Hi All!
I'm just checking back in to say I'm still hanging in there and have not yet made the big leap to schedule that pro studio time I mentioned after numerous trials with my Zoom Q8 and Studio Projects B3 condenser mics. I did some research because I have a problem that is not predictable where I have phlegm around my vocal cords that can have a dramatic effect on my singing. I don't want to pay for studio time and show up unable to sing.
Pro vocalists use either a "nebulizer" or a "steamer" to moisturize their vocal cords directly before singing. There is a steamer/nebulizer debate. The real gist of it is dryness around the vocal cords. You can drink a lot of water and just be "hydrated" in general and maybe not have the problem. I'm 66 yrs old and can be, due to the aging process, easily dehydrated. You might think if you drink just before singing that it will moisturize your vocal cords, but the vocal cords are not in your esophagus, they are in your trachea or wind-pipe, and that's why steam, or using a nebulizer is used by pro vocalists.
There are several videos where they purport that a nebulizer is best because it penetrates deep. I found often they are videos where eventually by the end they want you to buy a nebulizer they are selling. I read two ENT doctors comments stating nebulizer produce super fine atomized water (like a thick fog) that penetrates deep into the lungs and are designed for use with various lung medications. Steam does not penetrate that deep, and so they contend steam is better for vocalists. I ordered finally, after a lot of searching, for a portable steamer that I can always bring with me and use before I record. It's suppose to arrive in about 5 days by mail.
It's September 2nd and a few days cold already in Minnesota, so I hope the day I record it is warm outdoors. Where I use to live in the north I learned long ago in that area they have snow recorded every month of the year except July ha! I'm hoping for warmth because doing my trial runs by bicycle (I commute by bike and don't own a car) I've seen a couple of very nice parks with pavilions that I'm almost sure have AC plug-in. I can moisturize there, about 2 miles from the studio. I'm thinking it might not look so good if I'm using a steamer in the main area at the recording studio, an area that has couches, a kitchenette with a bar like counter, and a main front counter that looks like no one ever sits behind. When I was there on one of my trial runs that main area was very busy. There were a lot of people and very expensive looking cameras etc involved in a video that seemed to be using both the small and large studios. It could be a busy day the day of my appointment. I'm going to, thanks to advice here, bring my Zoom Q8 camera and a tripod as at the studio the owner emailed they only have mic stands -- so more to carry in my side bags. That's how it is so far. Thanks for all the patience with my amateur ways, and with all the great advice here!!
Top of the Day!
Winfred
I'm just checking back in to say I'm still hanging in there and have not yet made the big leap to schedule that pro studio time I mentioned after numerous trials with my Zoom Q8 and Studio Projects B3 condenser mics. I did some research because I have a problem that is not predictable where I have phlegm around my vocal cords that can have a dramatic effect on my singing. I don't want to pay for studio time and show up unable to sing.
Pro vocalists use either a "nebulizer" or a "steamer" to moisturize their vocal cords directly before singing. There is a steamer/nebulizer debate. The real gist of it is dryness around the vocal cords. You can drink a lot of water and just be "hydrated" in general and maybe not have the problem. I'm 66 yrs old and can be, due to the aging process, easily dehydrated. You might think if you drink just before singing that it will moisturize your vocal cords, but the vocal cords are not in your esophagus, they are in your trachea or wind-pipe, and that's why steam, or using a nebulizer is used by pro vocalists.
There are several videos where they purport that a nebulizer is best because it penetrates deep. I found often they are videos where eventually by the end they want you to buy a nebulizer they are selling. I read two ENT doctors comments stating nebulizer produce super fine atomized water (like a thick fog) that penetrates deep into the lungs and are designed for use with various lung medications. Steam does not penetrate that deep, and so they contend steam is better for vocalists. I ordered finally, after a lot of searching, for a portable steamer that I can always bring with me and use before I record. It's suppose to arrive in about 5 days by mail.
It's September 2nd and a few days cold already in Minnesota, so I hope the day I record it is warm outdoors. Where I use to live in the north I learned long ago in that area they have snow recorded every month of the year except July ha! I'm hoping for warmth because doing my trial runs by bicycle (I commute by bike and don't own a car) I've seen a couple of very nice parks with pavilions that I'm almost sure have AC plug-in. I can moisturize there, about 2 miles from the studio. I'm thinking it might not look so good if I'm using a steamer in the main area at the recording studio, an area that has couches, a kitchenette with a bar like counter, and a main front counter that looks like no one ever sits behind. When I was there on one of my trial runs that main area was very busy. There were a lot of people and very expensive looking cameras etc involved in a video that seemed to be using both the small and large studios. It could be a busy day the day of my appointment. I'm going to, thanks to advice here, bring my Zoom Q8 camera and a tripod as at the studio the owner emailed they only have mic stands -- so more to carry in my side bags. That's how it is so far. Thanks for all the patience with my amateur ways, and with all the great advice here!!
Top of the Day!
Winfred