Help my terrible vocals!!!!!

FinnJ · #1 01-25-2003, 04:57 PM

Help!!! i usually sing in my band and i do a far stab at the backing vocals and i think they are quite good but now that im recording vocals for my own tracks i find that im having trouble getting the notes i want to get. Does anyone here have any singing tips? or studio singing tips?. I wonder do all singers have these problems in the studio...

also do you guys know any good websites relating to songwriting? i wanna find out how the experts do it

kennydoe · #2 01-25-2003, 07:10 PM

singing is easy. singing well is not.

if you're not a "natural", the best way to stregthen your voice is by....you guessed it....singing. Your voice is a muscle and it gets strengthened and developed and sore like any other muscle...out of excercise and use.

The recording studio is not a friendly place for vocals. Ask Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez and Michele Branch. Most of what you hear on today's pop is heavily processed and enhanced - they don't sound like that live.

Don't get discouraged...just do the best you can and do it a lot.

~K

Reaper · #3 01-25-2003, 08:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kennydoe

The recording studio is not a friendly place for vocals. Ask Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez and Michele Branch. Most of what you hear on today's pop is heavily processed and enhanced - they don't sound like that live.

they do if they're lip-synching...

you might try singing scales, that might help.

kent · #4 01-26-2003, 03:34 AM

The most important aspect of singing in the studio is to find your comfort zone. If all of your experience singing is in a loud club or on a stage with alot of activity, singing in a dead studio environment can be really strange and even intimidating. Try to find ways to relax and be sure to monitor your voice relative to the music at the volume you are used to hearing. Also, since confidence is so important, keep in mind that small victories can lead to greater overall success. In other words, start with the less ambitious vocal parts of a project and work up to the more difficult passages. And of course the most important aspect of singing in a modern studio; Antares Pitch Correction.

Keep at it.

FinnJ · #5 01-26-2003, 10:01 AM

Thanks for the help guys, its toughs... i find myself having spells of loads of confidence and then spells of dispair...oh well i`ll keep pluging

can someone explain how compression helps vocals, i dont really understand it

thanks
john

darren wilson · #6 01-26-2003, 10:34 AM

Compression won't help your pitch, but like a compressed guitar signal, it will even out the loud and quiet parts for a more even, consistent volume throughout.

ardell henderson · #7 01-28-2003, 03:59 PM

I've read somewhere that when it comes to a vocalist's range - if you don't use it, you lose it!

So, don't take your range for granted - 1st ID your doable low & hi notes, then work your voice & occasionally "test" your range (i.e., try an ever higher/lower note), but be careful & don't damage your abilities - if it hurts, then stop!!

Also, do yourself a favor & get a large diaphragm mic (studio recording).

- good luck...

babahi · #8 01-30-2003, 01:50 PM

Very important thing that many aspiring singers overlook: warm up!! A decent warm up will have you ready and loose to sing or learn how to sing correctly!

Even more important, which most singers don't know: cool down once you're finished! That tip can save you some serious grief...

**jemaholic** · #9 02-01-2003, 04:52 PM

FinnJ-
Vocal recording as you now know,is a different animal than a live performance. The single most important thing you need to do FIRST...is really hear yourself in the phones. That's half the battle- and let me qualify myself here: I opened my first professional studio in 1978 and I've been recording ever since and currently work on projects daily.

Relax, don't push like on stage, and focus and record each line at a time if need be. Your voice doesn't sound the same every day so for strength might double each line on two tracks. Don't record hot -you need lots of head room or you'll pin the meters and ruin an otherwise perfect take.
The biggest mistake I see regularly is that people take loads of time to get their guitar sound right and spend very little time on the vocal tracks.

Best of luck...

FinnJ · #10 03-09-2003, 10:53 AM

I`ve completed the track i was working on and i have it up on iuma at

http://everglow.iuma.com

let me know what you think guys

bachle7 · #11 11-12-2003, 10:53 PM

I'm no singer, but I found this website helpful for tips on taking care of your voice and getting the most out of what you've got.
http://www.dogandponysound.com/sing_tipa.htm

I usually record 2 vocal tracks which seems to "strengthen" my wimpy voice.

I listened to your song and liked it. You've got an original sound. Keep up the good work!

track7 · #12 11-13-2003, 02:03 AM

Agh studio singing gotta love it!

I'm in the process of finishing off my first album with vocals and its been fun!

I think my voice is ok, I have my own style and it suits what i write however i'm not a natural by any means. Although that doens't mean you cant get pretty close with practise

And thats the biggest thing really, practising. Think about how many hours you put into guitar playing? If its anyhting like me its about the same as the average 8 year now practises video games! So you really need to work your throat. And practise with a purpose also. Really concentrate hitting your pitches.

Learning to control your "different" voices helps. I find that I can sing more chesty and resonant at deeper pitches, and then as I get to a certain range it changes to a more throat defined timbre. It helps to be able to effortlessly blend these. This is in addition to head voice or falsetto. Your girly voice in other words.

I also find that breathing helps. Sounds silly but its so true. The deeper and more controlled you breathe when approaching your lines the more power and control you have over your pitches and tone.

In regards to recording your voice....

Do it line by line if you need it. The pro's do. even singer we all know and love certainly dont do 1 take wonders in the studio. Its pieced together. And on that note. Try recording 3 or 4 takes all the way through, then you can piece together the best bits from each.

After that if you stil dont have the right bits in some places go in for punch ins from there.

Hearing yourself in the headphones is a strange one. I personally dont like to hear myself in the cans. Just the track. For some reason i pitch better like that trusting the vibrations of my chest rather than getting put off by my actual voice!

But some people like to hear it, and a lot of girls i recorded love to have copius amounts of "talent booster" in the cans as well (known as reverb to some people).

I've found that a good mic pre-amp and compressor is ESSENTIAL for getting a great vocal recording too. I'd definatley recommend a vocal chanel strip or something, that is a pre/comp/eq in one rack space. (i use a focusrite). I mean I cant stress the INCREDIBLE differnce recording with a sensible amount of compression gives you. It also makes your performance more confident because when you go high you dont have to crank you neck away from the mic just to level the volume out.

Obviously the pre-amp also gets the best tone out of the mic. And while we're taling of mics a large diaphram condensor is essential for all applications bar bands that have self called "screamers" - not singers. In that case get the sm58 out

I dont eq while i track vox, but sometimes depending on who you're recording you might need to. Again a vocal chanel strip is a lifesaver.Hope this helps

Track

frankfalbo · #13 11-13-2003, 02:15 PM

I've also found that when people go to that cliche "rock star" studio pose of pressing the headphones into their ears, (eyes closed in a passionate outpouring of emotion of course) their pitch will be off because depending on the volume levels, a closed back headphone close to the ear can change your "hearing pitch". So can the pressure exerted on your outer ear canal. So don't use small, closed back headphones, IMHO. For singing, I use these big, lightweight phones that aren't my best pair for monitoring. If the little speaker in there is too far away from your ear, though, it can sound flat. So don't just take your little phones and hold them 1/2" away from each ear either.

Soup Kitchen Studios · #14 11-13-2003, 03:06 PM

Frank...

I've never heard of that before. How does that happen? accoustically speaking, it doesn't sound possible; neither distance from the sound source or temperature should change the pitch.

gkelm · #15 11-13-2003, 03:19 PM

You might consider investing in a couple voice lessons. You'll get tips on how to correctly use your voice (from diaphram rather than throat) an some vocal exercises. It will give you some accountability, and encouragement to practice.
Greg