tricks for bad singers (me)

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shackrock

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any mixing tricks to cover up the "not so perfect" vocals?

I've done TAKE AFTER TAKE AFTER TAKE....and i got it as good as it will get for now..haha.

I only want one track of me, no doubling/chorusing/panning/etc. but, are there any other tricks (reverb and eq i can deal with for this song) to covering up the not perfect vox? or is it just, "find a real singer." ?

ha thanks
 
"I only want one track of me, no doubling/chorusing/panning/etc."

why not? I was recording a band who were great musically, but when it came to singing there was much left to be desired. the two guitarists took shots at doing the vocals but every take was laughable... seriously. i took the best (not saying a lot) takes, about 5 of them, panned them 50r, 25r, center, 25l and 50l, and it sounded great! it was very forgiving of flaws in pitch.. the end result was better than anything they could have done themselves even if they had nailed an entire take, and the natural chorus of it fit the song much better too. all of which is to say.. why not try different things? be creative.. you never know what will work.
 
You do whatever it takes to make the vocal sound good. Don't hold yourself to silly performance standards...we're recording here!

Do many many takes of the same vocal, and then listen to each one. Use a notepad to keep a table of which take was the best sounding for each line/word/phrase/etc. Then cut em up into one nice sounding vocal track. Don't feel guilty about it either...everybody knows that an average singer is going to be average, and piecing together a vocal track isn't going to make you sound like a superstar. I mean really, you can sing a take 100 times before you get a good one...how is that any different? It's just more time consuming. If your end goal is the recorded work, and not being able to perform live, then by all means use any methods at your disposal!

Doubling/tripleing/quadrupling can work if you can sing in time, and your voice is suited for it. Whenever I try to double up my vocals it ends up sounding very bizzare. I did use this technique once though to cover up some very bad trombone playing and it worked great!

Now I personally hate my own voice, so I'm always effecting the hell out of it. Reverb, EQ, resonant filters, lfo's, distortion, multiple tracks of various weirdness... no hard & fast rules. In the last thing I posted to the clinic I used a lot of effects & some special overdubbing to make it work the way I wanted it (though I still hate it). In fact the main vocal was sort of a lucky take, except that the very last line was just a little early...so I cut the sucker and moved it over a few ms.

Finally, practice singing. I've found that just practicing "in my head" without actually opening my mouth even helps! When you can reproduce the feeling you're trying to get through in the vocal, it's a lot easier to perform the vocal. I can't sing in front of people at all, so the only time I actually sing is when I'm recording alone, which is very seldom...I spend a lot of time imagining the part though...hey, they say it works for sports, I figure it might as well work for music too.

Slackmaster 2000
 
Some suggestions;
1) Get a book with an excercise CD like "Set Your Voice Free", by
Roger Love. Being more familiar with proper technique will help
other people you record too.

2) Make sure the song is in a comfortable key FIRST, before
completing the arrangement, not vice versa.
If that method was good enough for George Martin...

3) Improve vocal coordination by singing the melody acapella
until it becomes a truly familiar tune.
Your brain can better get into a positive form of "auto-pilot"
that way.

If you want any more specific suggestions let me know!

Best of luck,
Chris

P.S. In my limited experience, I've usually gotten the BEST
performances when the singers relax thinking I'm just
setting levels, "somehow" the record button was pushed. :)
 
This is more of a singing technique trick than a recording trick for the "non-singing" singer (if I can be so brave as to horn in on chessparov's domain):

The biggest problem area for non-singers is usually on sustained notes - pitch control as well as vibrato issues (either lack of vibrato or uncontrollable vibrato) are the biggest "giveaway" to the listener that they are not listening to a "real" singer. It's not much different than a synthesized vs. real instrument - you can usually program a synth to sound pretty realistic until you actually have to sustain the tone for any length of time. (Organs would be the notable exception.)

While acquiring good singing technique would be the best solution, it is not often possible within time, energy, and occasionally talent constraints.

A work-around would bve to develop a more conversational style of singing (like many jazz singers do). This involves phrasing and sustain that would be similar to how you would actually speak the lines in a real conversation. In a conversation, it is very rare you would sustain a syllable for four beats, for example, so don't try and do it in this style of singing either. When a note is given a long value, still sing it as, at most, a quarter note and just insert rests for the remainder of the note value.

Example (Satin Doll):

as written - "Ci-ga-rette hol-derrrrrrrrr, which wigs meeeeeee..."

conversational - "Ci-ga-rette hol-der (space), which wigs me (space)..."

One way to practice this is to recite the lyrics repeatedly in a regular speaking voice, trying to impart to the lyrics the best and most effective conversational phrasing you can come up with. After doing this many times, only then start adding the note pitches back in, but try to maintain the same phrasing.

There are many variations on non-sustained singing. One way would be to eliminate legato completely by enunciating carefully all of the initial and final consonants. For instance if you sing: "I want(uh) to..." rather than "I wan-to" (or "I wanna") it forces a break between the words.

This will NOT work on every style of music. Non-sustained styles are far more difficult to pull off in a really slow tempo song, for instance. And they may send up sounding "too jazzy".

But, hey, you sounded desperate - so it's something else to try.

Having written all this, I suddenly realize that the BEST solution would be to get together with a vocal coach a couple of times. A good coach will be full of stylistic suggestions siumilar to above, except that they'll be able to evaluate both your technique and the song style and give you suggestions that are more appropriate to your particular problem. Find someone who is well-versed in the style of music you are performing. That would mean NOT going to a classical coach if you are singing heavy metal. That could have some long-term benefits, but wouldn't be as useful for a "quick fix".
 
make sure you have ample voice in the monitors......the better you can hear yourself, the better you will sing
 
Regaring R&B and west coast Rap, harmonies can effectively cover where you may be lacking. Countless times I've had singers produce a mediocre performance transformed into a natural sounding performance by harmonizing select areas which lacked.
 
"P.S. In my limited experience, I've usually gotten the BEST
performances when the singers relax thinking I'm just
setting levels, "somehow" the record button was pushed. "

Scratch vocals are the best:D If you are frustrated, straining, or pissed at the fact your on take 10 walk away.


Try to have fun while you are singing it. Put your emotion into it. Forget you are recording and pretend you are in front of a roaring crowd. "shackrock shackrock shackrock" Watch out for flying panties:D (or boxers if that's your deal):eek:

If you have ever heard the expression in business "smile when you answer the phone"

It's the tame ting.

I also have to agree with pasting the track together, and layering.
Why not. You can mix the vocal layers back far enough so they are not in your face and still reap the bennifits.

Chessparov is right about practice too. Don't underestimate what good vocal instruction can do for you.

Good luck

F.S.
 
I do this thing where I record the vox on track A, then I goto the top, sing the same vox on track B, only I try to sing them a little better the second time around. Then I go back to track A and use Track B as a reference, and keep trying to one-up the previous track. I don this as many times as necessary.
I know it sounds silly, but it really helps nervous singers get used to tape rolling,and people who just have a hard time getting started.
 
"make sure you have ample voice in the monitors......the better you can hear yourself, the better you will sing"

usually I find this wrong...the better the " talent " can hear themselves, the quieter and flatter they sing. Also if you are trying to correct based on what you already heard, you are chasing a moving target and its too late
 
I'm not a great singer by any stretch of the imagination either.

One trick that I've found that helps me, is to have a bit of reverb and a short delay in the cans while tracking. If I can hear the reflections, I can hear the pitch better than what is coming out of my mouth.

Yeah, the reflections come after, but it helps to lead me into the next note. You have to have at least a few notes correct for this to work, but you'll hear it on the next note if you're off I also don't hold any notes for longer than 2-4 bars in a measure.

Usually, there are only certain notes in a song I may have trouble with. Especially if it's not the key I usually write in which is D.

Hope this helps.;)
 
pipelineaudio said:
"make sure you have ample voice in the monitors......the better you can hear yourself, the better you will sing"

usually I find this wrong...the better the " talent " can hear themselves, the quieter and flatter they sing. Also if you are trying to correct based on what you already heard, you are chasing a moving target and its too late
Click to expand...

I guess it depends on the specific singer, because I've seen it work both ways. Too little in the monitors and the result can be over-singing and a strained sound. Too much and you get what Pipeline described. I guess the trick is to get it "just right"!
 
I'm with Freudian. F-U-N, baybee, to quote the Chairman. Their chanting your name and the undies are flyin', whatever puts a smile on your face communicates a feeling that can't be faked or mistaked.

All the more crucial if you've a slight deficit in the talent and technique arena.
-kent
 
Oops! Meant to say "They're chanting your name...." not "Their..." Return of the English Major.
-kent
 
ahh thanks, this stuff is great.

i can imagine the style i want perfectly - and sadly it just isn't with a chorus of me singing..haha. However that is my most common way of covering up my bad singing (4 of me can't go wrong!).

perhaps i can try lo-fi ing it though...it seems like that would fit pretty well for this style.

thanks. and anything else feel free to still share, i'm still reading! ha.
 
This is more of a vocal effect that is usually determined in the songwriting phase, but intentionally dropping the highs and lows during some phrases gives you that "transistor radio" sound which will add some variety in your tune along with masking some vocal deficiencies.

Cy
 
I'm the master of "my domain".

Seriously Littledog , thanks for the interesting post.
Always look forward to sharing information and ideas.
In terms of technical level, however, there are some members here like
"mgiles27" who are more advanced than myself.

There is a "groove" to the tonality of a song's key, and if you keep that in
mind, that will help anyone stay in tune-especially with cans on.
Although I must admit to singing better with a mild amount of reverb!

Chris
 
The first time I sang live without effects I thought I would die but you get used to it. It does lend some confenence to maker you cans sound better though. The effects in the monitors help transport you brain.

You should get into the emotion of the song, It makes a huge difference in your ability. I know some would argue, but we've all heard of the old man that lifts the car off his grandson. Same thing:D With out the emotions Grandpa would be teqaring him self a new one!

Just don't go Captain Kirk on us:D or you'll have to join the band Cake :D



Later

F.S.
 
One of my favorite quotes from "Star Trek";
("Bones" McCoy to Spock)
"Are you out of your VULCAN mind!"

Ability to mindmeld with a song does make the performance better.

Chris
 
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