I'm bummed, my vocals suck, it must be the gear

Good thread...I'm now sold on voice lessons and that'll be on the New Year resolution list. I have a booming low DJ kind of voice...the number of people that've commented on my "cool" speaking voice is insane, yet my singing sounds like shit. I think I'm in the same pool as Bob's Mods--it's not like I'm tone deaf or anything (my pitch is just fine), I just can't stand the sound of my voice. It seems like my singing is much "thicker" sounding than it should be, for lack of a better word. I'll give the lessons a try.

Also, I'm a smoker. I have absolutely no intention of quitting anytime soon, so don't ask. ;) Should I expect to be told "don't even bother singing if you're gonna sit there and tar up your lungs?" I understand that the good singers out there that smoke are very much the exception and not the rule.
 
Purge said:
Also, I'm a smoker. I have absolutely no intention of quitting anytime soon, so don't ask. ;) Should I expect to be told "don't even bother singing if you're gonna sit there and tar up your lungs?" I understand that the good singers out there that smoke are very much the exception and not the rule.
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No, there are a lot of good singers who smoke. They just won't be good for as long. The old "If I'd known I was going to live this long, I'd have taken better care of myself."
 
Absolutely...tons of great singers that smoke. Sinatra, Franco Corelli, Tom Waits(hehe), a huge list. What smoking does is inflame your cords and dry you out, so after you smoke hydrate yourself well(not with coke or tea or coffee--those also dry you out)..I held one of the soloist positions in a professional Chamber Choir/Orchestra for 3 years and during that time I was smoking so much , it looked like my head was on fire(Cigarettes and Pot)...so it isnt an automatic death knoll for the voice...just makes you have to work harder to keep it solid. I quit eventually and since then, my voice is much easier to work with.

Purge said:
Good thread...I'm now sold on voice lessons and that'll be on the New Year resolution list. I have a booming low DJ kind of voice...the number of people that've commented on my "cool" speaking voice is insane, yet my singing sounds like shit. I think I'm in the same pool as Bob's Mods--it's not like I'm tone deaf or anything (my pitch is just fine), I just can't stand the sound of my voice. It seems like my singing is much "thicker" sounding than it should be, for lack of a better word. I'll give the lessons a try.

Also, I'm a smoker. I have absolutely no intention of quitting anytime soon, so don't ask. ;) Should I expect to be told "don't even bother singing if you're gonna sit there and tar up your lungs?" I understand that the good singers out there that smoke are very much the exception and not the rule.
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Take up running or swimming; for me it can really help with breathing and strenth/power when singing. I don't do either but can sing fairly well, but on the rare occasion I open my lungs up my singing afterwards is a lot stronger.
Singing as loud as possible also helps when getting used to what your voice can do - and don't be shy. Confidence I spose is important.
Why not just find the bits in your voice you really like and focus on that?; sometimes it's not about having the most accurate of voices or powerful, just something different or interesting.
Hope that might be of use!
 
I'd like to add that my father in law was a heavy smoker all his life and his voice was always strong and powerful. He did pass on because of lung cancer caused by the smoking. It was a painful and slow passing. Not a pretty sight. Unlike him, my own voice zero has tolerance for even second hand cig smoke. I loose what little power and range I got. I've got to drink lots of water to keep the chords wet.

I do work out and jog some. My chest cavity is small and I've noticed many opera singers have a frame much larger than mine, both men and woman.

As far as voice lessons, I do believe that there are people out there with a natural gift of voice. I understand Barbara Streisand was self taught. She had beauty, range and tone. I've heard her vocal resonance was due to her funny shaped nose.

Bob
 
Do find a teacher, Bob...i think theres a good chance youll be amazed at what comes out of it. Im anxious to see what comes out of this for you.
Good luck man.

Bob's Mods said:
I'd like to add that my father in law was a heavy smoker all his life and his voice was always strong and powerful. He did pass on because of lung cancer caused by the smoking. It was a painful and slow passing. Not a pretty sight. Unlike him, my own voice zero has tolerance for even second hand cig smoke. I loose what little power and range I got. I've got to drink lots of water to keep the chords wet.

I do work out and jog some. My chest cavity is small and I've noticed many opera singers have a frame much larger than mine, both men and woman.

As far as voice lessons, I do believe that there are people out there with a natural gift of voice. I understand Barbara Streisand was self taught. She had beauty, range and tone. I've heard her vocal resonance was due to her funny shaped nose.

Bob
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crazydoc said:
I want my voice to be more gritty with a roughness to it. Can voice lessons help this, or is there something I can spray through my vocal cords to irritate them without doing any damage?

The only time I've liked my voice is early in the morning a couple of times when I had a cold, and a glob of snot was probably sitting in my larynx. The effect disappeared after a few minutes.
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I was actually half serious when I asked this - does anyone know of any device, chemical, exercise, etc that can temporarily alter the timbre/frequency content of the voice in a predetermined manner? For instance, I'd like to sound more like Willie Nelson, though my natural voice sounds more like Bing Crosby. :)
 
probably if you drink a lot of coffee without hydrating afterwards.

Opiods(percocet, oxycontin, etc) always made me sound raspy.


crazydoc said:
I was actually half serious when I asked this - does anyone know of any device, chemical, exercise, etc that can temporarily alter the timbre/frequency content of the voice in a predetermined manner? For instance, I'd like to sound more like Willie Nelson, though my natural voice sounds more like Bing Crosby. :)
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Bob's Mods said:
Gee, I know I can sing. It seems the quality of my voice never appears to be captured in digital the way I'm hearing it. Yeah...at first years back, my gear was really bad and so my vocals really sounded like shit, plosives, essing, dark. The professed wisdom is find the mic that works for you. That don't seem to be happinin for me though. Now, after gear changes and upgrades, my voice still sounds.....like shit! It just gotta be that mic. I need another new one, that'll fix it.

Just in case that new mic is a dud, is there any plug in out there or outboard box that will transform my vocals to lets say an Axel Rose? Or Roy Orbison? Bon Scott? Alice Cooper? WOW even?

Please help, I'm desperate and despondant. My buddy Jack Daniels is easing the pain some but just in case I think I've got one shot gun shell left....

Bob the Mod Person
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You need a $5-10,000 mic at least. Golden channels for golden voices I say.
You can always upgrade your pre-amp, in the $2000 range. A good cable is around $200. Tack on a small Neve sidecar ($50,000) and a 24 track Studer 2" recorder ($40,000) and you are starting to get there. Now you need a prefect room ($25,000) and a great producer (Steve Albini, maybe?) $500/day.

You WILL be rocking once again!

No thanks neccessary!
 
MCI2424 said:
You need a $5-10,000 mic at least. Golden channels for golden voices I say.
You can always upgrade your pre-amp, in the $2000 range. A good cable is around $200. Tack on a small Neve sidecar ($50,000) and a 24 track Studer 2" recorder ($40,000) and you are starting to get there. Now you need a prefect room ($25,000) and a great producer (Steve Albini, maybe?) $500/day.

You WILL be rocking once again!

No thanks neccessary!
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You zero'd right in on the problem. Very perceptive. I'm certain all that high end stuff will fix my vocal chords. I knew it was the gear!

I was singing tonight with my wife. Boy my voice was barely making it. Its so dry right now with winter heat on. Its problematic in the best of conditions. I may try lessons but I truely believe there is little hope.

Bob
 
I had the same problem until I found the right mic (SP C-1) for my voice and plugged it into the VoiceLive by TC Helicon. It's hard to describe but this box has improved my vocal delivery immensely; it just drives you to sing better which is where you'll notice the greatest improvement. Buyer beware though, this box is no miracle cure. It does have pitch correction but I'd hate to live on the difference between the treated and untreated signal. Like others have said the quality of the vocal delivery going in is what you'll hear coming out. Certainly the quality of the equipment is an integral part of the process but it still comes down to the quality of the vocal performance. I know we're talking vocals here but actually when you think about it the principle applies to everything where performance is a component. A while back I had the opportunity to play a custom shop Gibson Les Paul (sweet!) but I didn't sound any better than I do playing my old Epiphone. A pity though, I really liked that guitar! :D
Merry Christmas and good luck to you!
 
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Bob's Mods said:
You zero'd right in on the problem. Very perceptive. I'm certain all that high end stuff will fix my vocal chords. I knew it was the gear!

I was singing tonight with my wife. Boy my voice was barely making it. Its so dry right now with winter heat on. Its problematic in the best of conditions. I may try lessons but I truely believe there is little hope.

Bob
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Hi Bob,

I would suggest two things:

#1. Get a Humidifier and run it. I have one in my bathroom ,and I run it all day long when I'm home. Just to put some moisture back into the air.

#2. Brett Manning's Singing Success. http://www.singingsuccess.com/

Also, you should be drinking at least eight to ten 8oz. glasses of ROOM TEMPERATURE water per day. It takes 20 minutes to hydrate your body. If you saw how much water I drink per day you'd freak out. If you drink it cold or hot, it takes even longer because your body has to regulate the waters temperature to body temperature before it can begin to absorb it.


Tim
 
Bob's Mods said:
Please help, I'm desperate and despondant. My buddy Jack Daniels is easing the pain some but just in case I think I've got one shot gun shell left....

Bob the Mod Person
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atleast you have someone to support you in your time of need. my old pal captain morgan... well his ship sank, and then when i got up the next morning, i realized that i needed to spend more money on a new mic and pre amp.
 
I've suffered some real trauma since I faced up to the reality that its more me than the mic. My job has suffered, my relationship has suffered. The pain, the pain.
I will illustrate with a story. A man loses his mother early in life. Now he's older and all the people around him who knew his ma tell him she was a saint on earth, loved by all who knew her. He had these warm feelings for a mom he never really knew. Then one day a long lost person from his mom's past passes his way. This person wanted the son to knew the truth of his mother, he tells him his mother was really the town whore. The son can't believe it and it puts him in a state of disbelief and depression. This story is similar to how I feel about my voice. I thought I was a condender. I never really was on deck even.

Bob the Mod Guy
 
Bob's Mods said:
I've suffered some real trauma since I faced up to the reality that its more me than the mic. My job has suffered, my relationship has suffered. The pain, the pain.
I will illustrate with a story. A man loses his mother early in life. Now he's older and all the people around him who knew his ma tell him she was a saint on earth, loved by all who knew her. He had these warm feelings for a mom he never really knew. Then one day a long lost person from his mom's past passes his way. This person wanted the son to knew the truth of his mother, he tells him his mother was really the town whore. The son can't believe it and it puts him in a state of disbelief and depression. This story is similar to how I feel about my voice. I thought I was a condender. I never really was on deck even.

Bob the Mod Guy
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Get a grip on your delusions of grandeur.
 
Bob's Mods said:
You zero'd right in on the problem. Very perceptive. I'm certain all that high end stuff will fix my vocal chords. I knew it was the gear!

I was singing tonight with my wife. Boy my voice was barely making it. Its so dry right now with winter heat on. Its problematic in the best of conditions. I may try lessons but I truely believe there is little hope.

Bob
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"Gee, I know I can sing. It seems the quality of my voice never appears to be captured in digital the way I'm hearing it"

Haha.....no shit. What does digital recording have anything to do with the fact that you can't sing?

You really think that $$$$ in equipment will make you a great singer?
 
It seems to work for some unamed major artist out there!

Actually, I overblew my vocal smell. Its Ok, just not as good as I thought.

Bob
 
I love my voicelive touch. The harmonies are great. I would imagine if you used a keyboard the harmonies would be even better. Sometimes it has a hard time picking up the key of the guitar, but it is still amazing.. Its easliy programmable, and easy to change on the fly. Check out m original song I used the Voicelive touch. -Impossible- w/ Voicelive touch TC Helicon - YouTube
 
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