I'm not trying to get every single syllable to be within a cent or two of perfect pitch if it's going to interfere with the singer's natural expression. For clarity, I'm not talking about accepting a performance that is in any way obviously out of tune.

I don't listen to the type of music that uses auto tune to make voices sound like they were vocoded.

“…how hard it is…to record a great vocal track.”

With all due respect…please…spare me.

I’m a singer.  
I sing on pitch.  
How else does a singer sing, but on pitch?  
Barring a certain punk-rock, Patti Smith/Lou Reed/Randy Newman-type approach, how does a singer take themselves seriously if they can’t sing on pitch?  
What is that?
Live or on record (obviously there’s no excuse on record)?

Exactly how “off pitch” are we talking here?  
I have perfect pitch.  
I know what off-pitch sounds like.  
I’ve listened to countless vocals by countless artists on countless recordings that gave me goosebumps and aroused tears.  
If I wanted to, I could scrutinize all of them and show many, many instances of less-than-perfect pitch, here and there, in each performance.  

Was I “faking it” when those vocal recording caused me to feel profound emotions?

Unless it sounds bad, it doesn’t sound bad.

I’ve never felt profound emotions with a vocal recording that used digital pitch correction.

Humans aren’t machines.  
The human expression that occurs when a human sings is what we want to hear when we want to hear singing.  
If we want to hear a synthesizer, we can listen to a synthesizer.  
If the artist gives me a Kraftwerk, Giorgio Moroder, Daft Punk-type thing, I know what to expect.

If a person’s inability to sing on pitch is so problematic, why are they singing at all?
 
 

This post has made me recall a question that comes to mind every time I hear a “pension fund concert” vocal that that sounds much better than I (or friends and colleagues) would have expected. Recently this included Billy Idol and Stevie Nicks, among others. 

Not to hijack the intent of the post, but can auto tune now be used real time during live concerts?

I have fallen in love with electronic music, so who am I to complain about vocal pitch adjustments. 

@javaruke I’m sorry, but would you please clarify what a “pension fund concert vocal” is?
I don’t know what that is.

Your inquiry as to whether or not digital pitch correction may be used in live applications is not a “hijack” at all, but a great question.
The answer is, yes, it is common these days for pitch “correction” software to be used in live “singing.”