Comments on: Chipmunk Christmas, slowed down to original speed

By: Geoff Robbins

Geoff Robbins — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 12:37:00 +0000

…or a Dalek (ring modulators were used in the old days, don’t know if they still do, but it wouldn’t surprise me) – Dalek chipmunks, there’s a spooky idea…

By: Photomonkey

Photomonkey — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 14:24:00 +0000

This always reminds me of the Daedelus song that sampled this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=–iO4ZpTE-c

By: relawson

relawson — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 21:32:00 +0000

My cousins and I used to take one of those mini tape recorders with speed selection and make our own chipmunk skits. We got pretty good at the timing and switching back and forth for regular voice parts. Great times were had by all! :)

By: kevin casey

kevin casey — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 15:02:00 +0000

He writes this music blog
http://saidthegramophone.com/

By: dragonfrog

dragonfrog — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 06:59:00 +0000

That would be an extremely short round of caroling, in this neck of the woods.

By: Andreu LaFleur

Andreu LaFleur — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 06:20:00 +0000

Um, I heard you needed a link. Found it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8FxOu2gg10

By: Jonathan Roberts

Jonathan Roberts — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 04:58:00 +0000

I’m presuming it wasn’t just the songs – or was there another way to make the dialog sound like that without using this method? (taking into account Rob’s comments about FT)

By: Willem Oosterhof

Willem Oosterhof — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 03:36:00 +0000

Here’s the mp3.
http://kiwi6.com/file/2cj5ed4cat

And the orignal link where it used to be.
http://web.archive.org/web/20080220120504/http://www.saidthegramophone.com/archives/with_you.php

By: Boundegar

Boundegar — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 00:46:00 +0000

Needs more caps lock.

By: Boundegar

Boundegar — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 00:45:00 +0000

Analog fourier transform curcuitry is AKA ring modulator, and it makes really bizarre sounds. Instead of doubling frequencies, it shifts them by a fixed amount, so the harmonics are all wrong. Everything comes out sounding like a bell.

By: bill_mcgonigle

bill_mcgonigle — Tue, 25 Dec 2012 22:13:00 +0000

The Judeo-Christians got nuthin on Saturnalia, the winter holiday of human sacrifice, ‘festive’ rape, and property destruction. Caroling used to be naked and gingerbread men are echoes of alleged cannibalism. Anagrams can go back to their tame corners now.

By: musesum

musesum — Tue, 25 Dec 2012 19:56:00 +0000

The satan free sped up version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StC8MhcgALc

By: wrybread

wrybread — Tue, 25 Dec 2012 19:00:00 +0000

Ha, whoever wrote that description in the box, well done.

By: Rob Gehrke

Rob Gehrke — Tue, 25 Dec 2012 18:50:00 +0000

Did you know that “Santa” is an anagram for “Satan”? Coincidence?
Wake up, sheeple.

By: voiceinthedistance

voiceinthedistance — Tue, 25 Dec 2012 17:36:00 +0000

Even more festive than Cyriak. You rawk, Rob.

‘Tis the time of year to give thanks, so thank you Boing Boing!

By: Stefan Jones

Stefan Jones — Tue, 25 Dec 2012 17:18:00 +0000

My friend Paulie had that very album (I remember the calendar page) and a turntable with a 16 rpm setting (for “talking books” records). It was very eerie, hearing the singers’ natural voices.

By: Rob McMillin

Rob McMillin — Tue, 25 Dec 2012 17:07:00 +0000

I don’t think they would have. The Wikipedia page says it was just sped up, which certainly make sense.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alvin_and_the_Chipmunks

By: cellocgw

cellocgw — Tue, 25 Dec 2012 16:36:00 +0000

Can anyone verify they actually produced the songs this way? I had blithely assumed they just used a Fourier Transform to shift the voice frequency. (And, yes, there were FT techniques available even in the analog days)

By: 10xor01

10xor01 — Tue, 25 Dec 2012 16:18:00 +0000

Speeding up can also be funny. If you play the LP of Bruce Springsteen’s I’m On Fire at 45 rpm, it’s Dolly Parton’s voice you hear.

By: Boundegar

Boundegar — Tue, 25 Dec 2012 16:03:00 +0000

This is so great! I think I did this with an LP back in… well… the 20th century. But as a kid, I never noticed how exaggerated their enunciation is. Probably they did a first take with natural voices, and found it was unintelligible. There’s some craftsmanship to this.

By: vrplumber

vrplumber — Tue, 25 Dec 2012 15:37:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gd8jPj5l-S8

Patton Oswalt gold :)