Wimpy Vocals

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jmcelroy

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I'm not sure whether this belongs in mixing or recording, but here goes.

I can sing in tune, and I can sing with decent phrasing, but my voice is wimpy. I don't have much breath control and I don't sound terribly convincing. I'm working on improving my vocal technique, but I'm specifically wondering if there are recording\mixing techniques that, in general, help with wimpy vocals.

As an example, I've heard for years about Al Jourgensen simply whispering through "compression and stuff" or people sounding like they're screaming because they use an Empirical Labs Distressor.

I'm not asking for a critique on either of those urban legends, but I am curious about how I can polish my recording\mixing techniques between now and the time I develop better singing technique.

Thanks!!
 
Well, close miking can add some low-mid "beef" to a voice, and if you have good enough pitch, you can also double-track the vocals and layer them together.
Conversely, try using two different mics to two tracks on one take, and mix them with different eq to see what you get. Some compression will help even out inconsistent levels.
If you don't mind some fakery, a harmonizer, snuck in underneath your vox track, can add harmonies your voice might be lacking right now.

It sounds more like your lack of breath/vocal technique is affecting you psychologically, so you simply are not 'letting loose' when you sing. Holding back can be as limiting as lack of actual singing technique.
Try to do some takes where you let it all hang out, and mistakes be damned. SING LOUD, and see what qualities your voice has when pushed like that.
Half the battle is getting used to your own voice.

Good luck,
C.
 
Cosmic,

Thanks for the quick and excellent reply.

I've had some success with double tracking in the past so I'll definitely take your advice and stick with that. The harmonizer idea sounds good too. I'm certainly not above a little fakery :) When you mention adding harmonies that my voice lacks I imagine adding 5ths and octaves mixed extremely low - at threshold levels - to fill in the harmonic overtone series a bit. Is this what you were picturing?

In the end, I think you're totally correct about the psychological aspect. I definitely hold back when I record. I think my voice sounds a lot better when I manage to lighten up a bit, though I've never gotten it on tape.

I should probably do some mic research too. I'm using an Audio Technica ATM33a and a Rode NTK at the moment.

Come to think of it, I should probably investigate writing in different keys. There are certain CDs I can sing along to quite well. I should see what keys their authors prefer.

Thanks again!
 
Go and get some singing lessons, I had only a couple 20 years ago and it changed my vocal (for the better) forever. Some of my professional singing friends get refresher lessons every so often to keep them at their best.

If you wanted to improve your guitar playing or piano playing you would get lessons, but singing is treated differently, why?

You will find the whole poor breathing no power problem will be fixed up in no time.

Cheers

Alan.
 
Like said, Let Loose! Practice a lot - when you're driving, or otherwise alone, just belt out some favorite songs.
 
Just an update - yesterday I re-tried my vocals with a new SM58 I bought. I have two things to report:

1) My voice sounds MUCH better with the SM58 than it does with the Rode or the AT I mentioned earlier.

2) Double tracking makes a much bigger difference than I would have guessed.

I'm not sure why the (cheaper) SM58 provided so much of an improvement but I theorize that the dynamic mic is unable to capture all of the detail that the other two condensers capture and therefore small fluctuations in the volume of my voice aren't being picked up on. This hides the fact that I don't have a consistent amount of air coming out of my diaphragm when I sing loudly and therefore I can belt a little more.

Getting a good double track is going to be technically difficult but I don't think I'll ever single-track vocals again.

Thanks again for the tips!
 
jmcelroy said:
Just an update - yesterday I re-tried my vocals with a new SM58 I bought. I have two things to report:

1) My voice sounds MUCH better with the SM58 than it does with the Rode or the AT I mentioned earlier.

2) Double tracking makes a much bigger difference than I would have guessed.

I'm not sure why the (cheaper) SM58 provided so much of an improvement but I theorize that the dynamic mic is unable to capture all of the detail that the other two condensers capture and therefore small fluctuations in the volume of my voice aren't being picked up on. This hides the fact that I don't have a consistent amount of air coming out of my diaphragm when I sing loudly and therefore I can belt a little more.

Getting a good double track is going to be technically difficult but I don't think I'll ever single-track vocals again.

Thanks again for the tips!
Click to expand...
Mics are not perfect sound capturing devices. Each mic picks up and enhances or subdues different frequecies, depending on how they are manufactured. It's the reason there are so many answers to a stock question like "which mic is best for vocals?" The answer is that you go to a music store that will let you try a bunch of them out until you find the one that is best for you. I am still looking.

Along with getting the right mic, is how you utilize it. Pop filters and aiming it at that "sweet spot" (which you will have to experiment to find for yourself) go a long way to helping you get a good track.

The other part of the equation you seem to have a lock on: singing techniques for recording are different from live performance, or singing in the shower.

Combine a good amount of both, along with a lot of practice tracking, and you will get there.
 
Confidence while recording is the biggest lesson I ever learned. If you're self conscious when tracking your vocals, that fact will come across loud and clear in the result.

Double tracking is a great trick, but don't over-do it. I'd recommend checking all parts with single and double tracks and deciding which sounds best, as opposed to just deciding up front that double tracking is the way to go forever more.
 
mattdee1,

You make a good point. I experimented a bit and it sounded better than what I had been able to get before, but I'll make sure to do my due diligence in the future rather than just deciding now.

Thanks for the tip!

--John
 
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