Feedback Please!

R

Roro

New member
So since I joined a few minutes ago, I thought I post some of my songs that I have covered earlier!

Hope you all enjoy and please provide any feedback that you can :-)
Whether it's tips on how to sing better or how to fix my mixing, please let me know! I'd like to improve as much as I can :D
I know a comment I often get is that I leave the backtrack too loud or I put too much reverb... so if you guys have ways to avoid that, please let me know!

 
•I Just Died In Your Arms Tonight by Cutting Crew - ambitious endeavour as this is a HARD song to sing. I'd give you a B for this as you hit the majority of the notes. Try to hit the notes dead on instead of sliding up to them. Are you recording with headphones so you can hear the music ok? Oh and the mix is ok because the vocals are clear for a critique.
 
ido1957 said:
Try to hit the notes dead on instead of sliding up to them. Are you recording with headphones so you can hear the music ok?
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Yeah I struggle with scooping :(
It's a habit I sadly developed and a habit I'm trying my best to break.

And yes, I listen with headphones... well I use some cheap headphones. But when I record I listen with one ear bud so I can listen to the backtrack and also listen to how I sound. Sometimes when I have both ear buds in, I can't really hear if I'm singing the note in tune.
 
Roro you have a good voice, it's time you bought some better recording equipment. Not expensive but more convenient and helpful for singing and recording. What equipment are you using now?
 
So I record with a condenser microphone I found on Amazon.
It's specifically called CAD U37 USB Studio Condenser Recording Microphone (~$50) and I've been using it since the summer of 2013.

To mix, I use Audacity, but recently I've been playing around with some plug-ins. I haven't checked the plug-ins for EQ or compression, but I'm using Ambience for reverb.

I may consider buying some equipment, but since I'm a broke college student, I'm not really sure what I can get.
 
Pawn shops around here have used audio interfaces for about $40 USD (Presonus, M-audio etc...) Not sure about your area but you could look around. Would be a step up from your computers sound card. Although then you would need a new mic :(
 
Oh I never thought about checking pawn shops lol

I'll check it out! I kinda don't want to buy new equipment because I'm just singing as a hobby and not as a profession. I don't want to get carried away and buy ~$1000 worth of equipment that I will probably only use during my college years. Either way, I'll do some research :-)

Thank you guys for the suggestions btw!
 
Roro said:
Oh I never thought about checking pawn shops lol

I'll check it out! I kinda don't want to buy new equipment because I'm just singing as a hobby and not as a profession. I don't want to get carried away and buy ~$1000 worth of equipment that I will probably only use during my college years. Either way, I'll do some research :-)

Thank you guys for the suggestions btw!
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What you have now will do fine especially if you're a student on a budget. If you still want to record after college and want better sounding results, then you can consider upgrades.
 
If you're at college you'll know that SO is, essentially, a conjunction and ought not begin nor end a sentence.
Ear buds won't help you bud.
The way you monitor yourself and the backing when recording a vocal suggests that you need someoen to help you organise your process.
Try the newbie section for "getting started" info.
 
rayc said:
If you're at college you'll know that SO is, essentially, a conjunction and ought not begin nor end a sentence.
Ear buds won't help you bud.
The way you monitor yourself and the backing when recording a vocal suggests that you need someoen to help you organise your process.
Try the newbie section for "getting started" info.
Click to expand...

So, you teach him ray... :D
 
I listened to "Died in your arms tonight" and echo Ido's observation: it is a difficult song, but you did a reasonable job with it.

However, although your voice is pretty good, it is clear that it is untrained. There are some pitching and phrasing problems here and there that could be fixed with some vocal coaching.

I also echo Ido's comments about equipment. Use what you have for now and do the best you can with it.

If people are astonished by a brilliant astounding performance, they are not going to be too fussed about whether you used a CAD USB mike or a Neumann.
 
Ray, there's an overload of information in the newbie section, but hopefully I find a section that gives me more information about proper recording headphones and procedures. Also, I hope I find that "someoen" too :D

Gecko, thanks for the tips! I'll do my best to work on those areas. I don't have access to a vocal coach, but maybe I can fix those problems by looking at the advice given somewhere on this forum.
 
Also, since you are already at college... Go find the music department and use a music class as an elective. Our college gives one hour (per week) vocal lessons for 1 credit. There are also class size lessons for 3 credits.
 
And yes, I listen with headphones... well I use some cheap headphones. But when I record I listen with one ear bud so I can listen to the backtrack and also listen to how I sound. Sometimes when I have both ear buds in, I can't really hear if I'm singing the note in tune.
Click to expand...

Great job! It is one of the major problems with vocals when doing on your own. When I just sing with the speakers on, I can sing a lot better and it doesn't sound too separate from the backing track. I think the bleed kind of helps. Give it a shot and see.

Try pulling down a bit (1.5 to 2db) from the 500K/ or 3-4K from the backing track. The vocals usually sit a bit better.

Look in craigslist for used equipment. Also as someone said, take a vocal or music class.

Here is one song on a backing track using the techniques above
 
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