Do You Like (Or Hate) Your Voice?

[Carny1122]

I've got mixed opinions of my voice. I am the vocalist for a metalcore band, so it varies slightly from day to day and recording to recording. Whenever I record (well, or play shows), I do vocal warm ups (thank you a TON Melissa Cross!) and those seem to help a ton. My voice sounds entirely different on some of our recordings, though. I used a C 414 on one song, and it sounds like a nice, somewhat flat EQ response that meshed well with the song. Another one that we recorded, I used a TLM-103 with an SM-81 about 3 feet behind it and that sounded entirely different. Granted, they both sounded amazing, but it sounds like a different vocalist (even though I kept the screaming within the same relative range) on the two songs. Regardless, I like my voice for the most part. There are parts on both songs that I feel the mic(s) lacked in a good response, especially picking up harshness while still having tight bass response.

Oh well, though. I'm not complaining

But I am REALLY eager to try out an SM7. I just don't have the money for one right now

 

[bilco]

I don't know about the TLM 103, but I don't think an SM81 is a flattering vocal mic. It is more about capturing an uncolored take than an LDC, which would be in the flattering category. I love the SM81 for lots of things, voice just is not one of them.

I think you will really like what the SM7 does for your voice though.

bilco

 

[Carny1122]

Yeah, we only used the SM-81 to capture a more real quick slap-back sort of echo than a plugin could have used, and it didn't really do that (too much sound foam), but it did help really pull out the mid-highs that were kinda lost with the TLM-103.

I could get as techinical as I wanted, but it just worked, you know? It was one of those things like 'hey, let's try this,' so we did, and it didn't do what we thought it might, but it did something entirely different, but still good. I personally don't have a favorite of which sounds better, but I'd rather spend $350 on an SM7 than $800-1000 on the 414 or TLM 103. I've been reading around and those seem like the best shot I've got for doing strictly metal and hard-rock vocal types. That's pretty much all my studio does, too, so that'll be a nice addition when I get the $$ for one! I've heard that they work well on guitar amps, too, when coupled with a 57 or something.

 

[darrenvox]

i have my voice.its coming but its taking a long time darrenelliottmusic.com

 

[Xeries]

I'm a newbie here and just thought I'd throw in my .02. I guess I think my voice is okay, but others think I'm a little better than okay. It does the job, that's all in my opinion.

As some have said in this thread, (can't believe there are 104 replies and counting - great topic) they think they can sing their own creations better than another singer. I guess that's me, too. If I wrote it, I know how it's supposed to be sung. But I suppose I could teach someone what I want in a vocal.

My .02 is this: It gets better. Not so much your voice, but you can get used to it over time. I'm 54 and when I recorded in my twenties, I was surprised to hear how I sounded. Now my voice sounds exactly to my ears as it sounds on tape.

Did anyone else make this observation here? I haven't read every reply, but more than half of them.

Do I like my voice? Not especially, and it always surprises me to learn that I am kind of known as a vocalist. I always think that I'm just doing the job.

 

[cnix]

Just now got in on this fun. I try to write music, have a bass voice, so I am really behind the 8-Ball for vocals. When I take my lyrics to melody, I have to think very small vocally, because as a lead singer, my range is very small. I am a great group singer and can harmonize and add a lot to a group, just do not put me as a lead.

Jack Russell, you have a great vocal. Your style of vocal is very "in" right now.

Charlie

 

[ednor59]

Better voice live than in the studio

I read an earlier response that pretty much covers my voice: good range, can hit all the notes, but not an especially appealing quality, I think. I've got one of those Johnny Cash baritones, but I can swing it up to a Brian Setzer bray when needed (rarely need to use a capo!)

Also, I always sound better (to my ears) live than in the studio, not matter how many takes or how warmed up I am. Is this pretty common? Perhaps I sing better when I'm strumming a guitar at the same time, but then how do I keep a LDC mic from picking that up in the studio?

(Interesting thread, by the way!)

bobwiremusic.com

 

[Dena]

You Can Do It!

Hi,

I'm Dena, the author of the book that was mentioned further up in this thread. I was so excited to see it helped someone that I had to jump in.

I do some home recording, and I'm always trying to improve it, but I'm not trying to write songs, get in a band, or get a record deal. My recordings are for demonstration of a specific point about the voice, and I'd like some feedback about whether you guys think they accomplish that purpose.

A recurring theme I see here is that people think that whatever their voice sounds like now is pretty much what they're stuck with; that maybe you can extend your range a little higher and lower, and make it a little stronger with practice, but that's about it.

That's not true in my experience. If you're willing to put in a lot of work, you can add more singing styles to the one you naturally have. It's totally worth it.

My voice was naturally ONLY suited for "pure" sounds like opera, and I was very good at that, but I wanted to teach rock, pop, and country singers, too. So over the last year or two I've been studying with other teachers, reading lots of books, and doing my own research and practice to get these styles under my belt.

I'd love it if you guys could take a listen and tell me what you think. I'd put a link to the songs, but the bbs won't let me. They are at denamurray.com/mp3.html.

Thanks,
Dena
denamurray.com

 

[nord]

http://www.denamurray.com/mp3.html

nord

 

[gecko zzed]

voice troubles

My guess is that there are four things that cause the most problems with singing. These are: pitch, timbre, breathing and emotion. If you are out of luck, you score badly on all three and sound like someone dragging a chain saw through a tin roof.

Some people worry about getting vocal coaching because they feel it might somehow disturb their natural emotional connection with a song, or perhaps feel it's only for conservatorium academics. However, it can help enormously. We can be cynical about shows like American Idol (or Australian Idol here), but compare the 'before' and 'after' of some of the contestants and you will hear the difference.

Nevertheless, even a great voice can come tumbling down in a studio. Some frequent, and reasonably fixable, causes are:

Loud mixes (particularly bass): which fool the ear into thinking the music is flatter than it is (by as much as a semitone!). Keep the headphone mixes low as practical, and, if nothing else, keep the bass low. Perversely, some singers have learnt to manage this effect through years of singing in loud bands, so when they get into the studio and record with a low mix, they sing sharp!

Reverb: which can confuse a singer's ability to pitch, even though they may feel more comfortable recording against a supporting bed of reverb. Keep the reverb as low as possible in the headphone mix, and when doing so, record only the dry sound. You may want to change your mind about the amount of reverb later on, which you can't do once recorded.

Sleep: which is not a problem, but lack of is. It is really difficult to put in a good performance when you are recording in the evening after a day at work after a late night because of a gig the night before. You need to be refreshed.

Striving for (unobtainable) perfection: lots of takes trying to get the perfect vocal track will soon rob any vocal line of vitality. The best takes are usually take 2 or take 3. After that you quickly hit the point of diminishing returns, creating more problems for yourself than you fix. Learn to live with blemishes, and only fix the disasters.

Fluid: Coffee and coke (my staple diet) are diuretics and don't do much good for your vocal chords when recording. Stick to water.

Practice: which, again, is not a problem, but lack of is. If you are worried about which note to sing, or which word comes next, your attention is taken from the fun of singing, and energy is easily lost.

Nervousness: I know that when I see the red light go on, virtually all competency disappears, particularly on some instruments. However, nerves become less of a problem if you are fit for recording, i.e. relaxed, refreshed, confident in the material and confident in your performance of it. Doing lots of recording helps, so does being able to call on good techniques and so does familiarity with the material.

If your voice still sounds crappy when you've gone through all that, well maybe there is an angel somewhere trying to tell you soemthing. But I reckon that even seemingly ordinary voices will sound way better with a bit of coaching and exercise. I guess it's just like a sport.

 

[Dena]

Voice sounds same on tape as to my own ears

I'm a newbie here and just thought I'd throw in my .02. I guess I think my voice is okay, but others think I'm a little better than okay. It does the job, that's all in my opinion.

As some have said in this thread, (can't believe there are 104 replies and counting - great topic) they think they can sing their own creations better than another singer. I guess that's me, too. If I wrote it, I know how it's supposed to be sung. But I suppose I could teach someone what I want in a vocal.

My .02 is this: It gets better. Not so much your voice, but you can get used to it over time. I'm 54 and when I recorded in my twenties, I was surprised to hear how I sounded. Now my voice sounds exactly to my ears as it sounds on tape.

Did anyone else make this observation here? I haven't read every reply, but more than half of them.

Do I like my voice? Not especially, and it always surprises me to learn that I am kind of known as a vocalist. I always think that I'm just doing the job.

I, too, have noticed my voice sounds the same on tape as to my own ears. I've noticed that my acoustical perception has changed over the years. I think it happened because of the repetitive listening to my voice on tape but also I noticed that if I talk and try to listen to my voice from the outside as if I were sitting in the audience rather than listening from the inside, my voice is slightly higher in pitch... but it took me 5 years to realize this.

I've monitored my voice with reverb while recording but not committed it to tape until later. This seems to have helped me a lot when recording, especially when I have instruments in the background, because otherwise I can't hear myself very well.

Dena
denamurray.com

 

[Coughmist]

I hate my voice. But some people say it is great. Even thuogh i hate it, i still use it for their sake...

 

[nord]

.......as if I were sitting in the audience rather than listening from the inside, my voice is slightly higher in pitch...

Dena
denamurray.com

its taken me 5 days to work out what you meant-i think what you mean is the higher part of your voice sounds louder similarly the lower part seems quieter

i think it is because treble propagates better through air than bass, maybe someone knows more(and on this forum its certain!).......

nord

 

[fishkarma]

Well, I assume that since their singing a certain pitch its not gonna change the actual note but probably lacking lower harmonics/the harmonics are quieter than what they are hearing in their head

Nord:
I always thought that bass travels easier, hence a subwoofer can be placed under couches etc. where as treble is very directional and has to have the drivers pointed towards your ears. Mabe I misunderstood your point?

 

[nord]

yeah, if there is barriers inbetween i think bass does travel easier through them but clear line of sight i think treble travels better-i don`t know though there is probably some complex formula

nord

 

[Dena]

Nord's question - Resonance

I've discovered it's resonance that makes the difference since a tone has several layers of bottom and top (harmonics) to them if the tones are correctly placed in the mask. So what I hear is the top part from the outside, and the low part from the inside (treble outside, bass of a tone inside as also commented on in these postings). What the audience hears is also more treble (or the higher harmonics of the tone) and that's why, for so long, my voice sounded so different to me on tape until I suddenly realized this after a couple of years of wondering why. I think it's the resonance that creates this phenomenon

Dena

 

[nord]

a technical question;

does a continuous spectrum of different ways of sounding vowels exist such that it is possible to sing always in tune or is this impossible?

is their always going to be a chance the vowel and pitch are mismatched?

 

[nukeitout]

...I also constantly struggle with phle-....fleo....you know, snot in your throat, dry throat, plugged up nose, and a bunch of other things that take my attention away from just focusing on singing. I think they are basically just excuses that I create for myself to justify my sub-par performance.

To address the later issue, the best thing I can suggest is to drink a TON of water the day before a performance or a recording session. It's good to be juicy.

I do a few things to combat this. I used to be a helpless victim of phlegm, but now I kick it's ass.

1. Be hydrated! Actively drink water for the few hours leading up to singing.

2. Warm up. Warming up will help you clear out a little. You should always warm up for 30 min - 1 hour before singing to be able to do your best. Warm up slow and don't be discouraged if your voice needs some scales before it wants to cooperate.

3. Have a drink that's half apple juice and half water to sip when you're singing.

4. just before singing eat some crackers or a granola bar or something. The rough food will actually help scrape some of that real persistant gunk out. wash it down with the apple juice/water (the apple juice also helps dissolve the phlegm).

--try to avoid drinking, smoking, and forcing or pushing too hard on your voice. If your throat hurts you're doing something wrong and you can permanently damage your vocal cords. Numbing them with alcohol or smoking will allow you to damage them even more...

That has worked for me once or twice. However, I took voice lessons for awhile, and my teacher kept telling me I needed to raise the volume level. I was one of his quietest students. One day he said, "Let's try something. Just sing as loud as you possible can."

I don't know if it was better or not. I got a passing grade in the class, at least. Hahaha.

I never had voice lessons in a graded class, but I have been taking private voice lessons for the last year and a half. I have improved greatly. Before I thought I simply couldn't sing well or loudly, and now I'm comfortable booking gigs as a lead singer. It's important to find a good teacher and learn because you want to get better, not just because you'll get a grade. The teacher has a lot to do with things, too.

Here's the best way I can put how my voice teacher helps me: She says the right words that make my brain make my throat, tounge, and body move correctly to make better noises. You have to find a good teacher that fits you. Some people can picture elevators in their chests (I really saw that on a voice lesson web site), and some people need to understand how the back of the tounge raises and falls to change the primary resonant frequency of the cavity formed by your head.

Read a lot and try out goofy things. Sing like an opera singer, sing like bin crosby, sing like alice cooper, kurt kobain, elvis presley, etc. Stick your tounge out when you sing, practice singing raspy on purpose then clear on purpose then try to switch between the two while singing. Try singing vowels with your mouth open as wide as it will go and then different openings to learn your different sounds and capabilities. Try purposely passing air through your mouth and nose together when you sing - then try purposely switching to only nose air then only mouth air and note the tonal changes. You have to learn how to work your own muscles, and experimenting is the ONLY way to figure out how to use your voice to it's potential.


Nuke

 

[Dena]

vowels and pitch?

a technical question;

does a continuous spectrum of different ways of sounding vowels exist such that it is possible to sing always in tune or is this impossible?

is their always going to be a chance the vowel and pitch are mismatched?

Different styles require vowel modification and if we don't learn how to modify those vowels to that style, we are simply not singing in that style. It's not the vowel that affects the pitch. On another note (no pun intended) it's my experience that no matter what vowel, or style of singing, I have to be in pitch. Not to be in pitch is my worst nightmare. Breathing wrong is usually the culprit here: over-blowing, squeezing the stomach and neck muscles, holding the breath and trying to take one in on top of that, and on and on.... eek
Dena
denamurray.com

 

[dpsmith]

ok my turn here.

First you can hear me at my page

Now With this only demo up I can hear whats wrong (mostly no equipment)
But I can tell where I am flat or on key.
I used to think "Well a person can only sing with what their voice allows".

I had always stuck to the chords C,G,Am and Em. I forced myself to use
A,B,F and D. I still don't think I sound good like a million dollars, don't ever think I will,. but I feel better
then I did before.

I am now writing a new song in the key of D.
I have made myself sing at the wall, where my voice would bounce back
and I could hear my voice, first few times I hated it, but that got me used to my voice as others hear it andnow I think I am better then I was, better even then when I made my demo.

My biggest feelings about my voice is summed up in a line in "Back to the Future" (yea go figure)

When marty is talking about his audition tape to his girl friend he says:

"What if I send it in and they don't like it? What if they say I'm no good? What if they say "Get out of here, kid. You got no future. I mean, I just don't think I can take that kind of rejection"

Can't speak for everyone but that sums me up. I agree with gecko zzed
about confidance. I started to think this way... If Bob Dylan can make it
so can I. I say that because personaly I don't think he can sing, I think he made great music, he could write lyrics well, but I don't think the man can sing, again my personal opinion,

so my point is this.

"Just do it". Unless you do a gig and everyone there says you suck, ignore the ones that do, not everyone will like your voice. once I got that in my head I am actually feeling better about my voice, I have always feelt I have great songs, good lyrics, I need to learn a bit more guitar styles, but what I know now works and I feel as a result, I sing with more positive emotion in my songs.

63 (28%) of us said we had mixed emotions. I bet if you sit down Madona, Bono and others they will say that they would like to improve or even have felt the same way we all do,

As for phlem... don't drink milk either, that increases the production of the horrible stuff.

Don't know if any of this made since but wanted to share my feelings and thoughts about it.

David