Ashlee Simpson's lip-sync goof on SNL...
Posted: Mon Oct 25, 2004 5:06 pm
http://www.cnn.com/2004/SHOWBIZ/Music/1 ... index.html
As a former sound engineer I can tell you this happens a LOT, and for fairly legit reasons.
To me it's always funny when I see anyone making a big deal out of this.
It's not unusual - especially if it's not a big gig - for a singer to lip-sync. A singer's voice is their living, and if you sing professionally it's easy to stress your voice box. I've had many singers that I've worked that would lip-sync if they were concerned about their voice and it was a simple 2 song luncheon gig. I would guess a great many singers that performed on Sat Nite Live, Letterman, etc. have lip synced since it's usually only 1 or 2 songs.
If your throat is sore, and You want to save your voice for a big concert the next day, for instance. Better than risking damage to your voice box and being out of business for a week.
Happens all the time. I USUALLY got a heads up a day before the gig but I usually used to bring a reel to reel 4 channel tape recorder (it's done with computers now) with me on most quickie gigs just to be prepared for that eventuality. If you're a sound man it's common practice, you just never mention names or talk about it much since you don't EVER want it being known you ratted out a performer - and then lose work because of it.
She'll actually be singing usually - it's VERY difficult to lipsync WITHOUT actually singing, but if your mike isn't hot you don't have to sing hard and damage your voice, and you don't have to strain for high notes, etc.
Yeah, the audience is getting gyped, but if it's Sat Night Live you're not just there for the band - the band is filler. Where you don't want to see this happen is a full-blown concert and to be honest I've never had a performer lip-sync on anything other than a short 1 or 2 song gig.
As a former sound engineer I can tell you this happens a LOT, and for fairly legit reasons.
To me it's always funny when I see anyone making a big deal out of this.
It's not unusual - especially if it's not a big gig - for a singer to lip-sync. A singer's voice is their living, and if you sing professionally it's easy to stress your voice box. I've had many singers that I've worked that would lip-sync if they were concerned about their voice and it was a simple 2 song luncheon gig. I would guess a great many singers that performed on Sat Nite Live, Letterman, etc. have lip synced since it's usually only 1 or 2 songs.
If your throat is sore, and You want to save your voice for a big concert the next day, for instance. Better than risking damage to your voice box and being out of business for a week.
Happens all the time. I USUALLY got a heads up a day before the gig but I usually used to bring a reel to reel 4 channel tape recorder (it's done with computers now) with me on most quickie gigs just to be prepared for that eventuality. If you're a sound man it's common practice, you just never mention names or talk about it much since you don't EVER want it being known you ratted out a performer - and then lose work because of it.
She'll actually be singing usually - it's VERY difficult to lipsync WITHOUT actually singing, but if your mike isn't hot you don't have to sing hard and damage your voice, and you don't have to strain for high notes, etc.
Yeah, the audience is getting gyped, but if it's Sat Night Live you're not just there for the band - the band is filler. Where you don't want to see this happen is a full-blown concert and to be honest I've never had a performer lip-sync on anything other than a short 1 or 2 song gig.