posted
I know SC have done this one - but as it is the only song on that Disc that we would want (and, in fact, we already have it but I hate the version) I am not willing to buy the disc unless it is a "Spot On" rendition
Can someone tell me if this is the case and, also, how the intro is handled (there is no musical prompt on our version so you just have to guess).
One last thought - is the SC version the same as the album version or is it some funky US edit?
Cheers
Lisa
Posts: 251 | From: Bedford, Bedfordshire, England | Registered: Aug 2001
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posted
As usual, when the original singer just busts right into singing without any kind of music, Sound Choice gives you a sound check note and then "tap, tap, tap, tap, tap" BOOM, start!
This, of course, takes the guesswork out of trying to say, "Oh ok...Key of A, sure no problem" (wondering of course, what that key is supposed to sound like). Many people are completely pitch perfect (or close enough), but have no clue or care what key the song is in...just need one quick note to identify where the key is at.
A little weird to the singer who's never heard that kind of helpful intro, but definitely useful to those who need a key boost.
Bottom line, SC's "Fallin" is spot on....right down to the last "what" at the end of the song (which when I went back and listened to Alicia, I could barely hear it, but sure enough, she said it).
Posts: 124 | From: Oxnard, CA, USA | Registered: Apr 1999
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posted
Thanks, Robin, for that attention to our attention to detail. It’s always gratifying to see someone notice the kind of effort that we think adds to the quality of our products.
When a song starts with the Lead Vocal singing prior to any instrumentation or background vocal parts, we call that a ‘Cold Start’. For each and every Cold Start, we add two things to help the singer:
- a pitch note to give the singer a harmonic reference or baseline of what note to start singing;
- a 4-beat countoff to let the singer count in and be aware of when they are supposed to start singing (i.e., when the song actually starts).
The pitch note reference is standard operating procedure for any musician. For instance, on Celine Dion’s live performance of “God Bless America” during the Tribute To Heroes telethon last September, right before she starts singing you can hear David Foster hit a 3-note chord with his right hand on the piano to give her the pitch/note reference to start her vocal and the song. Nobody is immune, it isn’t charity. Every singer needs a reference to start a song off cold.
Same with the 4-beat countoff. Whenever a band starts a song onstage – together – a countoff is necessary in order for everyone to start at the same time. Well… karaoke is no different, especially when a singer is starting the song off cold. So we give you three taps of a drumstick on the side of the snare (called a sidestick), and the fourth beat is silent. It’s no different in concept to the drummer counting off the four beats.
Agreed that many karaoke singers may be unaware of these features or methodologies. But it sure beats dead silence and no warning. Hope that helps.
Posts: 4262 | From: Charlotte, N.C., USA | Registered: Oct 1999
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