I always start a mix with the Kick and Snare being dominant, and the TOMS have to be gigantic when they come in. Those are the hardest things to maintain in a mix, so get that going first and fit everything else into that framework. Make sure the bass is providing a solid bottom and let the vocals dominate and always be predomninant.
The guitars will shred through anyway if they are EQ'ed correctly. Use limiting and compression to help bring the things in the background into the foreground.
A good guitarist is going to appreciate driving, killer drum tracks to help make their shredding have better context.
A good mix, like a good monitor mix, is going to be a complimentary situation, rather than an escalating arms race.
A little trick from Graham Cochrane often helps me balancing drums, vocals and everything else: To make sure that your balance is right on a mix, slowly turn the overall volume down. The last things that you can still hear should be voice and snare/drums. If that's not the case, probably something else is too loud.
If you want to improve your recoring/mixing/mastering skills I can recommend Graham Cochranes Videos See above. He'll show you things like getting a huge drum sound even if the drums are recorded with one budget microphone!
These are topics that are near and dear to my heart. Learning to record well can be just as challenging of a journey as learning to sing well, and the two go hand-in-hand.
I'm familiar with the technique of turning down the mix to hear only the voice and the snare. Sometimes I like to hear a little kick, too, at that level, but not too much.
Then when you bring it up to about 85 dB or more, the fletcher-munsen curve comes into effect and everything gets more magical.
Yeah, maybe there should be a recording thread on this forum. Being able to record yourself well is a real bonus in the study of the voice because a good recording helps you learn from your mistakes. Also with the crash of the music industry there are close to no record deals out there. So we all need to be our own record labels. I think nowadays in a band you need a drummer with photography skills, a guitarist with mixing skills, a bassist with graphics skills and a keyboarder with business skills;)
Here is a recording of lucky now. Originally by Ryan Adams. It's just me singing to a backing track. There are other recordings of me on soundcloud but were recorded a while ago. Probably a bit too much reverb and doesn't really show of a lot of skills or anything but I'm really pretty happy with how KTVA has helped me over the last 9 months. Anyways hope you like it and will have more to follow. All the best everyone
You're getting there. Good job on these two songs. Is the crowd beginning to notice that you're improving? You seem to be singing with a lot more confidence. You're developing a sound and a style. Way to go, Bro!
Even got a bit of support happening, dude! Keep working at it!
@highmtn well the front table was new people I never seen before. They were very pleased with the songs. I was feeling more confident but I still got a lot of shyness to work through. That feeling gots to go . I got compliments afterwords to. Backing off air is helping alot. I had a tendency to push a little hard with kryptonite out of habit. I'm also trying to break the habit of when pushing down l tend to push down / tense up my voice box. Thx for the compliment. I feel like I'm starting to move forward.
The trick is to relax the voice box when you push down. You're having the opposite response from what you should be able to do. Push down on the diaphragm and use all of your tension for that while taking the load off your throat. Try to get that part sorted out. It works well.
Heard this a few weeks ago, sang it last night at a duo gig and had a good response, so I thought I'd record it today with a backing track. One take, not without errors, but I thought it came out OK. I wonder if any of you on the KTVA forum with decent software could process my two tracks so I could see what it could sound like with some effects done by someone who has a clue (which I don't)...
@rcrosier wow you have lit a spark in me. You can really tell you been working on your last Ken Tamplin Skype. Your voice is so much richer so much more.... Great job!!
Every week, I notice differences in my voice, and most importantly, how much easier it is for me to reach higher notes without straining nearly like I used to. I'm still working on volume 1 for the most part, though, after a year with KTVA...
Felt like recording another tune that I like. Hope you all enjoy it. Comment away, too, but be nice, I'm not a young kid any more... hahaha.
You seem to be feeling more confident with your voice. Nice job on the F#'s and A4's. You seem even more confident on those higher notes than in the midrange just below there. Good support up high, try to add more in the rest of the tune, on the easier (or lower, anyway) notes. Get those sounding a little more solid and you'll be rockin'. And, as always, the way to get that is support, support, and support!
How to build my own style of singing? or add character to my voice?
Hey guys. I have been working on a different lessons for a while now, and while I feel I am progressing, there is a certain "quality" that I keep getting commented on, and that is that my voice is not really "unique" or "full of character". I feel like I am a decent songwriter, and would really love to learn to express myself in a better way. I would really apreciate if you could review my style of singing and give me some pointers on how to find my voice and build character in it.
This is me singing the very first "lah" scale from HTS volume 1 (warm up):
This is me singing my own song which I am preparing to be released by the end of the year (it is in Croatian language, but I feel it best explains what my voice is naturally):
How to build my own style of singing? or add character to my voice?
Hey guys. I have been working on a different lessons for a while now, and while I feel I am progressing, there is a certain "quality" that I keep getting commented on, and that is that my voice is not really "unique" or "full of character". I feel like I am a decent songwriter, and would really love to learn to express myself in a better way. I would really apreciate if you could review my style of singing and give me some pointers on how to find my voice and build character in it.
This is me singing the very first "lah" scale from HTS volume 1 (warm up):
This is me singing my own song which I am preparing to be released by the end of the year (it is in Croatian language, but I feel it best explains what my voice is naturally):
First thing is first man. You need to really brighten up the tone, cut back the air by way of support and get more cord closure. You are kind of in a low 'Yogi Bear' spot. You need to get into the 'It's the Lah' real bright, real open sound. You also need to pare down the sound and start using the vowel mods. You are really straining to get up the Arpeggios towards the end. Brightening up the sound will also give you a much clearer perception of pitch. Your pitch isn't awful but it needs to be improved.
Artistry comes with time... It's almost osmosis. Listen to the singers you love, learn their licks, tricks and sometimes even emulate their tones. For a while though, singing is going to have to be a very technical process in order to get the fundamentals together. You will have to 'Lah' your way through songs, pitch match as much as possible, make sure the breath and the support is working for you, strength training muscle memory to keep the throat open through phrases etc, etc.
It takes time. Just because you know what to do doesn't mean you can do it straight away. I know how to pick things up but I can't bench 120 kgs without doing the necessary work first. Gotta lay that bedrock.
Great answer from streeter. Igor, the bright sound is demonstrated by Ken when he shows you "It's the Lah!!! AHHH!" Ken does that intentionally bright. The cords are closed together well, so there is very little air leaking through. The tone Pops and Pings. There is a very bright sound, that bounces off the exposed upper teeth and hard palate. You smile and raise your cheeks, which helps to raise the uvula. You direct the sound toward the hard surfaces in the mouth, and also to a spot forward, just underneath your nose. Your lips do not cover your teeth. You smile. Tongue down, Throat Open.
Practice that "LAHHH!!! AHH!!! AHH!!!" and work with all of those variables (moving targets" and listen to what each one of them does. Move toward the brighter adjustments of each one and combine them all together. AHHHH!!! AHHH!!!
See what makes it PING and really POP. If it gets darker, go the other way.
Thank you for the honest response. Could you please point me to an example of what would mean to 'brighten my voice' in a way you specified?
No worries. Anyone who gets any good goes through it. Some guys had to completely relearn their singing technique and some guys (like me) never had any.
As Highmtn said its the 'lah' close up video. That's the tone you should be aiming to produce. that sound builds resonance, cuts back the air and gives a much better pitch perception.
Thanks Bob and streeter. I think I understand, let me work on the sound a bit and see where it takes me, I'll post again when I feel comfortable with the sound
Post as much as possible, try not to get handcuffed by perfection. Start your own progress thread dude. Set a day each week to post examples. It's daunting but it's the quickest way to improve without a doubt.
Also, just record yourself with a cheap cassette recorder from a second-hand store. Record yourself all the time while you practice and do self-evaluations frequently. Get used to always being recorded. Listen for easily correctible items and fix those. Listen for weak areas and practice them more. Get used to hearing the sound of your own voice, and learn to improve the tone.
Then periodically, send in recordings here for a second opinion and guidance.
I am getting better at vocal distortion but need any insights or feedback. I have been doing the Ken Tamplin course for 3 months straight and am doing the advanced part 3 now.
@steves backing tracks can be found for most songs on YouTube. Type the song name with the word karaoke into YouTube search. To download, I use the YouTube download extension for Firefox. I pull the downloaded track into reaper and record my vocal on a second track. Rob.
@everdrone lots of Phrygian sounding licks in the guitar. Good guitar and singing.
Thanks Stratman, thanks for the listen. I like phrygian mode for the more metal type stuff, I also used harmonic minor which sounds a little middle eastern in those guitar solos cause it fit the meditation vibe of the song. I am glad you dug, cheers
@steves I actually host a karaoke night once a month, been doing it since 2004, and have about 7000 karaoke tracks that I've purchased (yes, purchased, every one!). I have them all on a notebook computer and use them for all the songs that I sing and record (since I don't play guitar, only bass-poorly. and drums-only a little better than that)! For me, the first 5000 or so came on CD's, about 400 of them or so, and the rest I've downloaded from a couple karaoke download websites. buykaraokedownloads.com and karaoke-version.com
Karaoke-version.com ALSO sells instrumental backing tracks that are NOT karaoke versions, and you can change the key, change the instrumentation (block out bass, drums, guitar, leads, etc), and download various versions of the songs, so you could play drums with the song, etc. It's very cool... you should check it out!
@rcrosier thank you for the helpful information. I found google store also has some for purchase as well. I will check out the options you mentioned too.
Hey yall, did some karaoke videos tonight, my weekly progress is going good! I did these songs and some others after the 3rd ken tamplin workout, and after singing distorted I did half of the 2nd ken tamplin workout. I figure a year more of training vocals and I will be ready for the band!!! Any comments is appreciated, cheers I need to get skype lessons from a pro going...
You seem to have worked out most of the recording issues you previously had. This is a pretty clean recording. Your voice is clear, and more stable, more confident.
Yes, I bought a new large diaphragm condenser microphone for my vocals after Steinberg support helped me conclude the old microphone was the source of the noise problems and I also got a second small diagram condenser for situations I want to record myself singing and playing at the same time.
(I am still working on trying to sing and play as separate takes, but that is still a work in progress to retain feeling when I am playing in proper time because my focus is all on staying in time. On the plus side, I have gotten a lot better at recording myself while wearing headphones.)
The improved stability in my voice is directly due to some excellent Youtube video demonstrations on cord closure, posture, support, LAH/jaw technique that really helped clarify a lot of concepts I had been struggling with. I am starting to figure out the mechanics of what I need to do.
Hi Bob, thanks! This time, I tried compressing/mastering each individual track in the DAW before mixing everything down to one final track. I used to wait to add compression to the stereo track/final mix and it seemed to produce a dynamically imbalanced master. I'm pretty pleased with the result.
[Edit Sept 17 - I've since remastered the track and increased the guitar volume as I found they were a bit drowned out in the first mix]
By the way, Bob: Did you know that you could save hundreds a year by switching to Geico? Already have Geico? Isn't time you got an HSBC credit card to handle those pesky overseas purchases?
Not to (ahem) offend any potential telemarketers at the forum (love you guys and gals), thanks Bob ;-)
I've remixed the track recently and replaced it above. I think it sounds more balanced now - guitars were not getting through enough. And I know: "WHERE ARE THE DRUMS???" ...sigh. I wish.
cool brutha, what morning exercise practicing should I do? I am thinking for support I will do my expand a lung exercises http://www.expand-a-lung.com/ and leave all singing for the evening. Is that a good idea? I like to sing from 5pm to 8pm every day. I do not want to go back to the first or second volumes since I can easily do them. the third volume is challenging but I just stop when I dont have the stamina, on the days when it is challenging like right now cause I got sick and I am better now, I usually stop 5 exercises prior to the end.
cool brutha, I do the "ha ha ha ha" drill every day, it is the last one on the 3rd volume as well. I prolly do like 6 minutes of that one every day cause it is good if you want to explode on stage! carefully of course, at low volumes. I do open throat "law" practicing for my growls/screams.
I think my singing is going good and not painful and you can see no stress in my neck at all and open "law" throat technique on the high notes etc, any additional insights/constructive criticism is appreciated, here is today's recording, a Godsmack tune:
Sounding good man. Just watch your pitch when you cover/darken the sound. You are tending to go a little flat.
It sounds like you are throwing the sound and the compression to the front of the cord rather than keeping it tucked way in the back. So rather than having this massive, open and round sound, it sounds slightly pinched. You can get away with this without it hurting (like Adam Spizzo does a few times in the advanced workouts before Ken jumps in a corrects it) but over time it will wreck you and you may get stuck there.. Refer to the advanced dudes/divas videos. Adam and Gabriella do it a few times and Ken immediately points it out and corrects it. Make sure that big, round open throat is completely imbedded and huge.
thanks brutha! yall have great advice. I need to look into that, I want the bigger sound that is not pinched off. You both agree, good ear guys, thank you. CHeers!!! :-)
thanks brutha! yall have great advice. I need to look into that, I want the bigger sound that is not pinched off. You both agree, good ear guys, thank you. CHeers!!! :-)
No worries. It's exactly what I'm going through at the moment as well. So I know where that sound is coming from. Like you, I'm not feeling any pain but it just doesn't quite have that roundness/openness that my clean sound does. When I do get it, it's quieter but it's still round with an overlay of grit. Like its 90-95 percent clean with a 5-10 percent over lay of distortion.
10 percent is like a Chris Cornell/Layne Stayley type sound, 7 percent is like Dio, 5 is like a Bon Jovi the layer of distortion. You don't even have to distort all the way through phrases to get the effect. Dio was a master at turning it on at the start, singing the middle part clean and then ending the phrase with grit. The ear just picks up the whole thing as distorted.
Thanks everyone, I am very satisfied with the tone of my voice. I just want to make sure I do not hurt myself and destroy what I have. I may need to take steps back to ensure this. I have watched Adam and Gabriella videos and all the KTVA videos a few times and I am very unsatisfied with Adam and Gabriella's distortion abilities. Ken has great singing distortion undoubtedly, that is why I bought the course and am doing it. but Adam and Gabriella are told to stop, and I never hear any great distortion from them really. [...edit by everdrone...]
I was also thinking of getting a Shure SM7B so that I dont have to use phantom power in my presonus audiobox22VSL interface which would then not allow me to sing while simultaneously playing guitar. also with Shure SM7B since it is not a condenser microphone I do not need to worry as much about sound treating my house.
belly breathing abdominal support is the key for sure. Thanks for the thumbs up on MXL V67G, Ill have to pull the trigger on that. Good bands brutha, I agree with your insights on stamina and compression and everything, cheers :-)
I think what the people were saying about my singing pinching off the chord is correct. I was closely evaluating for this last night when doing distorted singing. I agree that I do not have the musculature necessary for the heavy distortion. I can do a little bit of distortion just fine, but for the heavy distortion I am noticing tension and a weird tickle like sensation in a bad way and then I felt like I wanted to cough later on. Not pain like when I scream at the top of my lungs. but I think it would destroy me if I continue that way. Its a sensation easy to ignore and just discount as drying the throat, but I think it is pinching off the chord. I am building my musculature in my diaphram by practicing the whole level 3 and other stuff. I am gonna hold off on the heavy distorted singing for a few months/years and only do very light distortion for now; the more I read up about this, the more I find out it is like weightlifting that develops diaphram muscles over years, not months. I wanna sing like AC/DC or Motorhead at age 68 like they are doing, and not bottom out after my first year.
What you wrote is wisdom. You are beginning to see that the longevity of your voice is important, and avoid the temptation to have it all now, whether safely or not.
One thing that is very important is to practice the habit of Open Throat from the beginning of working Ken's course. Even as you go through the passaggio and even as you distort, you want to build the ability to keep the throat as open as possible. You will learn to do this if you don't gloss past it. It's important.
For now, concentrate on keeping the vocal tract open. That will make other things later come easier for you, and will help to preserve your voice. Pinching down is a way to force higher notes, but at a cost you don't want to pay. It subjects your cords to too much pressure.
I think you have great resolve, and once you fix your sights on the real goal, you will be on the better course of action. Go back and revue the basic lessons and make sure you are picking up on everything Ken says about opening up the throat and keeping it open. Practice your exercises that way. Get the very basics down before advancing to the more difficult lessons. In the long run, that is the most efficient path.
Thank you so much Bob, I will start all over on the first videos/lessons. I need to really meditate on what you all have advised me so that I am very focused. Thank you, awesome forum! Cheers )
Thank you so much Bob, I will start all over on the first videos/lessons. I need to really meditate on what you all have advised me so that I am very focused. Thank you, awesome forum! Cheers )
Good for you. It's hard but never let the ego get in the way. i would highly recommend posting the basic Lah exercise to make sure everything is working correctly. That's the gold standard and the feeling you should be trying to replicate throughout all your singing. That big Yawn/open throat/no stricture.
Like Ken says, If the bottom's not right, nothing will be right.
Same goes for the Basic Lah scale. If that isn't right, we run into problems. It's the basic building block. If we try to build with bricks that aren't shaped right, we will have a harder time building a stable foundation.
Everdrone is going to get his foundations levelled out and will be glad for it as he continues on his journey. "Going Back" and revisiting Volume One and the basics is not backwards progress at all. It's a big step forward to revisit the foundational principles with the perspective you now have from having tried the first time. You know more what to focus on, and FOCUS he will!
The last month I've been fixing my custom desktop that I use in my home studio. It's finally fixed and now here is a brand-spankin' new cover to prove it!
very cool bro, I got caught up in 'smiling into the sound' to get the bright ping and avoid the covered tone. It is hard for me to start and stop 'smiling' into the higher notes, so the circular mouth thing happended. I am shining a light and mirror to take a look at my soft palate through all the volume 1 audio warmups right now, to get a better handle on that.
I think your advice to practice warmups like singing and vice versa is golden too, I feel weird old habits creep in when I get nostalgia from singing old songs when I was singing not using proper technique. But I use Ken Tamplin's techniques so that the techniques I practice turn into stationary mechanisms that dont change, like "law" "aahh", so no moving targets and I soar above the old habits. Rock on!!! Cheers :-)
Hi guys, I posted this in a separate thread, but obviously no one saw it lol It is another song from my band, Blue Almonds. We're from Warsaw, Poland and we are heading to hit polish music industry soon haha
@blondiewales Thanks, I'm happy that you like it. Are there in my song any particular words that you're having a difficulty understanding? Or is your point about my enunciating in general?
You sound best on the bridge. You are singing with a kind of dark sound. Smile. Bare your teeth and let the sound bounce off the back of your teeth and the hard palate. Scrunch down on that beach ball. Open up that jaw and throat.
I hear that you are developing your vibrato. Good for you.
thanks for the recommendations, cheers, I also got a voicelive3!
this is an original tune, here are the lyrics:
Will I stay at home / Will I be alone, tonight Your so hot / Will the guys just start to drool did I pick a fight / Will it be do or die again Will you come back / To me to me Will you bring your best / Will you say to thems goodbye Its alright / To be yourself I swear Its not alright / To dump and front all night Spending time / with me, with me When times get tough / will you be there for me Ive been there for you / Im the shoulder you leaned on Where were you / promises you swore Now I need a shoulder to lean on, lean on In my darkest hour whoa, will you find me///// In the darkest hour whoa, we feel so free In your darkest hour whoa, you find me ////// In the darkest hour whoa, we feel so free
on that recording I used tons of effects because I just got it ;-) I used everything: hardtune, doubling, pitch correct, auto mixing for compression/eq/noisegate, the harmony vocals and I chose the key and type (barbershop)
its useful live, but for recording Melodyne rules and voicelive3 sounds like a cheap toy for pitch correct and harmony vocals. Ill keep using the harmony function for now since I dont own melodyne (just tried their demo) but I do like their auto mixing where they add compression/eq/de-essing/noisegate but it sounds more like a computer than when I use voxformer really. I like it that I instantly hear pitch correct singing so it works as a coach for me, and I like instantly hearing harmonies that I control for barbershop/harmonic-minor/major keys so I get tons more songwriting ideas. cheers :-)
Hi Seeker, I am glad you dig! I love my tone in that song, but it is unhealthy.
I agree that I am overdistorting in an unhealthy way. I am trying to stop all distortion and going through the volume 1 videos/singing-drills, but I get bored and have the stamina so I dip into volume 2 same day after I finish volume 1 warmups. I did have a few relapses cause I love distortion and it is hard to stop, it reminded me that I was still doing it wrong.
Comments
@bberg,
I always start a mix with the Kick and Snare being dominant, and the TOMS have to be gigantic when they come in. Those are the hardest things to maintain in a mix, so get that going first and fit everything else into that framework. Make sure the bass is providing a solid bottom and let the vocals dominate and always be predomninant.
The guitars will shred through anyway if they are EQ'ed correctly. Use limiting and compression to help bring the things in the background into the foreground.
A good guitarist is going to appreciate driving, killer drum tracks to help make their shredding have better context.
A good mix, like a good monitor mix, is going to be a complimentary situation, rather than an escalating arms race.
Bob
@durza,
Yes, I caught that the transition left little time for a natural adjustment from high to bottom-end.
: ^)
Bob
that's some good mixing advise from @highmtn!
A little trick from Graham Cochrane often helps me balancing drums, vocals and everything else: To make sure that your balance is right on a mix, slowly turn the overall volume down. The last things that you can still hear should be voice and snare/drums. If that's not the case, probably something else is too loud.
If you want to improve your recoring/mixing/mastering skills I can recommend Graham Cochranes Videos See above. He'll show you things like getting a huge drum sound even if the drums are recorded with one budget microphone!
If you need to practise your mixing (we all need to!), you'll find a ton of free multitrack projects here: http://www.cambridge-mt.com/ms-mtk.htm
Yeah, maybe there should be a recording thread on this forum. Being able to record yourself well is a real bonus in the study of the voice because a good recording helps you learn from your mistakes. Also with the crash of the music industry there are close to no record deals out there. So we all need to be our own record labels. I think nowadays in a band you need a drummer with photography skills, a guitarist with mixing skills, a bassist with graphics skills and a keyboarder with business skills;)
How about here?
http://forum.kentamplinvocalacademy.com/discussion/5109/singing-and-recording-mixing-and-mastering-how-does-it-work?new=1
It's just me singing to a backing track.
There are other recordings of me on soundcloud but were recorded a while ago.
Probably a bit too much reverb and doesn't really show of a lot of skills or anything but I'm really pretty happy with how KTVA has helped me over the last 9 months.
Anyways hope you like it and will have more to follow.
All the best everyone
Demo say something.
Stevek
Me singing kryptonite. It's karaoke night.
Steve
Thx for the compliment. I feel like I'm starting to move forward.
Steve
Nice job. You both sound quite good on this one, and your voices blend very well. Nice song selection and recording. Nice to listen to.
Bob
I concur with SteveK.
Your long hiatus due to a stubborn illness did not stop your voice from continuing to progress.
Felt like recording another tune that I like. Hope you all enjoy it. Comment away, too, but be nice, I'm not a young kid any more... hahaha.
You seem to be feeling more confident with your voice. Nice job on the F#'s and A4's. You seem even more confident on those higher notes than in the midrange just below there. Good support up high, try to add more in the rest of the tune, on the easier (or lower, anyway) notes. Get those sounding a little more solid and you'll be rockin'. And, as always, the way to get that is support, support, and support!
Good job!
Bob
Hey guys. I have been working on a different lessons for a while now, and while I feel I am progressing, there is a certain "quality" that I keep getting commented on, and that is that my voice is not really "unique" or "full of character". I feel like I am a decent songwriter, and would really love to learn to express myself in a better way. I would really apreciate if you could review my style of singing and give me some pointers on how to find my voice and build character in it.
This is me singing the very first "lah" scale from HTS volume 1 (warm up):
This is me singing my own song which I am preparing to be released by the end of the year (it is in Croatian language, but I feel it best explains what my voice is naturally):
Artistry comes with time... It's almost osmosis. Listen to the singers you love, learn their licks, tricks and sometimes even emulate their tones. For a while though, singing is going to have to be a very technical process in order to get the fundamentals together. You will have to 'Lah' your way through songs, pitch match as much as possible, make sure the breath and the support is working for you, strength training muscle memory to keep the throat open through phrases etc, etc.
It takes time. Just because you know what to do doesn't mean you can do it straight away. I know how to pick things up but I can't bench 120 kgs without doing the necessary work first. Gotta lay that bedrock.
Thank you for the honest response. Could you please point me to an example of what would mean to 'brighten my voice' in a way you specified?
Igor, the bright sound is demonstrated by Ken when he shows you "It's the Lah!!! AHHH!" Ken does that intentionally bright. The cords are closed together well, so there is very little air leaking through. The tone Pops and Pings. There is a very bright sound, that bounces off the exposed upper teeth and hard palate. You smile and raise your cheeks, which helps to raise the uvula. You direct the sound toward the hard surfaces in the mouth, and also to a spot forward, just underneath your nose. Your lips do not cover your teeth. You smile. Tongue down, Throat Open.
Practice that "LAHHH!!! AHH!!! AHH!!!" and work with all of those variables (moving targets" and listen to what each one of them does. Move toward the brighter adjustments of each one and combine them all together. AHHHH!!! AHHH!!!
See what makes it PING and really POP. If it gets darker, go the other way.
All the Best.
Bob
No worries. Anyone who gets any good goes through it. Some guys had to completely relearn their singing technique and some guys (like me) never had any.
As Highmtn said its the 'lah' close up video. That's the tone you should be aiming to produce. that sound builds resonance, cuts back the air and gives a much better pitch perception.
Also, just record yourself with a cheap cassette recorder from a second-hand store. Record yourself all the time while you practice and do self-evaluations frequently. Get used to always being recorded. Listen for easily correctible items and fix those. Listen for weak areas and practice them more. Get used to hearing the sound of your own voice, and learn to improve the tone.
Then periodically, send in recordings here for a second opinion and guidance.
All the Best!
Bob
At last, you satisfy our craving to hear you rap. Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!
me singing ALICE IN CHAINS:
I recorded it today just now, one take wonder,
I am getting better at vocal distortion but need any insights or feedback. I have been doing the Ken Tamplin course for 3 months straight and am doing the advanced part 3 now.
Any insights are appreciated, cheers!!!
I replied to this video demo in detail where you posted it in the Glottal Compression and Distortion section of the Forums.
Good job.
Bob
Nice.
Yes, you are sounding comfortable in that range. A little more support will help to get that sound in the pocket. I'm liking your tone.
Bob
Just wondering where to get the fully produced backing tracks?
Karaoke-version.com ALSO sells instrumental backing tracks that are NOT karaoke versions, and you can change the key, change the instrumentation (block out bass, drums, guitar, leads, etc), and download various versions of the songs, so you could play drums with the song, etc. It's very cool... you should check it out!
Songs range from $1.49 to $2.99 each. Not bad.
Velvet Revolver:
zeppelin:
AC/DC:
You seem to have worked out most of the recording issues you previously had. This is a pretty clean recording. Your voice is clear, and more stable, more confident.
Good job.
Bob
Yes, I bought a new large diaphragm condenser microphone for my vocals after Steinberg support helped me conclude the old microphone was the source of the noise problems and I also got a second small diagram condenser for situations I want to record myself singing and playing at the same time.
(I am still working on trying to sing and play as separate takes, but that is still a work in progress to retain feeling when I am playing in proper time because my focus is all on staying in time. On the plus side, I have gotten a lot better at recording myself while wearing headphones.)
The improved stability in my voice is directly due to some excellent Youtube video demonstrations on cord closure, posture, support, LAH/jaw technique that really helped clarify a lot of concepts I had been struggling with. I am starting to figure out the mechanics of what I need to do.
Was inspired (by a telemarketer) into writing a song today. The telemarketer wasn't the full reason for the lyrics, but certainly the trigger.
Hopefully you find it enjoyable, and maybe even sing along.
If you have a moment, please let me know what you think :-)
Peace,
Johan
[Edit: Old song remastered with increased guitar levels and other little tweaks and ...twerks?]
You can sell
Anything you want
I know what I need
Let me be
You can live
Any way you want
And also I'm free
Let me be
On the edge of a new day
On a train goin' the other way
I've got my own key
So let me be
You can have
What you're craving
I know what I see
Let me be
You can be
Who you're willing
I'm always changing
Let me be
Nice tune. You've gotten pretty good with your recording rig.
It's a catchy tune. Now let me be. ; ^)
: ^)
Bob
Hi Bob, thanks! This time, I tried compressing/mastering each individual track in the DAW before mixing everything down to one final track. I used to wait to add compression to the stereo track/final mix and it seemed to produce a dynamically imbalanced master. I'm pretty pleased with the result.
[Edit Sept 17 - I've since remastered the track and increased the guitar volume as I found they were a bit drowned out in the first mix]
By the way, Bob: Did you know that you could save hundreds a year by switching to Geico? Already have Geico? Isn't time you got an HSBC credit card to handle those pesky overseas purchases?
:-)
Peace,
Johan
Bob
I've remixed the track recently and replaced it above. I think it sounds more balanced now - guitars were not getting through enough. And I know: "WHERE ARE THE DRUMS???" ...sigh. I wish.
Peace
I think my singing is going good and not painful and you can see no stress in my neck at all and open "law" throat technique on the high notes etc, any additional insights/constructive criticism is appreciated, here is today's recording, a Godsmack tune:
Sounding good man. Just watch your pitch when you cover/darken the sound. You are tending to go a little flat.
It sounds like you are throwing the sound and the compression to the front of the cord rather than keeping it tucked way in the back. So rather than having this massive, open and round sound, it sounds slightly pinched. You can get away with this without it hurting (like Adam Spizzo does a few times in the advanced workouts before Ken jumps in a corrects it) but over time it will wreck you and you may get stuck there.. Refer to the advanced dudes/divas videos. Adam and Gabriella do it a few times and Ken immediately points it out and corrects it. Make sure that big, round open throat is completely imbedded and huge.
No worries. It's exactly what I'm going through at the moment as well. So I know where that sound is coming from. Like you, I'm not feeling any pain but it just doesn't quite have that roundness/openness that my clean sound does. When I do get it, it's quieter but it's still round with an overlay of grit. Like its 90-95 percent clean with a 5-10 percent over lay of distortion.
10 percent is like a Chris Cornell/Layne Stayley type sound, 7 percent is like Dio, 5 is like a Bon Jovi the layer of distortion. You don't even have to distort all the way through phrases to get the effect. Dio was a master at turning it on at the start, singing the middle part clean and then ending the phrase with grit. The ear just picks up the whole thing as distorted.
I was also thinking of getting a Shure SM7B so that I dont have to use phantom power in my presonus audiobox22VSL interface which would then not allow me to sing while simultaneously playing guitar. also with Shure SM7B since it is not a condenser microphone I do not need to worry as much about sound treating my house.
If I got a condenser microphone, it would be better than the Shure SM7B for singing only so that I could hear my breath and treating my apartment would not be needed? If it will help my singing I will do it! $100 for a good cause is worth it, I would want the MXL V67G condenser microphone then as a budget option. Maybe later I will get a Porta Booth Pro but it is $350 and I would need a stand: http://www.amazon.com/Porta-Booth-Pro-Your-Recording-Studio/dp/B003JZOW98/ref=sr_1_13?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1443134093&sr=1-13&keywords=portable+vocal+booth
Thanks again friends on this forum, cheers
What you wrote is wisdom. You are beginning to see that the longevity of your voice is important, and avoid the temptation to have it all now, whether safely or not.
One thing that is very important is to practice the habit of Open Throat from the beginning of working Ken's course. Even as you go through the passaggio and even as you distort, you want to build the ability to keep the throat as open as possible. You will learn to do this if you don't gloss past it. It's important.
For now, concentrate on keeping the vocal tract open. That will make other things later come easier for you, and will help to preserve your voice. Pinching down is a way to force higher notes, but at a cost you don't want to pay. It subjects your cords to too much pressure.
I think you have great resolve, and once you fix your sights on the real goal, you will be on the better course of action. Go back and revue the basic lessons and make sure you are picking up on everything Ken says about opening up the throat and keeping it open. Practice your exercises that way. Get the very basics down before advancing to the more difficult lessons. In the long run, that is the most efficient path.
All the Best!
Bob
Good for you. It's hard but never let the ego get in the way. i would highly recommend posting the basic Lah exercise to make sure everything is working correctly. That's the gold standard and the feeling you should be trying to replicate throughout all your singing. That big Yawn/open throat/no stricture.
Like Ken says, If the bottom's not right, nothing will be right.
Same goes for the Basic Lah scale. If that isn't right, we run into problems. It's the basic building block. If we try to build with bricks that aren't shaped right, we will have a harder time building a stable foundation.
Everdrone is going to get his foundations levelled out and will be glad for it as he continues on his journey. "Going Back" and revisiting Volume One and the basics is not backwards progress at all. It's a big step forward to revisit the foundational principles with the perspective you now have from having tried the first time. You know more what to focus on, and FOCUS he will!
Bravo, @everdrone.
Looking forward to hearing that Lah scale! You ROCK, Dude!
Bob
Bob
I think your advice to practice warmups like singing and vice versa is golden too, I feel weird old habits creep in when I get nostalgia from singing old songs when I was singing not using proper technique. But I use Ken Tamplin's techniques so that the techniques I practice turn into stationary mechanisms that dont change, like "law" "aahh", so no moving targets and I soar above the old habits. Rock on!!! Cheers :-)
I posted this in a separate thread, but obviously no one saw it lol
It is another song from my band, Blue Almonds. We're from Warsaw, Poland and we are heading to hit polish music industry soon haha
Enjoy and feel free to comment, I appreciate constructive criticism
Konrad
Thanks, I'm happy that you like it.
Are there in my song any particular words that you're having a difficulty understanding? Or is your point about my enunciating in general?
Konrad
Thanks! A Day to Remember is in my top 10 favorite bands!
I just released another cover! This one we got a lot of nice shots for the video too:
Bob
this is me trying to slow things down. not awsome like the videos and audio clips found here.
everyrose has its thorn. little tired but just want your opinion.
NO gradeing pitch lol.
You sound best on the bridge. You are singing with a kind of dark sound. Smile. Bare your teeth and let the sound bounce off the back of your teeth and the hard palate. Scrunch down on that beach ball. Open up that jaw and throat.
I hear that you are developing your vibrato. Good for you.
Bob
How to Zing Better than Anyone Else.
thanks for the recommendations, cheers, I also got a voicelive3!
this is an original tune, here are the lyrics:
Will I stay at home / Will I be alone, tonight
Your so hot / Will the guys just start to drool
did I pick a fight / Will it be do or die again
Will you come back / To me to me
Will you bring your best / Will you say to thems goodbye
Its alright / To be yourself I swear
Its not alright / To dump and front all night
Spending time / with me, with me
When times get tough / will you be there for me
Ive been there for you / Im the shoulder you leaned on
Where were you / promises you swore
Now I need a shoulder to lean on, lean on
In my darkest hour whoa, will you find me///// In the darkest hour whoa, we feel so free
In your darkest hour whoa, you find me ////// In the darkest hour whoa, we feel so free
Bob
its useful live, but for recording Melodyne rules and voicelive3 sounds like a cheap toy for pitch correct and harmony vocals. Ill keep using the harmony function for now since I dont own melodyne (just tried their demo) but I do like their auto mixing where they add compression/eq/de-essing/noisegate but it sounds more like a computer than when I use voxformer really. I like it that I instantly hear pitch correct singing so it works as a coach for me, and I like instantly hearing harmonies that I control for barbershop/harmonic-minor/major keys so I get tons more songwriting ideas. cheers :-)
I however think that you're overdistorting in an unhealthy way.
I agree that I am overdistorting in an unhealthy way. I am trying to stop all distortion and going through the volume 1 videos/singing-drills, but I get bored and have the stamina so I dip into volume 2 same day after I finish volume 1 warmups. I did have a few relapses cause I love distortion and it is hard to stop, it reminded me that I was still doing it wrong.