Tuning Out Perfection: Embracing the Flaws that Make Music Human

Pitch correction in music strips away the soul of singing. Authentic voices, like Garland’s, reveal the beauty in imperfections.

I was watching a video recently about how pitch correction has distorted our sense of voice to such a degree that we can no longer experience real singing. The video from the Wings of Pegasus channel notes (ha) the difference between Judy Garland’s version of “Over the Rainbow” from a version by Kelly Clarkson, and the music expert conducting the review handily breaks down his detection of the post-processing that “corrected” Clarkson’s voice.

This struck me because, a few months ago, I noticed something really funny while watching Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. I was watching it late at night on a Roku sound bar, and I had the “night listening mode” enabled so that the ridiculous sound design inherent in all modern media wouldn’t wake up half the block.

And then, the cast started singing.

I’m a HUGE fan of musical episodes, with Joss Whedon’s phenomenal work in Buffy and Dr. Horrible paving the way for a lifelong obsession. Even “bad” musical episodes are usually a hit with me.