Identifying exact degrees of Vocal pitch correction in November Rainbow's Official Release.
Jan 4, 2022 11:37:56 GMT
deathtoming, Chopin1995, and 13 more like this
Post by manymilesaway on Jan 4, 2022 11:37:56 GMT
I had sometimes heard a high pitched wailing frequency in Queen's official November Rainbow 1974 release, so I decided to open it up and take a look at its spectrogram with intent to remove it.
I was expecting a simple line of interference, which wasn't unfamiliar to me. I had recognized them from tapes I've examined before, like Long Beach 1977's:
(Long Beach's LOML)
I've had lots of experience seeing these lines on many many other tapes- 12/26/1979, 12/04/1979, 08/18/1979, 06/06/1977, etc.
As expected, there was definitely an interference line. However, something struck me as odd with November Rainbow's line that I had never seen before. It seems to waver...
(Official November Liar)
Taking a look at the original pre-FM cassette of November Rainbow's Liar showed that there was indeed a consistent, straight line just like every other.
(Bootleg November Liar)
So, I wondered what was wrong. I took a closer look and hit play, and after messing about, I came to a couple of conclusions:
Here are some examples:
(Liar) listeners with good hearing can actually hear the frequency's pitch go up and down here on the official mix. It's very jarring, it's bothered me every time.
(In The Lap Of The Gods)
(Bring Back That Leroy Brown)
(White Queen solo, no vocals = no fluctuating line)
As you can see, the line moves around as the vocal lines are corrected.
This method isn't perfect however. I'm sure many of you reading this immediately thought to see Roger's ITLOTG screams. Sadly, it seems that it has had so much production done to it that the line has been destroyed in a coat of reverb, EQ, and pitch correction.
Moments where the instruments are dominant over the vocals also mask the interference line due to the production done to the mix by QPL.
Otherwise, it works like a charm. Now sadly, from what I have explored, it seems that this issue isn't in any other release. I've checked March Rainbow and Hammersmith 75, but nothing. So no identifying The Fairy Feller's Master Stroke today, sorry fellas.
I haven't checked the official snippets of Hyde Park, Earl's Court, Houston, or Paris however- So feel free to check those yourself and report here.
Despite its issues, this oversight by QPL could lead to many discoveries of things past overlooked.
I was expecting a simple line of interference, which wasn't unfamiliar to me. I had recognized them from tapes I've examined before, like Long Beach 1977's:
(Long Beach's LOML)
I've had lots of experience seeing these lines on many many other tapes- 12/26/1979, 12/04/1979, 08/18/1979, 06/06/1977, etc.
As expected, there was definitely an interference line. However, something struck me as odd with November Rainbow's line that I had never seen before. It seems to waver...
(Official November Liar)
Taking a look at the original pre-FM cassette of November Rainbow's Liar showed that there was indeed a consistent, straight line just like every other.
(Bootleg November Liar)
So, I wondered what was wrong. I took a closer look and hit play, and after messing about, I came to a couple of conclusions:
- Every component of the multitrack has this line.
- The line never wavers at instrumental sections. (Never once moved during Keep Yourself Alive's drum solo or Brian's Son and Daughter solo)
- The line wavers when the vocal track is pitch corrected.
Here are some examples:
(Liar) listeners with good hearing can actually hear the frequency's pitch go up and down here on the official mix. It's very jarring, it's bothered me every time.
(In The Lap Of The Gods)
(Bring Back That Leroy Brown)
(White Queen solo, no vocals = no fluctuating line)
As you can see, the line moves around as the vocal lines are corrected.
This method isn't perfect however. I'm sure many of you reading this immediately thought to see Roger's ITLOTG screams. Sadly, it seems that it has had so much production done to it that the line has been destroyed in a coat of reverb, EQ, and pitch correction.
Moments where the instruments are dominant over the vocals also mask the interference line due to the production done to the mix by QPL.
Otherwise, it works like a charm. Now sadly, from what I have explored, it seems that this issue isn't in any other release. I've checked March Rainbow and Hammersmith 75, but nothing. So no identifying The Fairy Feller's Master Stroke today, sorry fellas.
I haven't checked the official snippets of Hyde Park, Earl's Court, Houston, or Paris however- So feel free to check those yourself and report here.
Despite its issues, this oversight by QPL could lead to many discoveries of things past overlooked.
