recording vocals (singing problem)

  • Thread starter Thread starter Axis
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Axis

oompa loompa
ok this is i guess the best forum to bring this up.

My bands singer just quit and im taking over the lead vocal position (was previously backup). Well we are in the middle of recording a cd, fortunatly we haven't started on vocals actually we were just about to. Well i have a problem recording my voice, I sing fine in front of the mic in rehersals and what not, but when it gets time to put it down to tape it never sounds right. I don't think its the microphone.

Anyone got any ideas on how i can cure this? I think it may be just afraid of the mic but how would i cure it.
 
It takes some folks a while to get used to hearing the sound of their own voice during playback, or even through headphones while recording. It's alot different from hearing yourself in a live situation. It took me quite some time to get used to/accept my own voice. It sucks that you have to step up & do this vocal thing on such short notice, but I'd spend the extra time experimenting, practicing & listening in the studio. I'm not sure if you're paying for the studio or doing it on your own, but either way I'd spend the time & make sure you and the others are happy with the takes.

Good Luck.
 
If your using headphones while you sing try one side on and the other off. This helps me hear the mix but concentrate on the intonation of my own voice.

It could be your mike is not matched to your voice. What model are you using and what vocal type are you? Baritone, Tenor?
 
more info

You need to get more specific in terms of what you need to fix. If it's a recording technique issue, then describe it in better detail. Does your voice seem thin? If it's a performance thing; (ie, Off key) then you just gotta go back and do it til it's passable.

"I sing fine in front of the mic in rehersals and what not, but when it gets time to put it down to tape it never sounds right."

good luck...

mm
 
We are recording at my cheap little studio, the mics that I have that work good enough on vocals are a 58, and a scm900. its not off key.

"It took me quite some time to get used to/accept my own voice."

it might be that, I used to do backup vocals and i was fine with that But its different knowing that your voice however much it sucks is the center of attention

thanks
gonna try some recording and see if i get any usable results.
 
Not that I consider myself such a great singer, but I have found that if I do multiple takes on a song I can start to get the timbre and tonal qualities that I am looking for.

like the old Carnegie Hall saying.. "practise makes perfect"..

Leslie Ell
 
AHH! what a bad problem right now, ok first off all let me say changing keys is out of the question. But ok, our old singer's natural range is an octave higher than mine! I have trouble on the recording now singing it up there.


we're deciding to start almost completely fresh now because we are changing so much around
 
Hurrah! Salvation. I was contemplating posting something on this very subject. I have the same problem of sorts.. except with me for some reason I panic and my saliva ducts start working overtime everytime I press record.. one thing I've noticed is if I'm getting down a song on a simple one-take with guitar I sing it almost exactly like I want. I like my voice a lot and all but when I record I can't put enough force into it. So really I'm saying I don't know what my problem is, I'd just like a few ideas.. one thing I can say is I'm not nervous about my voice, I just can't let it go sometimes. Help?
 
Mike Fright

For IceFairy ...
Some people have mike fright, others have "the tape is running" fright ... some have both ... in any case, we all have to learn to get over it. One thing you might try (at least in rehearsal) is this ... if you're singing into a mike and listening through headphones, try moving farther from the mike so you'll have to sing louder to get the same volume (of course, this is more effective with a dynamic mike like a Shure 58 rather than a condenser mike). Another thing about being farther from the mike is, you avoid what's called the "proximity effect" where your voice get's boomier because you're too close to the mike. And you also don't have to worry about body movement (it can help to get your body into the delivery) or unwanted sounds like big intakes of breath between lines (like when you're gasping for breath). I listened to your demo at garageband.com so I know you're not a screamer, but if you want to strengthen a muscle (and your voice is one) you sometimes need to push it. Of course, you don't have to record or keep the results of the push, but you might be surprised by how much your voice will mature over time.
 
Try this -

1. Record with a slight amount of reverb in your monitor mix. This helps me believe that I am god's gift to singing and makes me think I sound better - therefore I do. Weird but it works. Don't record the reverb, just put it through your earphones.

2. I always like to have one ear in and one ear out of headphones.

3. Turn the monitorred level of your singing down in relation to the rest of the mix. This will make you sing more powerfully as you attempt to hear yourself while recording. End result is a more powerful sound.

I would suggest that if your previous singer's natural range was an octave higher than yours, then you would probably be better served transposing the song to take advantage of your natural range. You will find any song will sound better if you take the time to arrange it for your voice rather than trying to get up high enough to sing the previous lines.

Just my two cents....
 
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