yelling. loudness. cheating. licorice. wwwwwwhhhhaaaaaattttt???

[kidkage]

My previous way of vocal recording: Mic> preamp> tascam dp008.
That was it. I'd set the levels pretty low, and just recorded them while monitoring the music through headphones of course. With really high levels. So naturally I yelled/ sang. Now that I've got a proper vocal chain (aka- compressor) and know about gain staging and setting levels and all that stuff.
I've noticed I have better control over my singing while not yelling the vocals.
I'm not whisper singing but, i sing at basically the same volume level that i talk at.
It also seems like a have a better range (is that what it is? or maybe its pitch im thinking of? idk) that way.

Is that possible? Have I been wrongly assuming that every singer yells at the top of their lungs or am i cheating some how?

 

[ido1957]

My previous way of vocal recording: Mic> preamp> tascam dp008.
That was it. I'd set the levels pretty low, and just recorded them while monitoring the music through headphones of course. With really high levels. So naturally I yelled/ sang. Now that I've got a proper vocal chain (aka- compressor) and know about gain staging and setting levels and all that stuff.
I've noticed I have better control over my singing while not yelling the vocals.
I'm not whisper singing but, i sing at basically the same volume level that i talk at.
It also seems like a have a better range (is that what it is? or maybe its pitch im thinking of? idk) that way.

Is that possible? Have I been wrongly assuming that every singer yells at the top of their lungs or am i cheating some how?

You can't yell at the top of your lungs without blowing out your voice eventually. Sounds like hearing yourself properly is helping you in many ways. Cool....

 

[JimmyS1969]

Did you actually ask a question? Or give a judgement? Either way, the answers is what? lol!

 

[grimtraveller]

I thought this was interesting;

Facts about the rock band AC/DC that you might not have known:

-The singer from AC/DC usually sings whisper-quiet.
-The guitar players from AC/DC usually use quite low gain settings for heavy rock guitar, older Marshall amps with the knobs turned up about halfway (no distortion pedals).

Both of these fly in the face of impressions that most casual listeners would have about AC/DC, which is a band that has been releasing some of the loudest-sounding records in rock for decades. The reality is that the moderate amp gain settings actually sound louder and bigger than super high-gain settings, which are prone to sound nasal and shrill at low volumes.

The singer, like TV gunshots, is creating the impression of loudness without straining his voice by only pushing and exerting the upper harmonics that are strained while screaming. IOW, he's singing not from the diaphragm, as most vocal coaches teach, but from the throat and sinuses. Instead of screaming, he's skipping the vocal chord damage, and only exercising the parts of the voice that are *unique* to the scream. He's using parts of the voice that normally never get used except when we're screaming our head off, and the result is that it sounds like someone screaming his head off, even though he's barely whispering. Because nobody walks around talking like that, the effect is of a "super-scream," something that sounds louder than any mortal human could ever scream, because the normal sound of a human voice is completely overwhelmed by the effects that are usually only heard during screaming.

My point is not to endorse AC/DC, nor to say that you should try to emulate them, only to cite a commonly-heard example as a way to illustrate how perceived loudness, size, and impact can be crafted as a studio or performance illusion.

The more I read up and listen, the more surprizing bits of info come my way.

 

[kidkage]

Did you actually ask a question? Or give a judgement? Either way, the answers is what? lol!

I'm not sure myself
I think I'm trying to ask if not yelling at the tops of ones lungs while singing is "ok"
... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

I thought this was interesting

Indeed, very interesting.
Exactly the sort of information I was wondering about.
I was listening back and was asking myself "How in the world does this sound this 'huge' with my singing at this level?"
At least it makes some sense now.

 

[JimmyS1969]

LOL! What did you say?

I'm hoping I will have a better reply tomorrow.....

I have an attitude tonight.,,,,,

 

[kidkage]

LOL! What did you say?

I'm hoping I will have a better reply tomorrow.....

I have an attitude tonight.,,,,,

in short, i think i might be actually learning how to sing

who cares though?

because CUBASE 6 JUST CAME IN!!!!!

I'll be away from the forum for a few days now.
then ill be back. probably with way too many questions

 

[JimmyS1969]

Quality time!! Do it! Do it! Do it!

 

[Bryan316]

If I'm warmed up and singing cleanly, I can hit notes like Bruce Dickinson.

But as soon as I push my throat a little past that threshold, I'll degrade to James Hetfield.

There's a fine line for singing with power and control, and blowing out your voice. It's just like any other part of your body, really; muscle and tissues. And they can get sore, fatigue, tired, or injured. This is advice I want to give, while also remembering to follow it myself; find a good warmup regimen. Humming to start, sweeping from low to high back low, singing along to an easy and familiar song, whatever you find works for you. But if you really do want a career in music and singing, spend a few months with a vocal coach, and let him help you out. He can teach you proper warmups, good ways to exercise and keep your voice strong, and then work on your actual technique to help you be a better singer.


Vocal lessons ain't for wussies. They're for serious musicians. For students of the game.

 

[stevieb]

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Morse code? s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s???

 

[somegeezer]

Morse code? s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s???

Oh crap, Creepers got into the forum. /nerd

When I sing, I also do it rather quietly. Just recorded some death growls for this song. - G-I-V "Tantrum" music video - YouTube
Where I was actually not much louder than talking myself.

 

[JimmyS1969]

I feel the need to whisper sweet death metal vocals to my loved ones now. I'll let you know my results soon. Or not, if it works.

 

[somegeezer]

I feel the need to whisper sweet death metal vocals to my loved ones now. I'll let you know my results soon. Or not, if it works.

If only I could give you more rep for that! Here's a +1 instead. =P

 

[Mr. F.]

I don't know if this is seriously on topic but whispering lyrics can have just as much emotional effect in the song as really loud screaming... Just a thought.

 

[grimtraveller]

I don't know if this is seriously on topic but whispering lyrics can have just as much emotional effect in the song as really loud screaming... Just a thought.

I agree. I've done quite a few tunes with whispering in them. Funny thing, I think my voice is pretty ropey when double tracked, but double and triple tracked whispers out of me sound real neat.

 

[Mr. F.]

As long as its not too thin high pitched with lots of hissing sound, then you start to sound satanic. Unless that's what you're going for. My favorite example of using whisperering to convey an emotional feeling instead of screaming is in blink 182's song "down". Right be for each chorus he whispers "you did this" and "this cant be the end". In my opinion that is more creative and it sticks in my mind more. Some songs definitely require screaming though, just don't over do it. Use it as an accent instead of throughout an entire song. Think Underoath-reinventing your exit.

 

[gecko zzed]

Have I been wrongly assuming that every singer yells at the top of their lungs or am i cheating some how?

Good singers control their voices. They don't sing at the top of their lungs.

There are (at least) two good reasons for this:

1 You protect your vocal chords

2 You allow yourself some headroom . . . somewhere to go.

If you sing at the top of your voice all the time, you just give the listener a headache, and you reduce the dynamic interest of a song. By mixing it up and saving loud for dramatic bits, you can create tension and build-up.

 

[Mr. F.]

Well put.

 

[kidkage]

Good singers control their voices. They don't sing at the top of their lungs.

There are (at least) two good reasons for this:

1 You protect your vocal chords

2 You allow yourself some headroom . . . somewhere to go.

If you sing at the top of your voice all the time, you just give the listener a headache, and you reduce the dynamic interest of a song. By mixing it up and saving loud for dramatic bits, you can create tension and build-up.

YES!
So at least I am learning to do SOME things the right way

Getting vocal lessons for Christmas btw Found a guy through mutual friends on the net that I feel comfortable with.

 

[Steve Henningsgard]

Whisper tracks underneath main vocal tracks can result in some interesting and quite varied effects, from softening/adding breathiness to quiet vocals, to making it sound like the vocalist is screaming. I really need to experiment with it more, myself!