Okay, I am sick of hearing about lip syncing

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

For the last couple of days all I have heard on the news and from friends is that Beyonce lip sync'd the national anthem. My response has been "so what". It is not that I don't care about the story, it is because most folks don't understand what a performance threshold is for an artist. People think that good vocalist should get on stage and sing no matter what the weather conditions are, the acoustics of the venue are, or what type of equipment used. It is just not that way in real life, as just like any instrument, you ability to sing your best depends on many things.

Sometimes you have to lip sync, and it does not mean you can't sing live(for some that is the case). I personally do not do my best singing outside when it is cold or windy. For other singers this may not be a problem. I also don't like excessively dry air either. I know some singers that don't like to sing in the morning, but that is no problem for me. I know professional singers that don't talk during performance day. If I did that, I would not sing my best. Every singer is different no matter how talented(or non talent) they are.

Ladies and gentlemen the Star Spangled Banner is one of the hardest songs in the world for a vocalist to sing. I have performed it a dozen times in my life. It stretches one and a half octaves from the lowest to highest notes. Most pop singers barely do a half octave. Most folks who have sung it should not have tried in the first place. Beyonce is not one of those singers. She can kill this song. Her reasoning for not going live would not have bothered me, I have stepped into situations with little or no rehearsal and have done fine as long as I knew the material well. She had no rehearsal time with the Band, and she didn't feel comfortable singing without some rehearsal. I understand this completely. So she went into the studio and pre-recorded the song like most vocal artist at events like this. You never know what can happen the day of the event, and it is always good to have some sort of backup just in case.

Here are reasons that I would lip sync if I were a pop singer.

1. If I have a lot of choreography in my performance. It is VERY difficult to do a lot of dancing and sing your best at the same time. Combining the right breathing for dancing and for singing is completely different.

2. If I had to sing a wide range song on a cold or windy day. I have lost my voice during these conditions so many times, that I would be smart enough to have a backup just in case.

3. When the acoustics are really bad that it creates a long delay between musicians and singer. Or if there was a lot of reverberation in the venue, like a basketball court.

4. If I could not sing live very well, which is the case for many pop singers these days.

I have to remind people that your voice is an instrument. A just like any instrument, the elements can have a profound effect on how it sounds. Yo Yo Ma pre-recorded his song during Obama first swearing in 2009. The cold made his hands numb, and his Cello would not stay in tune in 20 degree weather. Aretha Franklin sang live after sitting outside for an hour in those same conditions, and she sounded like garbage when she opened her mouth. She stated she should have lip sync'd it instead. I marched Drum corps when I was young, and I used to hear brass complain about tuning issues when the temperature got very hot or cold. Worf can correct me on this, but when the strings of a guitar and piano are subjected to cold weather, the strings contract making the instrument sharp. When it is hot, the strings expand making the instrument flat. The same can happen when the vocal cords are introduced to cold weather.

There are some pop stars that should never sing the national anthem in life again. Christina Aguilera, Anita Baker, Carl Lewis, Cuba Gooding, Keyshia Cole, and Miley Cyrus come to mind as some of the worst performances of the song.

What do other feel about this flap? Or maybe you just don't care. LOL

[Worf101]

Good post. And may I add Yo Yo Ma "string synched" his performance in 2008 at the first innaugual! Just saying.

Dave

[bobsticks]

I agree with everything you said...

...but, ultimately, I don't care. Mrs. Knowles-Carter, whether she participates in a genre of music that I care about or not, has got some pipes...why would I care if it was live or not? She still went through the effort to record a challenging piece and present it as a gift to the nation. The intent was good. Is anyone questioning the validity of the Marines as performers for phoning one in?

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

Thanks for the comments guys. I finally watched and listened to the performance for the first time, and there is no way she is lip sync'ing. I can hear the EQ they had on the microphone. It sounded kind of hollow, like the system was at the onset of feedback, or just bad EQ on her voice. On top of that, there is absolutely no latency between her lips, and the background track. On every music video I have ever mixed, there is latency between the lips and the track. Directors keep the visuals moving to cover this up.

What she did in essence was use a music background track that she had pre-recorded, and probably practiced to. She was probably more comfortable with that, than a live Band she has never rehearsed with.

[dean_martin]

Sir T, you must post a link to a download or youtube video. I want to hear/see you sing!

[Worf101]

Sir T, you must post a link to a download or youtube video. I want to hear/see you sing!

Hey... yeah! What Deano said. You been holdin' out on us ya bum!

Worf

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

Sir T, you must post a link to a download or youtube video. I want to hear/see you sing!

Deano, I guess because I have mostly done background singing, I have never paid attention to whether anyone recorded any performance I have done. It is really a side, side, and double side gig for me now days as I did most of my singing and performing in the late 80's and 90's. Now it is all about being behind the mixing console where I don't have to be sexy and hot all of the time. LOLOL.

[blackraven]

If you are going to a concert and expect a show with the Artist dancing around the stage then you should not complain about lip syncing. Me personally, I would never go to a concert of a vocalist that lip sync'ed. I go to concerts the see a live performance and hear the artist actual voice. I would feel like my money was stolen if the performer lip sync'ed.

[Hyfi]

I finally watched and listened to the performance for the first time, and there is no way she is lip sync'ing. I can hear the EQ they had on the microphone.

Yeah right. Guess someone needs glasses and a hearing aid.

Beyonce Lip Sync Confirmed, Inaugural Official: 'She Did Not Sing Live'
Beyonce Lip Sync Confirmed, Inaugural Official: 'She Did Not Sing Live' - The Boombox

[JohnMichael]

I saw where Rand Paul thought the President should resign if she lip synched. I about laughed my ass off.

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

Yeah right. Guess someone needs glasses and a hearing aid.

Beyonce Lip Sync Confirmed, Inaugural Official: 'She Did Not Sing Live'
Beyonce Lip Sync Confirmed, Inaugural Official: 'She Did Not Sing Live' - The Boombox

What difference does it make stupid, it was her performance in the first place. She did sing the song on the recording that she lip sync'd to. Does that fact escape your air head?

I have told you this before, and I will tell this to you again. GO SCREW YOURSELF NUMBNUTZ...or better yet, NONUTZ!

[Feanor]

JohnMichael, isn't it about time this thread was closed and/or moved to Steel Cage?

I'm amazed at the tolerance of moderators for gratuitous personal insults. Some sites would delete or redact this stuff.

I also observe that moderators have, and various occasions, been less tolerant of controversial topics, even in Off-Topic/Non-Audio, than they are for vitriolic personal abuse, (a.k.a. "flames"). Sorry, this make no sense to me.

For my part I'm the "don't give a rat's ass" category when it comes to whether Beyonce lip-synced -- I don't expect much genuineness from the entertainment or political industries in this day & age. It's all smoke & mirrors.

[Hyfi]

Feanor,

It's not about lip syncing in general, it is about the OP who stated that due to his expertise, that there was no way she was faking it. In reality, her lips moved and some sound came out, but the whole world heard a recording.

The issue is that the OP made a definitive statement and was wrong and is still trying to deflect and make up excuses as to why he was not.

She faked it, she admitted it, the people who put the fluff on admitted it, but the OP is having a hard time following suite.

[JohnMichael]

Maybe what needs to happen is for members to learn to moderate themselves. I am surprised by how people type to one another. Sure I could close the thread and then the PM messages start arriving with members complaining they did not get to respond. I think this is the kind of site the members must want since it keeps happening time after time. No matter how much moderation there is a site is only as good as the contributions of the members. If you contribute garbage the site will become garbage.

JohnMichael, isn't it about time this thread was closed and/or moved to Steel Cage?

I'm amazed at the tolerance of moderators for gratuitous personal insults. Some sites would delete or redact this stuff.

I also observe that moderators have, and various occasions, been less tolerant of controversial topics, even in Off-Topic/Non-Audio, than they are for vitriolic personal abuse, (a.k.a. "flames"). Sorry, this make no sense to me.

For my part I'm the "don't give a rat's ass" category when it comes to whether Beyonce lip-synced -- I don't expect much genuineness from the entertainment or political industries in this day & age. It's all smoke & mirrors.