Some day I will write a giant article chronicling my dismay with rap’s horrid transition to what we currently refer to as hip-hop. That article will be a doozy, calling out the hideously repetitive, derivative style that makes a mockery of rap’s golden age (the 1980s and early 1990s). But for now I will instead focus on one particular aspect of the hip-hop horrorshow that holds major responsibility for that style’s current degenerative state as well the lousy current manifestation of numerous other pop music genres: the auto-tune effect.

There are numerous ways to turn a human singing voice into a synthesized sound that preserves perfect pitch. The auto-tune is the most popular. First released in 1994, this absurdly popular computer program has the ability to adjust vocal pitch thus hiding singing mistakes. From Britney Spears to Kanye West, Cher to Tim McGraw the list of artists who use this musical steroid is immense.

When Peter Frampton brought the talk box, a somewhat similar synthesizer effect to fame in 1976 with his Show Me the Way it was a fun gimmick that added a little chutzpah to the proceedings. However, unlike modern musicians, Frampton used those synth sounds on a couple of songs and that was it.

Today’s artists use the auto-tune as a crutch, an easy way to replace singing talent. The trick allows them to half-ass it in the studio freeing up thousands of hours to work on their image, apparently an infinitely more valuable resource in the world of new millennium popular music. Sad but true.

Some may wonder, “Who cares what musicians use to produce a good sound?” and truthfully, I agree. But where I think the auto-tune is problematic is in the breadth of artists currently using it and hence creating a body of popular music that all sounds the same.

Personally, I rarely listen to any popular music radio stations because I’m tired of that semi-robotic vocal blaring out of the speakers. The synthesized singing is just plain ridiculous and yet the artists who use it take themselves so seriously it’s obvious they’re not in the joke. Pathetic.

In all, I think vocal synthesizers are an OK gimmick but a horrible lifestyle. Unless you’re literally trying to be a robot like Germany’s Kraftwerk then give it a rest. I’m not sure how much more my ears can take.