Introduction
Technology in art is a form of venture where artists use digital technologies to create their works and use tech as part of their creative or presenting process. Other names have been used to describe this process, such as multimedia art or computer art. Technology has brought about new tools and devices that the artists have used to create their works. Each year as technology has improved, more devices have been innovated to be used for artworks. As a result, technology has greatly impacted the arts industry.
Is Technology for the Better or Worse?
Over the years, technology in art has been used in the music industry. Innovative technologies have integrated the creation of musical instrument digital interfaces and software-based visual instruments that have let people use millions of sounds for music production. These technologies have allowed artists and musicians to manipulate and program their music in complex ways (Lerch, p. 902). There have been Multitask Recording technologies that producers have used to produce different song parts and join them together. Digital manipulation has been used to transform and alter artwork using technology to achieve new results. Auto-tune has been a major use of tech in the music industry. The auto-tune makes faulty pitches notes discrete and converts them instantly to the nearest semitone (Lerch, p. 906). The result of auto-tune is the elimination of errors of off-pitch and off-key, and the artist’s sound sounds more professional. As a result, digital production software has enabled producers to create and record high-quality content.
The auto-tune has made the life of artists easier as achieving a perfect pitch and notes is not always easy, even for professional musicians. The tech can be used to add a beautiful flavor to the music piece and give a modern sound to the piece. The auto-tune can be used as a cool effect and can be used on instruments like bass off-tune instead of re-recording, making life easier for the artists and producers (Autotune, min 0:21-2:39). Auto-tune saves time and works as a safety net for the musicians as they feel they do not have to use much time trying to achieve a perfect voice as they can auto-tune the music later.
However, auto-tune has been a source of controversy among musicians and listeners in the music industry. Auto-tune has produced vocals that feel unnatural and with heavy synth. Some people have argued that auto-tune has eliminated the music industry’s skill and sense of culture. The auto-tune has minute accuracy that many people find as the soul of the music, hence removing the life to the music. Other genres of songs, such as pop music with initial overproduced tunes, gain a more robotic sound and become harder due to the unnatural sound.
Musicians and singers with limited knowledge of good pitch and tune have gained fame due to auto-tuned hits as they sound good in auto-tune to the expense of other naturally good musicians. These instances have been felt unfair to the good singers. Auto-tune has encouraged mediocre singers where they have been able to come up with music so easily hence affecting the authenticity and the value of the music industry (Ashlee Simpson Screwup, min 1:37-2:28). There have been instances where some artists go to the music studio expecting that they sound like famous pop stars as they feel they sing well on auto-tune yet are horrible singers. Other artists may lose the motivation and commitment to recording good music as they feel they can fix the music later by auto-tuning it.
The use of technology in arts has resulted to some artists to lip-syncing while on live performances due to a lack of confidence in the live concerts as they avoid and fear singing out of tune. Music tracks are usually recorded separately, and the musician may lip-sync to imitate the music playing. Using technology in the art may produce an artist who is not competent in their work as the music produced with auto-tune makes them feel more professional than they are (Milli Vanilli, min 0:07-0:47). When the time comes to show their work in lie performance, they may end up embarrassing themselves or even using words that are not correct as recorded as they are trying to imitate the recording.
The use of technology is applied in different art forms, such as drawing, painting, and visual art production. Technology has made it easier for the artist as they have provided the artists with all the necessary tools to create the art pieces. Endless kinds of brushed are available and colors that would be expensive to purchase and easily create things that would be hard creating in traditional forms of art. There are advantages where when mistakes are made. The artist needs to click undo to eliminate the errors, unlike other arts where they need to eliminate mistakes more complexly. However, there are issues where many people do not recognize digital art as it does not feel authentic and genuine (Lee, p.9). The digital arts lack the artistic touch and feel. Digital arts are faster to produce; hence lack the feel of working on the art piece or the satisfaction of producing it. Some artists may find it easy to copy the works of other artists when using the digital arts.
Conclusion
In conclusion, technology is both for the better and worse. The advantages are more on the artist’s side, and the audience feels more of the disadvantages. The artists can enhance the quality and ease of production of their work. Digital manipulation has been utilized to transform artwork using technology to accomplish new results. However, the use of technology in art is felt by many people as the production of less authentic and unnatural work.
Works Cited
“Ashlee Simpson Screwup News Report.” YouTube, uploaded by 86Edproductions, 2007, Web.
“Autotune, With and Without Comparison.” YouTube, uploaded by TheAutotuneKing77, Web.
“Milli Vanilli – Lip Sync Song Fail (MTV Concert 1990).” YouTube, uploaded by MilliVanilliFanclub, 2014, Web.
Lee, Jin Woo, and Soo Hee Lee. “User Participation and Valuation in Digital Art Platforms: The Case of Saatchi Art.” European Journal of Marketing (2019). Web.
Lerch, Alexander. “The Relation Between Music Technology and Music Industry.” Springer Handbook of Systematic Musicology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg, 2018. 899-909. Web.