Help, I don't like my voice

[Quelle]

heh well okay, here is the problem:
i bought a mic a few days ago and play around a lot with it. here are my discoveries:
#1 i don't like my voice. don't ask me why its kinda weird. the thing i'm struggeling with is, that it got it's own sound and doesn't sound "neutral" like instruments. did anyone have similar experiences? like does it take some time to get used to it?

#2 when i try writing some songs, i got a rough idea but no specific one how to sing it. so the problem is, i keep changing the singing again and again and find it hard how to stick to something. how do you guys do it? like do you put the voice part down as an instrumental and just sing over the melody afterwards and kickin the melody out?

#3 i had voice lessons more than enough and arent that bad in it, buuut i practiced a song quite some time, till i got it. i'm kinda torn between if i should do the same with my own songideas or just autotune it. how do you guys approach this?

[fraserhutch]

1) It always takes time to get used to hearing yourself for the first time.
It is especially difficult when you are new to recording anything as it is hard to tell whether the recording chain is good or not or if you have a decent mic setup.

2) that comes with experience as you develop you own methods. I would hazard a guess that there are many methods people employ. In the end, it's whatever works for you. Changing the singing often means that you are changing the song, which of course is also part of the creative process.

Not being a singer I can't comment on your last question.

My $0,02.

Originally Posted by Quelle

heh well okay, here is the problem:
i bought a mic a few days ago and play around a lot with it. here are my discoveries:
#1 i don't like my voice. don't ask me why its kinda weird. the thing i'm struggeling with is, that it got it's own sound and doesn't sound "neutral" like instruments. did anyone have similar experiences? like does it take some time to get used to it?

#2 when i try writing some songs, i got a rough idea but no specific one how to sing it. so the problem is, i keep changing the singing again and again and find it hard how to stick to something. how do you guys do it? like do you put the voice part down as an instrumental and just sing over the melody afterwards and kickin the melody out?

#3 i had voice lessons more than enough and arent that bad in it, buuut i practiced a song quite some time, till i got it. i'm kinda torn between if i should do the same with my own songideas or just autotune it. how do you guys approach this?

[Dani Pace]

For what it's worth... Not many people like their own voice when they first hear it recorded. No one sounds guiet like they thought they would. Taking voice lessons is good but it is usualy in an open room, not into a mic. Learning how to properly use a mic takes practice. Singing a line without figureing out the melody is not the way to write a song. Vocals are the combination of poetry and music. If you really don't like your voice then you need to train it to sound the way you want it to, and that takes practice.

[Trell Blaze]

Originally Posted by Quelle

#2 when i try writing some songs, i got a rough idea but no specific one how to sing it. so the problem is, i keep changing the singing again and again and find it hard how to stick to something. how do you guys do it? like do you put the voice part down as an instrumental and just sing over the melody afterwards and kickin the melody out?

Welcome to the world of songwriting & production...lol

If you're new to this thing, relax and remember that songs don't just happen. The fact that you change it till it sounds right shows that you're willing to put in the hard work it takes to create a great song. Experience is the only thing that will improve that process (you'll start getting it "right" <~~subjective~~ much faster).

As for how "we" do it, you'll get a million answers to that question. There's no one way to make a great song. I've used many very un-orthodox methods like writing the last verse first...writing the song to one instrumental and changing the instrumental after I'm done...and many other bizarre mind tricks. Whatever it takes to get it going.

And I used to despise the sound of my voice. Since I've gotten used to it after hearing it 100000000000000 times during the mix process, it doesn't bother me anymore.

That's just how it sometimes goes when hearing yourself the first time. Keep at it and you'll get better in both aspects...

[Dogman]

I sound like a mix of Lemmy, Les Claypool, and Ozzy....NO ONE likes my voice. Sometimes, you just have to deal with this. You gotta use what you were dealt....

[THX1136]

Many good suggestions and insights. Another approach you may want to consider down the road is getting someone else whose voice you DO like to do your lead vocals. A friend of mine that writes a lot - had a major label deal at one time - has someone else do the leads on his tunes. He feels that is how to serve the songs best in his situation. Indeed, there are many options and approaches. Keep at it, you'll hopefully find a comfortable place in this vocal quest of yours.

[Freudian Slip]

First time I went to a studio and really heard how my voice sounded I hated it too. Takes a while to get over not hearing all that bass that travels through the bones in your head.

You could take vocal training and as long at you're not tone def or non-rythmic you could bennifit alot.


F.S.

[legacygone]

Originally Posted by Quelle

heh well okay, here is the problem:
i bought a mic a few days ago and play around a lot with it. here are my discoveries:
#1 i don't like my voice. don't ask me why its kinda weird. the thing i'm struggeling with is, that it got it's own sound and doesn't sound "neutral" like instruments. did anyone have similar experiences? like does it take some time to get used to it?

#2 when i try writing some songs, i got a rough idea but no specific one how to sing it. so the problem is, i keep changing the singing again and again and find it hard how to stick to something. how do you guys do it? like do you put the voice part down as an instrumental and just sing over the melody afterwards and kickin the melody out?

#3 i had voice lessons more than enough and arent that bad in it, buuut i practiced a song quite some time, till i got it. i'm kinda torn between if i should do the same with my own songideas or just autotune it. how do you guys approach this?

I am sort of going through the same thing as you are, but I think I am just a few steps ahead of you.

The main thing is for you to find which voice to use. I would start out using the most laid back - less intense voice.

Avoid autotune in the learning/ trial -error phase, unless you just want to check on yourself.

When you write a song (vocal part) figure out how to play that vocal part on another instrument, like guitar or keyboard. I found that I was using too many notes, and was trying for notes I shouldn't be trying for.

Once I figured out the notes, I would practice singing the part along with guitar or keyboard playing the same vocal melody. This pretty much made me on key 99% of the time.

From then on I just work on my voice.

The biggest mistake people make when first starting out, is trying to sing in a very powerful, emotional way. But you need to work your way up to being able to that. So I started a bit more laid back, and have seen a lot of progress in myself.

Hope this helps.

[jfrog]

My voice is mediocre on a good day....when I recorded a song that I really wanted to be sung well, I got a friend (a good singer) to do the vocals.

[Quelle]

good stuff guys, thanks a lot!
so i just keep it going

[Monkey Allen]

When I first started recording my songs on my old Tascam cassette 4 tracker I used to hate my voice. It was high, whiney and basically made me want to stab the speakers.

It's marginally better now, and I think improving. The most important thing is to play the song in a key that you can handle, do plenty of takes, work on timing and breath well.

I've also found it's wise to have one dry take and another take coloured with reverb.

Ah, it's all a bit of fun isn't it. I have zero singing talent so I like to try any trick I can find.

[mikemorgan]

see sig, I hear it every session

[MonkeyShock]

These guys have given you good advice. I agree with 'em all. I thought I could never sing, but I never gave up. I still suck, and can't do what I want with my voice, but, it's mine, and it's true, and well, It worked for Tom Petty and Bob Dylan and the rest. I think that a persons character shows through imperfect vocals. Character is important.
Be yourself and don't give up. At least it'll be your own.
I'm only saying this because I can't find a singer I like that trusts me.
If you want to hear some bad singing, you can check out a couple of tunes that I've grown to like......!
www.soundclick.com/theine
Keep it up, and sing your songs the best you can.
Peace, J