Live Music Only Seems "Out Of Sync" When You're Not Use To The Live Version

Gizmo j

Senior member
Nov 9, 2013
883
240
116


I had some friends over and we were watching the live Linkin Park concert above, and both of my friends said they hated live music because the music is always "out of sync" compared to the studio version.

I was trying to teach them that if you just listen to the live version over and over again, it would actually be the studio version that seems out of sync.

The reason live music is better is because you can actually "see what you're hearing" just like how it's better to WATCH a movie instead of just LISTENING to a movie.
 

RPD

Diamond Member
Jul 22, 2009
4,971
483
126
This just in, if you are conditioned to X, Y will not seem right. But if you are conditioned to Y, X won't.
More at 11.
 
  • Haha
Reactions: igor_kavinski

RPD

Diamond Member
Jul 22, 2009
4,971
483
126
I have no idea what you're saying. How can music be 'out of sync' if it's played right? Might be a Linkin Park thing ;^)
Typically it just sounds different, the bands do get fatigued. I recall the times I've seen Metallica they played a lot of their songs just a TAD faster than I was used to.
 

lxskllr

No Lifer
Nov 30, 2004
57,363
7,514
126
Well, sure. It *should* be different. I can stay home and listen to the record. I want to hear things changed up. May be better, or it may be worse, but it'll be unique. ZZ Top was the worst show in that regard. They sounded perfect; perfectly like the record. Why pay for that? I already had it.
 

nakedfrog

No Lifer
Apr 3, 2001
58,054
12,240
136
Typically it just sounds different, the bands do get fatigued. I recall the times I've seen Metallica they played a lot of their songs just a TAD faster than I was used to.
Lars is kinda known for not being the most precise drummer in the world, but it's also pretty common overall to end up playing faster in a live setting.
 
  • Like
Reactions: stargazr and Pohemi

Torn Mind

Lifer
Nov 25, 2012
11,567
2,626
136
Most humans are protocol freaks. If a rule gets violated, it throws them off. Beethoven would put in intentional mistimed entrances in music like the horns in the Eroica.

Effective varied repeats are the manifestation of a musician's skill.

Varied repeats are old school in music Carl Phillipe Emmanuel Bach wrote about how to do them well(overembellishing was a thing back then too)

Mariah Carey got varied repeats down pat in her prime.

I don't think any performance of Eminence Front is exactly like the studio version. Rockers too, keep music to a higher creative standard than the bot trained classical musician snob
 

Pohemi

Diamond Member
Oct 2, 2004
8,609
10,835
146
While the most outrageous, they were not the only ones caught lip synching at a live concert.

Quick google

Other artists have used lip syncing during their concerts to maintain uniformity of their voice. Milli used it 100% of the time, the voices were not actually their own. IIRC C&C Music Factory did the same, and eventually got sued by the actual voice artists for never receiving any recognition for their contributions.

Milli is just always the first one my mind goes to, heh.
 

Torn Mind

Lifer
Nov 25, 2012
11,567
2,626
136
Jlo relied on her studio work way over her live singing work, which includes leading the listener to believe Jlo was doing what actually the background vocalist(s) were doing. Also helps that her boss was willing to help her steal a musical idea from Mariah Carey to make it big.

Milli suffered but Jlo got away with it, and thus there might be a double standard.

There is a bit of who cares since many people are drunk at concerts and the shit is super loud without earplugs.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Pohemi

Kaido

Elite Member & Kitchen Overlord
Feb 14, 2004
48,387
5,255
136
While the most outrageous, they were not the only ones caught lip synching at a live concert.

Quick google


Maybe an unpopular opinion: I don't really mind the lip-syncing for live events. It's pretty hard to run around & dance on-stage AND sing well at the same time, so it depends on if you're there for a show vs. there for a singer's live performance. Plus they sometimes record a separate, more natural-voice-sounding soundtrack to lip-sync to, so it sounds more "realistic" for a live venue. Sometimes they also switch from live vocals to recorded vocals during performances. Like, I wouldn't expect Adele to lip sync at a concert, because you're specifically there for her voice, but if it's a pop-star show or something where there's fireworks & dancing & whatnot, that's a little different!


 
  • Like
Reactions: Pohemi

Kaido

Elite Member & Kitchen Overlord
Feb 14, 2004
48,387
5,255
136
Other artists have used lip syncing during their concerts to maintain uniformity of their voice. Milli used it 100% of the time, the voices were not actually their own. IIRC C&C Music Factory did the same, and eventually got sued by the actual voice artists for never receiving any recognition for their contributions.

Milli is just always the first one my mind goes to, heh.

The issue there is that their performances were perceived as disingenuous, so people felt ripped-off, which is why there was the public backlash. People can laugh at live lip-sync fails & shrug it off as just part of show-biz, but there was an authenticity failure where they were not just pretending to sing, but never sang at all. Similar to a recent misbranding in the food industry, where the maker of "TGI Friday's Mozzarella Sticks" got sued after it came out that there was, in fact, ZERO mozzarella & only cheddar cheese in their product:


The whole backstory on Milli Vanilli is actually pretty crazy:


Some trivia:

1. The song was already popular before they attached the faces to it. They were offered $4k each to become the faces of the voices.

2. "Jens Gad, who played guitar and co-wrote several songs, didn’t even cross paths with the faces of the music he was working on: “We never met Rob and Fab, there was no need for them to be in the studio.""

3. Their team went through elaborate efforts to keep things a secret. They did appearances, but never sang live. They showed up to the studio, but kept everyone else out, citing "creative professional distance". The actual voice (Howell) was taken to the studio at night, with no staff around, with the windows shut. They brought in dialect specialists to help with their French & German accents to try to help them sound more convincing as the original singers.

To their credit, they DID get back on stage & finish the faulty performance; I can't imagine how difficult that must have been. Also, they went on to win at both the AMA's & the Grammy's (the Grammy was revoked). And now, 34 years later, people lip-sync on TikTok videos & get millions of views. Can't win lol.
 

Torn Mind

Lifer
Nov 25, 2012
11,567
2,626
136
The issue there is that their performances were perceived as disingenuous, so people felt ripped-off, which is why there was the public backlash. People can laugh at live lip-sync fails & shrug it off as just part of show-biz, but there was an authenticity failure where they were not just pretending to sing, but never sang at all. Similar to a recent misbranding in the food industry, where the maker of "TGI Friday's Mozzarella Sticks" got sued after it came out that there was, in fact, ZERO mozzarella & only cheddar cheese in their product:


The whole backstory on Milli Vanilli is actually pretty crazy:


Some trivia:

1. The song was already popular before they attached the faces to it. They were offered $4k each to become the faces of the voices.

2. "Jens Gad, who played guitar and co-wrote several songs, didn’t even cross paths with the faces of the music he was working on: “We never met Rob and Fab, there was no need for them to be in the studio.""

3. Their team went through elaborate efforts to keep things a secret. They did appearances, but never sang live. They showed up to the studio, but kept everyone else out, citing "creative professional distance". The actual voice (Howell) was taken to the studio at night, with no staff around, with the windows shut. They brought in dialect specialists to help with their French & German accents to try to help them sound more convincing as the original singers.

To their credit, they DID get back on stage & finish the faulty performance; I can't imagine how difficult that must have been. Also, they went on to win at both the AMA's & the Grammy's (the Grammy was revoked). And now, 34 years later, people lip-sync on TikTok videos & get millions of views. Can't win lol.
The music business is real rough. The seller side is about profits, and the buyer side operates on instincts(imagery, person outlook, connection) of some sort. So, photogenic young people musicians often have an advantage over non-photogenic and/or ones and often sought after.

While show like The Voice still have that music industry taint(I mean, you knew Wendy Moten wasn't winning if you saw what happened to Jesse Campbell seasons earlier, even if no one else could competently sing Whitney) on the seller side, the do bring to light acts that have but not as much public notoriety.

Also, an old thread from 20 years ago. https://boards.straightdope.com/t/milli-vanilli-and-the-aftermath/106166/10
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Pohemi