Making a singer's voice not die...

[geet73]

Currently, I'm recording three songs for my one band to put out a split with another band. Whenever we try to record my singer.. his voice dies and goes really hoarse after a short time.

When we play live and at practice, he's fine. He's also a very respected choral singer in my school. He sings everyday.

Does anyone know of anyways to make him A.)Keep his voice, and B.)Have his voice soung good at the same time?

[NYMorningstar]

The number one reason a voice goes is lack of air. The best remedy for the problem is aerobic exercise and the fastest way to get there is by doing wind sprints at a track. He needs to know how to breathe which is the inverse of what you may suspect. When he inhales his diaphragm muscles should move down and out as opposed to raising his shoulders and upper torso to take in a breath.

Experimenting with the sounds origin also is beneficial with singing exercises e.g. deep in the lungs, upper chest, throat, nasal area etc. etc. Drinking cold liquids prior to singing is not good. Make sure there isn't any smoke in the room he is singing in or anything he may be alergic too.

Another possibility is he is getting nervous. When at band rehearsal and singing in chorus he isn't alone. In the studio he is being singled out and it just may be making him nervous. Let him hang around and get more familiar with the studio, he may need to just relax. G/L

One more possibility is his monitor in the studio may be too loud and he is compensating by singing harder and louder than normal which may be wearing his voice out.

[chessrock]

It might not be a bad idea to hire a vocal instructor / coach for an afternoon to work with him and warm him up before you track vocals. Don't laugh. I know a lot of voice teachers who will do it for 100 bucks or less -- $25 assuming you split the cost between 4 members of the band.

Everything NY Morningstar suggested is pretty much dead on. Breathing technique is extremely important for a singer. And you mentioned he's fine in other avenues, and that he has some training . . .

So I'm assuming he probably gets nervous or whatever and as soon as the recording light goes on, he forgets to breath and use the techniques he otherwise uses under normal conditions. Warming up is going to be key for him. And having someone there (expert) to help him do that would pay great dividends.

[Ed Dixon]

Some vocalists find that some hot/cold drinks can help. Various combos involving tea, lemon, and honey are commonly mentioned.

Since I don't sing, can't say if they help, but I have seen folks that do sware by some of them.

Ed

[distortedrumble]

everyone has great ideas...some of them are great alternatives...but the only thing you need to do is take a belt and beat the crap out of his ass.....he'll start screaming and get an awesome vocal warm up....thats my prefered method of dealing with singers in the studio

[alphadelta80]

NYMorningstar gave some really helpful advice. Take it. I also have a couple of pennies to add if you want them.

There is an herbal tea called Licorice Root. It comes in either bags or just a box of bulk, grinded up roots. It's so sweet it almost taste bitter. It's 50 times sweeter than sugar. I take it with no honey or any type of sweetner. When you first taste it, it may give you the sensation of chewing on a loose twig from your backyard. But, It is good for you. The chinese have been using it for centuries for endurance, It's a sex stimulant, It helps with drug withdrawal, and it's especially good for sore throat and hoarseness. (If the problem is his throat). Also it helps to expel mucous from the respritory tract.

Too much of this herb (more than once or twice a day) can elivate the blood pressure. I've been drinking 1 cup a day for 8 years now and I'm fine. Your local health food store will have it. If not, You can contact one company that does carry it.

Alvita Herbal Teas
A TwinLab Division
American Fork, UT 84003

[distortedrumble]

alphadelta.....i kept expecting you to say "i'm not only a client...I'm the president"

[geet73]

I talked with him today after school... he said it himself that he gets a bit nervous.

He started drinking tea this weekend and said it cleared his nasal passages and all. We played three shows in three days, his voice was hurting on Sunday. Heh.

We really can't afford a singing teacher as of now.

The studio is.. my house. I try to keep things light-hearted.

It also doesn;t help that my bassist is a rushy little prick. He kind of tenses up everything.

I'll show him this thread and have him try something.

Thank you.

[distortedrumble]

........when doing vocals...the bassist doesnt need to be there does he? have a drummer or guitarist take him out to get some food or something, tell him to go home, or just chain him to a tree somewhere...keep all negativity out of the room. thats the only way i can get vocals on tracks done. usually when I'm doing my own vocals, no one else is in the room or the house... i usually jump around and play guitar and sing along for about a half hour before i start doing vocals to get the blood pumping.

[guttadaj]

Also, I think that if you can put the singer somewhere where he's out of sight, it might help. He's laying it all out there on the track, which can cause enough anxiety, but if he can at least get into the zone without worrying about how he looks too, it can help.

Playing a show is different, because the whole band is getting into the music, so if you're making faces or swaying while you're grooving, it's part of the whole band performance and your bandmates aren't really looking at you that much. (Obviously, the singer's not gonna be able to bounce around or headbang or whatever when recording, so he can't do everything he would do live to feel the groove, but being able to do a little eyes-closed face scrunching or something like that without feeling all eyes on him might actually help him feel it a bit more.)

When my band recorded in different studios, I later realized that the singer and me (backups) had a much easier time when recording when there were no windows from the control room into the place we were singing. I figured that it's because we were more at ease for this reason...

Maybe could have been there was a better mix in the cans or better sounding mics/preamps or something too, but I think there could be something to my theory too.

Good luck!!

[distortedrumble]

i think there is.....when i ever get around to making a small studio...thats something that will happen to....i dont need to see what the singer is doing and he doesnt need to see what I'm doing.....at least i dont think....i guess you could make a vocal booth with curtains

[geet73]

Our bassist is a homo. He always just shows up. Last time.. he showed up because his job just... didn't need him. He showed up and they told him to go home.

Before I moved into my new room, I ran mic cords across the hallway into our spare bedroom. His voice still died.

Meh. I don't look at him when hes trying to sing. I avoid making him nervous.

We'll try a few different things.

[distortedrumble]

ok well time for drastic measures......show the singer how to record his own vocals..stick him in the room with the computer and let him press record when hes ready and yall leave...this may sound a bit much but if he is absolutely by himself..he might do better

[bucchild]

I just had a brief comment....I was taking vocal lessons for a while, and one of the first things I asked was how to prevent myself from losing my voice (I had done a lot of screaming with that band, with a lot of singing, too....so I needed my voice to sound good after screaming). I asked what to drink, etc. He said that nothing cold is good, because it tightens up your throat. Nothing hot, because it could burn your throat. So warm is best....tea, water, even wine....

I asked about honey, since it's soothing. he said HONEY IS BAD....it's too thick...it coats your throat....that's why it's soothing....but it's bad for singing because you want your throat to be clear. Anyway....just wanted to throw this in since I figured there was finally a topic I could share helpful knowledge about. That is all.

[dan_studio_man]

as the singer in my band..i run into that problem a lot..loosing my voice quickly or some days not being able to do sing...all i do to warm up is to sing along to songs that i like...that i can sing to..nothing too high, and drink some warm milk before going to band practice. hope that helps

[noisedude]

Warm milk is a good one. I think in my case it is partly poor technique and partly struggling pitching/toning with cans on. Let the singer try with one can off to see if it helps, but if possible kill that side of the monitor feed or you could get a tonne of leak into your vocal track.

[distortedrumble]

warm milk isnt as thick as honey but wouldnt your vocal chords catch on the milk residue? not to mention your breath stinking...but thats a side matter...they cant smell ya on the cd lol

[noisedude]

I've not had any trouble like that, but it's possible I guess. Hot water is fine too. Whatever works for you, and thank god they can't smell you on the CD ... all that sitting around makes you fart.

[dan_studio_man]

haha, well, i guess its based on preference..for some people having something stronger helps more..i do agree though, honey doesn't really help much....and for the bad breath....if you're worried about that, take some mouthwash or whatever lol :-P

[AGCurry]

Singers do not drink milk or other dairy products before singing, as it produces phlegm.

Loss of voice is, plain and simple, due to bad technique.

I don't really know how to address screamers, as I haven't done that since I was a young man. But if I lose my voice, it's because I've been pushing it too hard with the wrong muscles. It sure sounds like the nervousness is causing the singer to tense up, and tenseness is a sure route to loss of voice.

[distortedrumble]

Originally Posted by AGCurry

Singers do not drink milk or other dairy products before singing, as it produces phlegm.

does the same thing in rappers too....milk...does a body good....just not in the vocal booth

[dan_studio_man]

Originally Posted by AGCurry

Singers do not drink milk or other dairy products before singing, as it produces phlegm.

Loss of voice is, plain and simple, due to bad technique.

I don't really know how to address screamers, as I haven't done that since I was a young man. But if I lose my voice, it's because I've been pushing it too hard with the wrong muscles. It sure sounds like the nervousness is causing the singer to tense up, and tenseness is a sure route to loss of voice.

is there any excersise that you know i can do to ease the tension in my jaw muscles? it seems like whenever i've been singing for a while my jaw always hurts after lol..is it i'm pronunciating my words too much?

[noisedude]

it may just be that you have to practice, like getting any of your muscles toned up. the fact is that you don't often open your mouth as wide as you do during singing. that said, if the problem gets worse the more you sing then your technique must be wrong, and like me you want some proper help.

[guttadaj]

I took a few vocal lessons a while back, and my instructor had me actually massage my jaw muscles before warming up. Couldn't hurt...

[sbenak1@mac.com]

I was an trained singer in high school, traditional lessons and such. I learned mostly for chorus and musicals. I even won a spot in All-State Chorus. My teachers trained me to breath deep from the belly and project as much as possible. Not surprisingly, I've never had much vocal stamina.

I just starting taking voice lessons again, I learned why I sound better on my studio stuff and loose my voice less when recording at home. Alot of the traditional technique are actually very hard on the vocal cords. If he is singing in the studio with his choral technique, he's overdoing it.

The problem can be TOO MUCH air. Nothing will kill your voice faster than singing loud with bad technique. So if you cannot afford proper lessons, use the magic of the studio and have him sing with less volume. That's why god made condenser mics. Even with bad technique, he will hold up longer if he pushes less air over the cords.

Hope that helps.

Sean