Do You Like (Or Hate) Your Voice?

[Resurrect]

I'm think my voice is decent, though I wish I had a wider range. If I stretch, I can reach three whole octaves, but It starts to hurt on the high end. But I think I sing halfway decent.

 

[joey2000]

I would suggest this to anyone to get a fairer assessment of their voice: record it a cappella and listen. It's easy for us to feel we sound good when singing along with instruments or tunes from the radio....can be quite a diff story when there's nothing to hide your shortcomings. But if you can get past the initial criticizing mentality after doing this, which granted this lends itself to and is such an easy trap to fall into anyway, ie listen objectively (a hard thing for most, I think), then you have a good basis to start with ie what to work on, what you liked, didn't like etc. And if you can get to a point where you feel pretty good about what you hear with nothing to cover it up, not only will you sound that much better with music or other singers, but you'll feel more confident too.

My 2 cents

 

[easlern]

If you'd asked me around the time this poll came out, I would have said I hated my voice. Several years, tons of beers, and lots of practice have completely changed that. So fret not, 20-something singers who hate their mousy voices. Real vocal life begins at 30.

 

[Rachael]

Hi Jack,
I've been finding that doing lots and lots of takes doesn't work for me. It just gets very confusing and it's easy to get into a loop of always trying to make it better, but not really getting anywhere. The best way I have found is to just commit to singing 1 or 2 takes, 3 at the most and review them as a snap shot of where I'm at right now. This takes the pressure off and allows me to enjoy what's there rather than judge it. If we're giving ourselves a hard time it just takes away the joy of singing and isn't that why we do it in the first place?

 

[D-toks]

If you'd asked me around the time this poll came out, I would have said I hated my voice. Several years, tons of beers, and lots of practice have completely changed that. So fret not, 20-something singers who hate their mousy voices. Real vocal life begins at 30.

Can you elaborate a bit on what it took for you to start liking your voice. Was it just a case of with the practice you mentioned that over time you listened to a recording and thought, "wow, this is impressive" or was it a case of you sang so much that you got used to your voice as others hear it on through and therefore you could separate that voice from the voice inside your head enough to realize it was good all this time without you realizing it? The psychology of singing intrigues me.

 

[easlern]

It's really hard for me to pinpoint really. I started recording at home and doing open mics in my mid-20s and back then it was a real struggle to be happy with my vocals. I ended up doing lots of instrumental stuff because of it. I moved out of state a few years later and continued recording but always other vocalists. Years later, I'm back to doing my own stuff and I'm finding I like my voice a lot more. I chalk it up to practice and aging but who knows, maybe I just have a different sounding room- I've moved a lot over the years. But heck it could be just psychological. I'm older now, have more confidence. Maybe that's the difference. I can post an old recording and a new one if you're interested in comparing. I think maybe I still hear the qualities I didn't like back then? Not 100% on it, I try not to overanalyze it nowadays if I can help it.

 

[D-toks]

A recording of before vs after would be neat to hear. I feel I'm in a similar boat as you were in your mid-20's. I dislike the sound of my own voice. I overanalyze/am extremely critical of my own recordings. I make instrumentals, but prefer singing. You know the picture well. So when you say you chalk it up to practice, did you take vocal lessons as you were moving about and recording other artists or did you just continually practice on your own? Also, do you recall any specific moment or series of moments that triggered the boost in confidence (e.g. did a singer you recorded/respect tell you your voice is more pleasant than you realized) or did the confidence truly just come with age as a natural happening? Once again, thanks for this insight.

 

[easlern]

Here's an old one I did, I was satisfied with it but only after some tuning and double-tracking.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B6PHw64ejTaXT3FIU0V6bmVld0U

Here's a recent one that sounds good to me, I'm happy with it with no processing at all (although I did eq the master.)

https://youtu.be/itK3wVRZqC0

So many variables at play here, the first one I was younger, shyer and more sober lol. Hard to tell why the second seems so much better to me, maybe you can tell.

 

[easlern]

To answer your questions, I didn't have any lessons in the meantime, just regular practice on the guitar. Now that I have a wife and baby I always have someone listening though, so I can't just woodshed in secret anymore, I gotta be cognizent of their impression. Puts you in a different mindset I think- I pay more attention to their perspective, rather than just naval gazing like I tend to do when I'm alone. When I play now I look for my boy's expression and if he stops what he's doing and watches me, or gets up and starts dancing I know I'm on the right track. Kids aren't great critics but they're not gonna lie. If you're like me you're a natural wallflower and you gotta get out of your comfort zone to really sing out. Having an audience of even a couple people taught me that.

Now I'm rambling, hope you got something out of that haha.

 

[D-toks]

I actually think both songs sound good but I do agree, in the second one your timbre more developed/slightly different in a good way? It's tough to describe. More mature / controlled voice if that makes sense. That said I really liked the panned sections of the first track. I do wish I could hear your voice a bit more though because as nice as the guitar sounds, it is kind of overpowering at times. I actually rather like both tracks though like I said. And yeah....I know singing in front of people is important but actually doing that has been on the bucketlist and keeps getting pushed further down the closer I get to that point. It's a big step. I'm definitely a wallflower, I even hide my recording gear when company come around. Gonna be a long road.

 

[easlern]

Yeah man, definitely pick a couple pieces you feel really comfortable with and get some friends to go with you, it makes it easier. But those things are cool, everyone there is around the same level (you'd definitely fit in fine in my experience) and people are really cool. Even if it didn't go perfect, just having done it, I think it'll help you build confidence.

 

[D-toks]

Sorry for late response. Moved to a new city! I think before public performance I'm going to try to get involved in more music groups and workshops first. Being in an environment where the goal is to improve or learn something in the midst of other people instead of just 1 on 1 with a vocal coach I think is the next logical step before the public stuff...but then again this may just be a way of rationalizing not doing public performance to myself x_x.

 

[NEEZIE_10Summer]

ANYONE KNOW WHAT DRAKES VOCAL SETTINGS ARE IN DIAMONDS DANCING? Towards the end. Is that auto tune? Lyrics to listen for 'you knowwwww, how we let it get like this oh nooooo' 'dat nigga can't save your soullllll'

 

[james_t]

I've been told by others I have a good singing voice but sometimes when I listen to recordings of me talking I think, "man this guy sounds like a total nerd" but recordings of me singing are completely different. So I hate the way I sound when I talk but I reckon I'm happy with the singing voice. Although I'm learning still how to improve it.

 

[BroKen_H]

Hi Jack,
I've been finding that doing lots and lots of takes doesn't work for me. It just gets very confusing and it's easy to get into a loop of always trying to make it better, but not really getting anywhere. The best way I have found is to just commit to singing 1 or 2 takes, 3 at the most and review them as a snap shot of where I'm at right now. This takes the pressure off and allows me to enjoy what's there rather than judge it. If we're giving ourselves a hard time it just takes away the joy of singing and isn't that why we do it in the first place?

Couldn't agree more, except we're not supposed to hi jack threads...

 

[Derp]

Hahaha hate, obviously

 

[CelesteMac]

Your poll needs a sixth choice, all of the above!

 

[MrUserNameIV]

Sorry. I already joined in this conversation, but I figured I'd join in again. I don't really like my voice, which is part of why I got into production of other people. It allows me to make music without having to have a good voice. I know what makes a good voice, I just don't have the tonality myself.

 

[ibleedburgundy]

I hate my voice and my range is about a minor third. Ok i exaggerate but it is so small I can pretty much not sing any pop songs without going into falsetto. I can't hit the highest baritone notes nor can I hit bass notes below baritone.

 

[joey2000]

Add me to the "ugh on my voice" crowd. And it's not that I have a "bad" voice, I don't think....I have a pretty good range, a good vibrato, and a clue about timing and phrasings/etc. It's just the sound of the voice itself. Hard to explain...but to me even though I'm not off key or doing anything technically wrong, it has an "amateurish" sound about it that makes me ill. As a result, I'm constantly trying different voices...eg making it more nasal, less nasal, softer, harsher, etc and so on. And there are times on certain songs this or that works, but with little consistency....in short, there isn't one way I can sing, one "sound" that I am satisfied with. Very frustrating.

Maybe I'll just record all instrumentals lol