Innovations
New member
Do you presume that you want the vocalist on a separate PA? Eventually you will want to be able to control the entire band's sound from a single mixer board.
What should a singer bring to the table?
- Thread starter 64Firebird
- Start date
64Firebird
New member
Innovations said:
Yes, but we're talking about a band playing in bars and other small places.
dafduc
New member
smellyfuzz said:
Sean, are these people your idea of good singers? DYLAN? Give me a break!"
1. I'd play in Dylan's band in a heartbeat. Like he'd ever ask me. He's a brilliant songwriter, and a legend. But a guy who sang like Dylan and wanted to join MY band? As a SINGER??? NFW.
2. DLR is a tool. And seriously, if you can't hit your notes, you shouldn't be there. I just finished a thing with a guy who sounded a whole lot like the guy from Tesla, but couldn't sing in tune consistently. And couldn't tell when he was out. Painful.
3. Chops means that you actually can sing some tough stuff. The vocal equivalent of shredding. Gospel-style improv, for example. Streisand and Simon have plenty of chops. Not sure what you thought it meant, but shyness has nothing to do with it.
4. This one's learnable, but some people never do. Sing "into it" and count on the engineer compressing the hell out of it later produces a really substandard vocal.
5. Range IS pretty low on my list, but with the exception of Sinatra (who really has a pretty good range - check out his Christmas Waltz sometime), the people you listed are singer-SONGWRITERS, who write for their own voice. I mean, in what sense is WILLIE one of the "greatest sounding singers in the world"? Sheesh.
I love most of the people you listed (even Willie) - but not on the strength of their singing, except Sinatra, Streisand, Taylor, and Simon - and your characterizations of their shortcomings were inaccurate. I really think you're helping MAKE my point.
Peace,
Daf
James Argo
Fancy Rock N' Roll
Okay, so I had everything...
...nice voice character, regular basic singing ability, know alot of songs without text, couple of good mic (even wireless), many channeled mixer, PA, rack of gears, compressor, autotune, reverb unit, monitors, rehearsal space, etc... then...
...somebody tell me why the heck am I holding these MIDI cables behind the keyboard
...nice voice character, regular basic singing ability, know alot of songs without text, couple of good mic (even wireless), many channeled mixer, PA, rack of gears, compressor, autotune, reverb unit, monitors, rehearsal space, etc... then...
...somebody tell me why the heck am I holding these MIDI cables behind the keyboard
Tim Brown
New member
I say that a Singer needs to have a Quality microphone, and a Vocal soundsystem that will be loud enough to practice with.
For me, that means a pair of Floor wedges or a pair of 15"+1" front-loaded speakerboxes on speakerstands (to get them up above head level.....those cabinets do no good aimed at your knees!) and either a mixer/amp head or a Mixingboard (or a Mic Pre-amp) and an Amplifier.
I would prefer the Mixer and Amplifier, and would suggest a 1,000 watt (500 watts 2 4 Ohms per side ) Minimum. Just from experience.....I was playing in a band (because first and foremost I am a drummer....didn't you know? ALL drummers want to be singers. You'd be surprised at the number of pro Jingle singers who are drummers and bass players....examples:
Pat Torpey from Mr. Big is an in-demand backup singer. (He sang backups on a couple of Motley Crue records)
Will Lee from Letterman (he's the guy with the rough voice that sings "Coors Light - it's the right beer now!".) Our Singer was using a mackie 16x4 and a 1,000 watt Power amp, and we still had trouble hearing him over the band.
Eventually, we began practicing through headphones-which was kind of cool, because band practice began sounding like listening to a CD. I loved it, but the lead guitarist consistently whined about it...of course, he was also the one who bought el cheapo headphones.....hehehehe Perhaps if he had kicked out the $100 for a set of AKG's like I told him to, he would have enjoyed it more.
Tim
For me, that means a pair of Floor wedges or a pair of 15"+1" front-loaded speakerboxes on speakerstands (to get them up above head level.....those cabinets do no good aimed at your knees!) and either a mixer/amp head or a Mixingboard (or a Mic Pre-amp) and an Amplifier.
I would prefer the Mixer and Amplifier, and would suggest a 1,000 watt (500 watts 2 4 Ohms per side ) Minimum. Just from experience.....I was playing in a band (because first and foremost I am a drummer....didn't you know? ALL drummers want to be singers. You'd be surprised at the number of pro Jingle singers who are drummers and bass players....examples:
Pat Torpey from Mr. Big is an in-demand backup singer. (He sang backups on a couple of Motley Crue records)
Will Lee from Letterman (he's the guy with the rough voice that sings "Coors Light - it's the right beer now!".) Our Singer was using a mackie 16x4 and a 1,000 watt Power amp, and we still had trouble hearing him over the band.
Eventually, we began practicing through headphones-which was kind of cool, because band practice began sounding like listening to a CD. I loved it, but the lead guitarist consistently whined about it...of course, he was also the one who bought el cheapo headphones.....hehehehe Perhaps if he had kicked out the $100 for a set of AKG's like I told him to, he would have enjoyed it more.
Tim
Tim Brown
New member
smellyfuzz said:Electricity is bad for the voice.
Here's a funny one for you:
I was playing in this Power metal band, and we were trying to find members who were Christians.....we just didn't want to deal with drinking, drugs, etc. and wanted to find people with similar views....but this definitely was not a "religious" rock band. This was REAL Metal.
So, my bass player went to the music store - copied every guitarist on their musician's bulletin board and started calling people.
One guy was a Christian guitarist, but he swore off electric instruments, and he only played acoustic guitar - but he still wanted to play with us.
Mick (my bass player) goes, "But you don't have an electric guitar and amp", and the guy goes" but I play with all my might for The Lord !!"
Mick goes,"Well, that's cool, but how well will your might stack up against my 3,000 watt bass rig with eight 15" speakers ?"
( actually it was 4,000 watts, but he said 3,000.
)We still laugh, and we'll be somewhere doing something and one of us will say "I play with all my Might!" and we'll both bust out laughing.
Tim
64Firebird
New member
And one time at band camp...
James Argo
Fancy Rock N' Roll
LMAO !!!
Fmmahoganyrush
Pleads the 5th...
64Firebird said:
A guitar.
Unless they're REALLY REALLY REALLY FUCKING FANTASTIC at both singing AND stage presence, I wouldn't have any use for someone who simply "sings" (not to diminish a singer). If they don't have both of those qualities (and if they have the stereotypical primadonna attitude that those who strictly sing often have... ...lol... like us guitarist don't
), they're dead weight in a band IMO. Also, if they're a real singer, then you would think that they would have the gear that goes along with it, considering they're serious about what they do, and they want to sound as good as they possibly can.