I actually feel bad for making this thread now with knowing the LittleMix girls are reading it, but yes you are right, I guess if they were it wouldn't come as a huge suprise, neither would it if they weren't based on their singing on the xtra factor.

But we heard a lot more than four voices tonight. How on earth does a four piece vocal group need extra backing vocals on their track in a singing competition, unless it's some sort of smoke and mirrors job by the producers?

Btw, I've no doubt the four girls are singing live and not miming....my only issue is with the additional voices on the backing track which are pitched just as loud in the soundmix as the live vocals.

He can talk look what marcus had i lost him in among the backing group so gary wants to think before he opens his mouth

As kandinski pointed out, you can. The signal is processed on-the-fly. Shania Twain is a big fan of it for live performance.

It didn't sound like the were using it, but of course the correction might not be noticeable. Noticeable correction ends up sounding like that Cher song.

this may go some way of explaining their suddenly better harmonising this week: http://xfactor.tellymix.co.uk/news/5...ive-shows.html

As I said above, I've no idea if their harmonies were live or on the backing track.....the backing vocals are so loud it's impossible to tell what is going on during the chorus, and who is singing what.

Very interesting.

That Cher song, Believe, used a vocoder, not Auto-Tune. A vocoder is the equivalent of using a wah-wah pedal for a guitar. They didn't sound like they had any vocal correction.

This, using it live is more noticable than using it post production aswell, if they had used it you would definately be able to hear it atleast once during the performance.

I love littlemix but I did listen to it back with no visual, there is a heavy backing track in parts, then it cuts to the actual vocal, I'll see if I can get a link, at first I didn't understand what Gary was on about but now I get it.

I wouldnt listen to gary lol his act marcus had that many backing singers that finding marcus was like a game of wheres wally

Exactly what I was thinking. I've been very critical of Little Mix's harmonies all the way through and even tonight thought they could have been tighter. That said, trying to sing in perfect harmony with a booming backing track and a screaming audience that won't shut up must be impossible!

I'm still not sure that their voices blend together amazingly well (controversially I wasn't blown away by their Cry Me a River, apart from the beatboxing. That needs to be brought to the lives!), but they seem to improving.

As much as I'd love them to do a cappella, I think it could fall a bit flat. Four (three if they used the beatbox) voices possibly wouldn't be enough to pull it off, particularly female voices. They would need to tread very carefully with the song choice.

Good luck to them though! I don't have a favourite at the moment and would love them to do well They just need to concentrate on their blend and getting their harmonies flawless.

They didnt have backing tracks, when you have 4 girls singing a different harmony each the vocal will sound big compared to a single artist, thats the whole point of harmonising. This is why compared to the others their vocals do sound more powerful.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sovdx...e_gdata_player

At approx 2mins in heavy backing track and you hear the backing track cut out at 2.13.

I only think this is being brought up about them because they are very good
They are shocking many people and now the rumours should act as a compliment to the girls that they are on the radar as a big threat to the obvious faves of the competition

While the musics playing the blonde one is singing a low harmony, when the music cuts out they all duplicate higher harmonies, when the music comes back in they go back to their original harmonies to give it more impact.

The verses are fine, as we can hear the girls' live solo vocals loud and clear. but when we get to the chorus, a whole choir of voices comes in on the backing track at the same level as the live vocals, to the point where you can't tell who is singing and what is live and what isn't. The same thing was happening on a lot of 1D's performances last year too.

Vocal Harmonies, look it up.

I have voted for little mix but if you don't hear the backing track you need your ears syringing lol.

? Theres no backing track, i explained why it sounded bigger in my post.

I'm very familiar with them : The Mamas and Papas were a classic four piece harmony group for example. But I'm pretty sure I can hear a lot more than four voices on Little Mix's choruses. The girls probably are very good singers, but I suspect the producers are giving them some help too (not just my opinion.....Gary alluded to it on Xtra Factor tonight).

Gary the man with absolutely no agenda of course

There is 100% a enhanced backing track for certain parts of their vocal , I have voted for them loads but I'm always level headed about things, we will have to agree to disagree I'm afraid, I've listened to it 10 times without the visual and that's my opinion which won't change but I still like them.

Auto-tune (the processor) is a vocoder. Also, from SOS:

"Cher's 'Believe' (Dec 1998) was the first commercial recording to feature the audible side-effects of Antares Auto-tune software used as a deliberate creative effect"

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/feb9.../tracks661.htm

I agree that it didn't processed tonight, I'm just pointing out that it is possible for live performance.

True, the guy probably talks out of both sides of his mouth at the same time