New to this! First recording ive ever done just looking for feedback?

KingDreamland

New member
Please don't be harsh or horrible, just an average guy trying something new and seeing the outcome! Quality isn't to good as I don't have any recording software. Any advice on what I can do to improve would be greatly appreciated. Just be honest! If you could listen to the full thing its only minutes long!

Thanks for all your time its appreciated!!


ZR:thumbs up:
 

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Your voice is good. You had one bad note at the beginning. Nothing professional singers haven't done. Possibly nerves.
Would it be harsh or horrible to suggest that you know the words to the song? You seem to miss words in several places and once you started singing the wrong line...
My advice would be to practice, and then I'd like to ask a few questions:
Are you serious about recording, or are you looking to be a singer? (you say you don't even have a DAW)
Do you play other instruments besides the cassette? (think that's what I was listening to).
Where do you see yourself in five years?
 
Yeah nerves got the better of me and I kinda struggled through the song! I do want to be a singer, I'm currently learning guitar. That's not harsh at all it goes without saying, the next recording should be of better quality. I want to make a name for myself if you know what I mean, I love singing and to record some tracks and hear people like them is what I want. In five years, I want a fan base! People that look forward to hearing what I have to give them. Thanks for listening honestly I really appreciate it.
 
It's a long and hard road with lots of people pointing you off the path at lots of different points. Lots of discouragements along the way.
I will wish you "good luck!" If you're truly serious: Set goals, set limits, try your best. I played music for my living from 16 years old and up, chased the dream, loved most of it. But I set a limit of 40 years old. When I hit it, I packed it up. Now I have a "career" putting out meat at WalMart. No regrets! I still claim to be a "song writer" and sing and play at Church. Still having fun, still loving life @ 55.
When you're ready to give something a serious try, set aside a Ben and take a backing track to a studio and see what comes out. Doing it yourself is cheap, but having someone do "professional" things with your voice can be a real eye opener. It can really boost you up. It can also give you a reality check.
 
have you any advice on song writing? I'd love to get in a studio one day and have a polished track. Thank you for all the advice!
 
Sure. Write what you know. Write what you feel. When you've written something down, set it aside for a week and then look at it again. It probably needs work. If not, it was a good stroke, but normally, they do. If you write from the heart and express yourself well, others who feel like you do will connect. That's what good lyric is (nutshell).

Now music is another thing altogether. A lot of what I write is because I constantly blitz around on instruments (guitar, piano, even drums). When I hear something that catches my ear, I record it. Songwriting is often just gelling your creative flows into cohesive bits that string together. Sometimes those recordings sit for years and I listen to them all from time to time. Sometimes I'll be inspired to write another piece of that puzzle, record it, and set it aside again. Sometimes I'll listen to two and put them together. Then again, sometimes I hear the whole song in my head and have to get it out...all at once!

Songs happen. You can take courses on how to write songs. To a real musician, though, it's obvious when a song was contrived rather than written. Some of the biggest hits I've ever heard were contrived songs, though. Doesn't mean we have to like it, but that's the music biz.

It's hit and miss, but if you go to the Song Writing forum, there's lots of other people saying lots of similar things. :)
 
Also, AFA studios go. Find one that's pretty reputable in your area (not hard if you're in Nashville, but a bit difficult most places). Make sure they do your genre. Don't expect to sit in front of Joey Moi your first time in (Google if you don't know). Some radio DJs can actually mix pretty well and might even have access to backing tracks...just a suggestion.
 
Another clip of me singing 'Someone like you' by Adele - Feedback!

Any feedback would be great, I just want to improve! Let me know what you think of my voice and stuff! Thanks for listening!


ZR
 

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Seriously, what is there to get nervous about? You are not performing in front of people nor it is a youtube video, right? And if it doesn't get right, re-take it a few times or till you get it right . I am sorry but being 'nervous' is not a good excuse. I get very shy in front of people, but I am never when I am on my own!

And if I were you, I would get some basic recording equipment. I do think you have a decent voice. You will be amazed how much your voice sounds better with better equipment and vocal effects.
 
I'm having a few doubts, here, and I think you're approaching the cart instead of the horse.
You claim to want to be a singer, but you're having problems with nerves when it's just you. Alone. How will you react when you have a 10,000 fan base waiting on your next release? How can you possibly get to that point if you're nervous now? Overcome your fears.
By the cart instead of the horse, I'm meaning: You want fans. You want to write for fans. That's the cart. Write from your heart (like I said in the first couple posts) and the fans will connect to your writing. Get your skills cemented (vocal lessons, guitar lessons). Get good enough that you're not nervous in your bedroom, alone. THEN start doing some free shows in the park. Just you and your guitar. If nobody shows the first few times, be confident in your abilities (you DO have a great voice). Pretty soon, if you sit on the fountain and play and sing (it's good practice if nothing else), someone will come along and like what they hear. Pretty soon, they'll come back with a friend. Then it snowballs (as long as you keep it fresh).
Bottom line that I'm trying to tell you: Don't worry about the fans. Worry about the talent, then showcase it.
 
Thanks for the feedback, yeah you're both right about the nerves! If I can't sing infront of myself there's something wrong! So thankyou for being upfront about it nerves stop now. By recording equipment what are the basics I will need? Thanks again for the response!
 
Depending on budget and need, you'll start at about $500 without monitors, to tens of thousands if you so choose. For a hobbyist, it's best to start at the lower end, but if you are serious and want to get going, set a decent budget and ask questions about how to apply it.

Okay, first a quiet, controlled room. If you clap and hear high frequencies after, that's called flutter echo. If you clap and hear a clap after, that's regular echo. If you clap and you get a pleasant tonal ambiance back, that's called reverb. You definitely want to control the first two (room treatment is in order). The last is passable if you don't mind that being the only reverb you'll get. Corner trapping is fairly imperative. Bass collects in corners and needs to be tamed. Room treatment is the most overlooked aspect of recording/mixing. Most bad mixes are due to poorly recorded tracks during the tracking process and your room lying to you when you're mixing.

Second. Mike, interface, headphones and DAW. LOTS to choose from, but start somewhere basic. Grab a package deal like the PreSonus or Focusrite studio bundle. Make sure you get a pop filter with the mike if it's condenser.
If you can afford, take a step up to the NI KA6. Excellent starting unit.
Get a decent mike (check the microphones equipment forum for lots of conversations).
Sennheiser 280s get a lot of nods in the $100 bracket as do Sony's 7506. Lots of others to consider as well.
Many people learn on Reaper as it's cheap ($60 for the full version) and VERY powerful/flexible. Many others use the bundled software that comes with their package and eventually spend $100s to get the full version. Then more quite often for upgrades... Others go against the grain :) and get DAWs that aren't included in bundles and aren't inexpensive (Acid/Samplitube/Reason/etc.)

Third. Ear training. Find a system out there (they're all over youtube) that gets you frequency training. Get your ears in tune with sound. A good set of ears is a tech's best tool! If you're the kind of person that can sit in a crowded room and make out 4 or 5 conversations at the same time, that's a great start. It's kind of what you have to do.

Lastly, studio monitors. You really don't need these to record. But when it comes to mixing, they are inevitable. Again lots to choose from and your need will be based on the size of room you mix in and other considerations.

Hope this helps.
 
Thanks for the feedback, yeah you're both right about the nerves! If I can't sing infront of myself there's something wrong! So thankyou for being upfront about it nerves stop now. By recording equipment what are the basics I will need? Thanks again for the response!

Also, don't fear criticisms (your first post tells me that you do). For someone who sings as a hobby, it can be a hard/mean. But for someone who wants be a singer, you should see every criticism as a golden opportunity to improve. So welcome criticisms. When someone fears criticisms, I just think they are just not confident or just not clear about goals. If your goal is to be be singer, nothing should bother you. That's how passionate singers are. They live to sing so nothing/nobody can stop them from singing.

Also, just a friendly advice. I don't know how old are you, but it is easy to get so passionate and forget about the future. Just also think about how you can bring in some money to pay the bills. So learn something music-related so even if the singing doesn't work out well, you still can do something related to music and still make a decent living. So you have both ends covered.

Majority of people hate what they do for a living. So it is great to see someone chasing their dream. Good luck! :)
 
Also, don't fear criticisms (your first post tells me that you do). For someone who sings as a hobby, it can be a hard/mean. But for someone who wants be a singer, you should see every criticism as a golden opportunity to improve. So welcome criticisms. When someone fears criticisms, I just think they are just not confident or just not clear about goals. If your goal is to be be singer, nothing should bother you. That's how passionate singers are. They live to sing so nothing/nobody can stop them from singing.

Also, just a friendly advice. I don't know how old are you, but it is easy to get so passionate and forget about the future. Just also think about how you can bring in some money to pay the bills. So learn something music-related so even if the singing doesn't work out well, you still can do something related to music and still make a decent living. So you have both ends covered.

Majority of people hate what they do for a living. So it is great to see someone chasing their dream. Good luck! :)

Preach that, brother! When I was in high school and playing for Jazz Festivals/competitions the judges were HARSH!!! You had to learn to take what they said and work on the areas they critiqued. Next time you went back they'd be just as harsh, but mostly not on the same thing....makes you better!
 
I have heard MUCH worse than you. There are some people that were born with a voice that could never sing well. But what I hear in your voice is just a lack of training. Well all have something about our voice that falls short at first. Some people amaze me at how they seem to have been born to sing. The rest of us have to earn it. That means get training for most. I am doing things now that I couldn't dream of doing 2 years ago. I owe it all to two things. My love of singing, and my persistence to train to make something happen.

You have a really good voice already. Way better than mine. It's just in a raw and untamed state. I really do think if you took some training, you would amaze yourself even in the first month. And that would make you want it even more. Many of us cannot afford to get private vocal lessons. And choosing a coach is like trying to find a good lawyer. I went through quite a few coaches before I found one that made things happen for me. His name is Ken Tamplin. He's a little on the cocky side. But he delivers. And don't be fooled because he's a heavy rock singer. His techniques work for any genre of music. I saw big improvements in a couple months that made me want to sing more. And that was over a year ago. I am a lazy person and don't train as much as I should since I have kids around me every day. But for the time I have spent, the training delivers every time I do it. All pros train their voice. And for good reason. Nobody is born to belt out notes every night without proper training to keep it working.

If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to give me a shout.

https://www.youtube.com/user/2NiteMusic/videos
 
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