POLL: SONOS and NBC's "The Sing-Off"

8/23/2011

A cappella group, SONOS raised over $25,000 to pursue their "dream" of performing live with more advanced sound equipment, particularly enhanced "effects pedals" like those used by electric guitarists.

But those effects have been stripped away for the most important performances of their career.

On May 1st 2011, SONOS raised $26,162 through Kickstarter.com, a website in which creators seek public financial support, often in exchange for rewards such as recognition and discounted products.

Prior to the fundraising, SONOS fans had already become enamored with the group's heavy use of effects like distortion, delay, reverb and octavizer in their live show. Fans supported the equipment upgrade to help SONOS move further down a musical path that had already come to define the group's edgy sound.

But on Monday, September 26th at 8pm, when millions watch the group's most important show, SONOS won't be able to use those effects.

When it was publicly announced in August 2011 that NBC had selected SONOS as one of 16 competing groups on "The Sing-Off" season 3, a televised a cappella reality competition show, fans were excited about the new twist the sound of the show might take.

But in an email to their supporters, dated 8-23-11, SONOS reported their disappointment: "Unfortunately the network would not allow us to use our effects pedals in the competition in order to keep everything fair & balanced ..."

Should NBC have allowed SONOS to use their effects? Or would that have been unfair, even if the effects were offered to other groups? Take the poll and let us know.

POLL

Should NBC's "The Sing-Off" have allowed SONOS to use their effects? *

Yes. That's the "real" sound of this a cappella group. No. Even if they had offered the same effects to all groups, it would have still given SONOS an unfair advantage.

First Name *

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20 Comments

Colleen Keene link

8/23/2011 03:18:18 pm

Although I would have liked to have heard Sonos the way they usually perform, one of the things I like about the Sing-Off (versus a lot of recorded a cappella these days) is its honesty, and by that I mean the lack of studio magic. If Sonos can use pedals, then what's to stop other groups from using pitch correction? And when musicality is thrown out the window its just a popularity contest won by the youngest girls in the shortest skirts (which it almost is, anyway!) ...but for the record I love Sonos. :D

Del Coy

8/23/2011 11:23:57 pm

I disagree with a few things Colleen has said. First, using effect pedals does not mean musicality is thrown out the window. You can have great musicality and still use effects. It's just an extension of their pure sound. Coming from someone who has used effects, you don't just sing any old syllable through the pedal and boom, it sounds like a guitar. No you have to be able to manipulate your voice a certain way to get the pedal to react in just the right way. It's a skill. It's musical. It's artistic.

The second thing I disagree with is the slippery slope theory. The thing that will stop another group from using auto tune is the producers. They have ultimate control over the show and can simply say no.

As for the show disallowing them from using it. I can see if it was just a logistical nightmare, which it could be. But if it is just because they think it gives them an unfair advantage, that's hogwash. How are the other groups who probably would have never used effects disadvantaged? They have their sound and Sonos has theirs. If Sonos has worked to make this a part of their regular sound then they should be allowed to use it.

By disallowing groups from using effects you are in effect(no pun intended)alienating a significant part of the a cappella community. Many groups who don't have a true bass for whatever reason, like Blue Jupiter have resorted to using an octave pedal so that their singer can do the bass part.It has become a part of their regular sound.

Marty and many other vocal percussionists use the Thumper throat mic to amplify sounds that would otherwise be inaudible. Aren't they being put at a disadvantage if they are asked to completely change their technique to do the show? As far as I know, they don't allow the thumper mic either.

As for Sonos, I haven't heard them use effects yet. My only experience with them is their first CD "Sonos Sings" and the youtube videos I've seen with them doing songs from that CD. For the most part, except for the bass pedal, they weren't using effects and it sounded great. These guys/girls are top notch, refined musicians. As far as I'm concerned THAT gives them an advantage. They'll be fine.

Brad link

8/24/2011 12:10:23 am

Why is Sonos on the show at all? Aren't they already multi-award winning a cappella recording artists? There was a similar discussion about the Bubs on the first season, that it was a good thing that they did not win, because the records they put out were already better than what the producers would have allowed them make with their new record deal.

And besides, doesn't the show have its own arrangers that the groups use to tackle the song challenges for each week? Sonos' "sound" would be altered anyway by the producers' arranging, group numbers, and so on. Is it unfair advantage for groups who don't even arrange their own material to have access to the show's arrangers? I mean, if it's actual competition, they should be on their own, right?

In any case, as long as I get to hear Sonos do I Want You Back on the show, I'll be happy.

Tom Keyes link

8/24/2011 04:40:07 am

Like most polls, I answered the question as best as I could but I didn't like the text that went along with the answers.

"NO", The Sing Off is what it is, so groups shouldn't expect them to change it just to accommodate them. Groups that go on the show should realize what they are getting into. Having said that I know way too much about the details of this situation to discuss it much further without either violating an implicit trust or an NDA.

From an audience/production perspective I can pretty much confirm that having one group use effects would add a non-trivial amount of time and effort to the taping of the show, to say nothing about the technical side of it. Plugging and unplugging the effects into the mixing channels could be a production all to itself. I recall Tony Huerta chasing a ground loop hum at SoJam. It happened again at one of their latest Hotel Cafe gigs. In a live club house, you deal...on TV that gets fixed or it doesn't go on. So what I am saying is that I think any effects would have to be used for everyone or no one, fully tested and ready to go. I'm guessing that leaving 5 channels to the side just for Sonos to use is a little pretentious.

"YES" the producers should consider adding effects somewhere along the line. TSO is still a baby that exists somewhere around the mid 2000s in the A cappella timeline. The producers have not yet caught on that many groups are using effects and that the audience will probably forgive them for it. Maybe they will in Season 6 when the format is getting stale and they need to spice it up.

And to Del..you need to listen to that album more thoroughly. I agree that Sonos did a masterful job of making that album sound like voices while still using effects, but they are heavy on that album. The live show's effects grew out of their desire to replicate what they were doing in the studio on stage. That isn't to acknowledge that their use of effects hasn't grown as they've gotten to know their live sound.

And Brad, the short answer for why they are on the show is "9 million average viewers a night". Winning the show presents it's own challenges but in the end having $200,000, the backing of Sony, and national notoriety brings some perks. Sonos has a lot of fans, but not 9,000,000. Trust me when I say they didn't enter into this show lightly and they were concerned their fans would perceive them as compromising some ideal when they're just trying to grow as a group and take the next step.

Del Coy

8/24/2011 10:53:56 am

Tom, I listened to that cd non-stop for a month. If they used effects, it wasn't guitar distortion pedal effects. I heard an octaver but little if any other pedal effects. So I guess pedal effects is the key to my point. I hope that clarifies that.

I have to agree with you about Sonos being on the show to begin with. People keep saying how they are a pro group. Hardly. Have you seen their performance calendar? They are an amazingly talented and advanced group musically speaking, but for as good as they are, they really haven't done much compared to most of the other "pro" groups.

This is a huge opportunity for them and for any other group on the show.

chelsea c.

8/25/2011 04:33:28 pm

I've been a Sonos devotee for a long time, but I've always assumed their constant use of the stomp box pedals technically disqualified them from the a cappella category, at least pertaining to something like an a cappella competition... I mean, I guess if they're singing without them, that's a cappella then! :)

Has anyone ever seen them perform without pedals?? I mean besides the Fleet Foxes song?? I have like no idea what to expect!!

John

8/29/2011 10:27:40 am

This makes me mad. a capella means no instrumental sound. The petals change the sound of their voices (Hardly) AKA It is them displaying their vocal talent. Not giving them an advantage. (If anything it's a disadvantage for them) They still have tons of songs to perform anyways. (White Winter Hymnal, Wicked Game, Enjoy the Silence, etc.)

erik

8/29/2011 10:42:58 am

Strip all the groups down. No more autotune during post production. There is a reason that the live finale is never as good as the over-produced pre-recorded shows.

Joe

8/29/2011 10:47:30 am

I agree with Tom for the most part. I just want to address one thing that I hear over and over again regarding TSO and the use of pitch correction. People are fooling themselves if they think they're hearing a raw, unmixed, un-tuned, pure live performance when they watch TSO. The only way to hear that is to go to a taping. What you hear on the show when it airs has been heavily engineered to be perfectly on pitch and balanced. The show would fail without this. The average American television consumer is not interested in watching people sing off pitch. Ever. That being said, they do not add any additional effects beyond that (ie distortion, flange, and other effects typically heard in a Sonos performance). I'm not sure exactly where I stand on this issue with Sonos, but I just wanted to address that point before we go any further.

David Loucks

8/29/2011 11:02:09 am

Dear producers... let groups be WHO THEY ARE!!! They should not be asked or expected to change their sound for any reason.

Beth

3/23/2012 02:52:17 pm

And the producers shouldn't be expected to put someone on the show that doesn't fit what they want, for any reason.

Mardie

8/29/2011 11:02:18 am

I'm with Tom that it's neither, really... I don't think I agree with either of the sentences that go along with the choices. I don't think it's a matter of fairness in making them sound the best - It's clear that there's at least a *little* post production on everyone if you compare the quality of singing from the pre-taped episodes to the live finale. So no one's at a disadvantage there... the show wants everyone to sound their best. Which is great.

I'm generally annoyed by the use of pedals in a cappella if groups use them to cover bad singing. But that's not the case with Sonos at all - they're all stellar musicians who use pedals to advance their music and create a unique sound. They're just as good acoustic. But I don't think Sonos is at a disadvantage on Sing Off because they're not using their pedals, I think they're at a disadvantage because they're chill and indie on a show that rewards razzle dazzle. That's the part I'm curious to see - they're totally solid without effects... but can they bring the choreo and cheese that the show perhaps requires? (And...do we really want them to?)

Looking forward to the premiere!

Jonesy.

8/29/2011 11:31:44 am

A Cappella actually means "in the style (or manner) of the church" which refers to early church music being sung unaccompanied. With that being said, today's connotation of a cappella is music without MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS (voices only). Seeing as though a pedal is not a musical instrument and its effects DO NOT totally recreate and "instrumental sound" I believe that what SONOS does is definitely a cappella.

Honestly, this is what they have been doing for years now. It is the SONOS sound. The effects truly are what makes it easy for the members of SONOS to custom fit arrangements to the group. Those effects means anyone can sing bass or lead.... and that is VERY important to their groups structure.

However, the important bit of missing information is... How did SONOS audition? If they went in armed with effects than the producers are making a choice that is unfair to SONOS. If not, the producers are correct. Either way, this a group of OUTRAGEOUSLY talented and skilled individuals. Hopefully talent and skill will be the causes of reward this season.

Aaron

8/29/2011 11:56:41 am

The show has always been about diversity of performing styles. That's why you put Sonos on it; why not let them live up to their end of that bargain? I mean, let's be practical. If Sonos wins, we want the resulting CD to sound like Sonos. And we can't have this sound be a surprise to new fans from the show. They're voting for the sound that they want on that CD, after all. So I hope, in addition to the competition, that Sonos is given a chance to show the audience what they are known or. Maybe a special segment in the finale, after votes are tallied?

Carl J. Bowers link

8/29/2011 12:09:44 pm

It's too late for NBC to put that Jeanie back in the bottle, so to speak. Almost all musical performance involves some effect. So is reverb and digital delay allowed? Or pitch correctors? This seems like a typical network power play to control the artist. Let the artist do what they do. If they don't like it, so be it but let Sonos be Sonos!

Bryan

8/29/2011 12:28:43 pm

YES! (With the exception of pitch correction)

It's important to realize exactly what the effects do and what they do not do. Effects allow the singer to create sounds that are humanly impossible to create on their own. Though using effects on vocals is less traditional than using effects on say, a rock band's instrumentation, the function of the effects are the same. It would be silly to tell a rock band that their electric guitar player can't use his/her stomp-boxes.

What effects do not do... unless an effects pedal is specifically created for correcting intonation, a pedal will not make anyone sing "better". If you throw an overdrive effect on a bad singer, you now have an overdriven bad singer. If you have an octave pedal and sing out of tune, you now have 2 octaves of out of tune. And how does a pedal fall in a different category than a microphone? A microphone is equally as unnatural as a pedal. By manipulating the proximity of the microphone, a vocal percussionist can produce larger than life drum kicks. Is it unfair if a vocal percussionist has good mic technique?

The purpose of the show (or at least one of the purposes of the show) is to catapult the success of a remarkable group. Refusing to let them use what makes SONOS "SONOS" defeats the purpose of having them there in the first place. The fact that the 5 musicians that make up the group possess the technical knowledge and skill required to pull off the use of their equipment is part of their talent. In my opinion, it is totally unfair for them to have been forbidden to use their technological skills, creativity, and innovation. Listen to some studio recordings of a Sing-off performance from previous years. The production techniques that are used are exactly the same. Reverb, delay, distortion, and octavizers... If the show is ultimately going to use effects on the groups anyway, why are they denied the ability to do it themselves? Not unfair, just a giant step ahead of the competition.

But, I guess if using ALL of your talent is an unfair advantage then yes, they would have had an unfair advantage if granted permission to do what they do.

For the record, I still love the show.

Rosco B.

8/30/2011 12:58:20 am

Yes, SONOS is an award winning a cappella group that has been on the road for over two years trying to break through to a successful career, and they barely make enough performing to pay for their plane fare. It's true that they are well known in the national a cappella community (the source of their awards) but still almost totally unknown outside of that community. In two years they may have performed before a total of 150,000 people. TSO gives them an opportunity to introduce their music to an audience of around ten million. They would have to tour for years to get that kind of exposure, so I cannot blame them for taking advantage of this opportunity. Such exposure will hopefully make it possible for them to book larger venues and draw larger crowds to their road performances allowing them to actually make a living at this.

Regarding their inability to use their effects, I understand the thinking behind the restriction, but believe it is a shame. It would be like asking The Edge in U-2 to forgo the use of his effects when performing before the largest crowds. Can you imagine The Edge being required to play an acoustic guitar while on tour? I'm sure he'd play it well, but it would no longer be the sound of U-2.

SONOS has carefully arranged their vocal make-up and their repertoire around carefully selected effects (not autotune) to craft their own unique sound. Not being allowed to use their signature arrangements and sounds on the show gives the viewers an incomplete picture of what they are about. Hopefully the public will be interested enough to look into their recordings on line or see them perform live while on tour to see what they are capable of producing.

Robert-Jon link

8/31/2011 02:54:27 am

What a lot of people seem to be missing here is that TSO is not about promoting SONOS in the best way possible. TSO is a contest, with rules. And as with any contest, contestants are gonna have to apply to the rules to participate.

TSO drew the line here: no use of effect-pedals, no use of effects other than the effects that are applied to all performances by the show engineers. It's like joining the Tour de France on a motorized bicycle: you might be awesome on it, but in that particular race, it's not allowed. Now you can get all sentimental about the Tour de France not promoting your awesomeness on a motorized bicycle, but basically, the Tour doesn't care. Still, it might be amazing for your career and a smart choice to participate in the Tour de France on a regular bicycle.

So this is the same thing: SONOS *chose* to be in a contest and they *chose* to apply to the rules to be able to do it.

Personally? I'd rather see them perform with their pedals because I love that kind of stuff. But with the exposure they'll be getting from performing on TSO without them (and believe me, they are amazing without them), the chance of mee getting to see them live one time is getting that much bigger.

Trina

9/1/2011 08:59:41 am

I have been a fan of SONOS for a long time now. I completely agree with what Del Coy said. Their effects is what makes the sound of SONOS. I would love them to use their pedals and perform the way we all know and love <3

Judy

9/5/2011 08:19:39 am

These are the effects that make Sonos Sonos. To deprive them of these signature elements of their sound is like depriving Michael Jackson of his sequined glove or depriving Aaron Neville of his distinctive vibratto. I understand if the Sing-Off was a legitimate reality show that was all about the feats of the naked voice, but they're not. They pre-record and autotune all their opening numbers. How is it fair to accept a group because of their unique sound and then strip them of the very things that makes them unique? Sing-Off, you piss me off.