Yes but the chipmunks are exactly 2x faster (1 octave higher) to hit exact notes; also the standard tape speeds were in this ratio: 1⅞ and 3¾ ips for domestic settings, and 7½, 15 and 30 ips in professional settings. The technology to change pitch and speed independently without undesirable effects only appeared with digital signal processing in the 1980s or thereabouts, so Seville needed to record at half speed, and you can hear him sometimes not holding his breath accordingly.
The effect was first introduced in his 1958 song Witch Doctor for the chorus. Like many songs in the Cold War era, it was covered by a Czechoslovak artist: actress Aťka Janoušková (and voice actress later known for Maya the Bee) was chosen for her comedic childlike voice so that she could sing the chorus a few notes (not an octave) higher in live performances. The resulting song Zázračný doktor is in third person about a guy with “nerves in shambles” visiting a psychiatrist in Kentucky (incorrectly pronounced as Ken-toots-key to rhyme with cucky – Czech for shambles), otherwise the plot is very similar.
Yes but the chipmunks are exactly 2x faster (1 octave higher) to hit exact notes; also the standard tape speeds were in this ratio: 1⅞ and 3¾ ips for domestic settings, and 7½, 15 and 30 ips in professional settings. The technology to change pitch and speed independently without undesirable effects only appeared with digital signal processing in the 1980s or thereabouts, so Seville needed to record at half speed, and you can hear him sometimes not holding his breath accordingly.
The effect was first introduced in his 1958 song Witch Doctor for the chorus. Like many songs in the Cold War era, it was covered by a Czechoslovak artist: actress Aťka Janoušková (and voice actress later known for Maya the Bee) was chosen for her comedic childlike voice so that she could sing the chorus a few notes (not an octave) higher in live performances. The resulting song Zázračný doktor is in third person about a guy with “nerves in shambles” visiting a psychiatrist in Kentucky (incorrectly pronounced as Ken-toots-key to rhyme with cucky – Czech for shambles), otherwise the plot is very similar.