Vocals in clubs

Makaveli

Ok I have noticed this a lot and am not sure why it happens so maybe a dj could shed some light on the subject for me.
Why are the vocals on songs sped up in night clubs? If you listen carefully the beat seems the same but the vocals sound a bit like chipmunks. I cant figure out why this is, so could somebody please tell me.
Thanks

Gordon

Is it not because they are trying to fit a fast song record to a slow vocal record so therefore have to speed the vox to match the music.

Or are they off their heads?

Makaveli

But these songs are not being mixed they are just being played. I only notice it with hip-hop songs.

Gordon

Maybe they are trying to match the beat with the vibe of the audience? dunno

Makaveli

Maybe.
Most people are usually too pissed to notice it anyway. It's just some times I sing along to songs and I do it at the regular speed and all of a sudden I'm behind the track. It's a weird but it also sounds crappy.

Gordon

Ye, but that's because you're out of time

Lenny

I don't know what clubs you go too.. must be under 18's events?
And the likes of scooter would be played, giving the affect of happy hardcore music, which is kids music
fast vocals in tunes are usually aimed at 12 year olds

Makaveli

Read the posts. Hip-Hop vocals not Scooter not dance not under 18

Executive Steve

the tunes are at all diferent tempos so they are being pitched up or down. probably up because well its easier to mix fast beats and if you speed it up you make hip hop slightly less boring..

phobos

K, I have been Djing for about 3 years now (in clubs too, Imagine that )

Anyway, it is very rare that a tune you listen to at home will be played at the same pitch as in the club. When I'm playing depending on what kind of music I'm playing, and at what point in the night I am playing will determine how much I will be pitching my tunes.

You say that the beat is the same but the vocals seem faster. This isn't entirely true, because when you pitch a tune, the whole song is actually getting faster (all the elements, not just vocals). But the reason you think it's the vocals is because it's much easier to detect a pitch change in a vocal rather than a beat. This is especially true if you are off your head, in a club. Sure jaysus, I have played sets in clubs, and found myself waay slower than I should be (WRT pitch), in order to get some requested tunes in. So in (most likely breakdown), I will start nudging the pitch to the beat, to the drunken clubber this will not be noticable, but I've sped tunes up 3-4% without anyone knowing. But as a DJ you will become much more critical of such thins (as I've heard some other Dj say on these forums, which is entirely true). Even when you're off your head, you will still know if the Dj is loosing the plot.

Failing the last paragraph it could be down to a bootleg version of the tune, with some funky fukabouts done with the vocals (who knows!. That kind of thing is soooo common these days, especially with more popular dance tunes).

Anyway don't lose any sleep over it

;-phobos-)

Makaveli

Thanks Phobos. You cleared that one up nicely. It probably has been the whole song that has had the pitch increased, it's just harder to notice the change in the pitch of the beat in some songs where as the vocal change is easy to notice.