Thank you for doing this demo on a track. We aren't having to fuss about the guitar tuning, or the division of your attention between playing and singing at the same time.
Now we have to talk about your pitch. It's better on this, but still needs your attention. You're mostly struggling with your high notes and most of those high notes are a bit flat.
So far, I think every one of your demos has been on a song.
How about submitting some demos of you doing the lah scales so we can get down to brass tacks on what you are doing right and what you are doing wrong?
Your voice isn't terrible, but it's wandering with regard to pitch. You are going to have to harness that thing and get control over it. We've got to get you matching pitches and matching them on-pitch.
Have you taken the time to work through Ken's Basic Pitch Program?
I am prescribing that to you as your present homework assignment. You owe this lesson to yourself. You need to take what you learn from that program and use it to apply to your singing of songs and exercises.
This IS your best-sounding demo so far, however the pitch remains an important task before you that must be reckoned with. I reckon you better get to listening to Ken on his Basic Pitch program.
You'll find it in the Volume One section of the Forums under Better Pitch and Tone.
If you look to the right, closer to the top of the page, you will see the "New Discussion" button, under which is a column of "Categories" in blue. Go down that column quite a ways, into the Volume One section, and keep going. Near the end of the Volume One categories, you will see one about three topics above Volume Two.
It's called Better Tone and Pitch. Click on that.
Look for ***Basic Pitch*** Video Program. You will see a link and a password.
This is another one of those songs that really takes a lot of support.
You do a pretty good job on this one, but I feel like you could support a bit more and it would sound that much better, more in stride, on solid pitch, and natural on it.
@cgreen. Great job on the song. I hear a little Scorpions in there which is a compliment in my opinion. Great screams too. And the song is hooky my 3 year old knows the chorus after 1 listen:)
Just posted a song from my band's first ever recording session on our Facebook page. ( I don't know how to post the song directly here; this is NOT a pimping for likes on my band Facebook page, so if you can hear the song without "liking" the page, please do.
Looking for comments on the vocals, not Likes on the page. Thanks!
Sounds nice. On "come closer to me" at 1:02 it sounds OK, but if you would put some real support on it there, that part would sound killer. That may not be what you want there stylistically, but that's what I would do there.
AT 3:01 you're supporting better, but at 3:16 where you go into head voice, it needs a lot more support there. At places like 3:26 "trust in what I say" these are places where you should de-emphasize consonants and ride the vowels more, to keep your open throat home position from closing down.
I'm not trying to be negative about your demo. It actually sounds pretty good overall. You were asking for pointers and that's what my impressions were. I like the song, the band, and the singer.
Ant here again. This is my latest cover of Muse .. I sang "Survival" .. Both main vocals and back ups. I have a couple of notes I have already made in terms of some improvement on my part but I'm looking forward to seeing some feedback and to see if some of what I noticed gets pointed out.
I'm currently two and a half months into the program and I would like someone to critique my singing.
However everyone in this thread is singing on such a high level that I don't feel comfortable to post here.
I never sang before these two and a half months so I'm an absolute novice; unskilled (and lacking natural talent) but willing to take the time and effort to learn to sing.
Therefore my question: is there's a specific thread in the forum for guys like me to get critique and/or criticize (in a constructive way) on each other? Absolute novice level.
This is coming across very well. I'm not hearing much in the way of problems. Perhaps you would like to share with us some of the things you think need a little tweaking.
I'm hearing very good execution, support, pitch, etc, etc, etc.
@highmtn Thanks Bob.. Well one of the things I noticed even after I did it, is the head voice "win", the second to last on in the song .. Where it goes "Wiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnn -(first with a more covered vowel sound, which then converts to a bright ahhhhhhhhhhhh) .. I felt like I may have used too much of my support on the first part of win, because it seems to me the transition from wiiiiiiiii to ahhhh was a little weak and lacked support.. When you listen to Matt Bellamy, it's a real smooth, almost barely even noticeable transition.
That's pretty much what I felt I needed to work on, Not sure if you see what I'm saying.
Yes, @AnthonyV, I see where you're doing the Long "iiiiiiiiiiiiiiii" to an AH.
The "i" as in "Hit" is a troublesome vowel, and is recommended to be substituted with an "eh", as the eh is more forgiving at higher pitches.
As to the amount of support there, with support we are actually talking about how much we are holding back our exhalation, so I'm not so sure you were using too much support. Maybe you were letting too much air through. Holding back more air there may help you to connect those two adjoining vowels. Also, you might want to view Ken's "Advanced Vowel Transitions" webinar. It talks about keeping connected vowel transitions on the same variations of vowels, so you don't lose your open vocal tract position between differently-formed vowels. So using that technique you might hold on to a more "eh" form of "AH" on a single, long, held high note. Keeping the tract in one shape helps to form a more cohesive, continuous note.
Honestly, there is so much good stuff going on at once in this video, I would have never found that.
You will probably find it more comfortable to lean more towards "eh" on your "i" 's.
@StevenG you should feel comfortable to post your demos here any comments you recieve will be constructive and any that aren't you can just put your fingers in your ears and do your la la lah exercises
@overdrive classy i don't like the bit that repeats 'too' a lot it sounds very nasal and you are having pitch problems with evaporate 'eh' v'Aa' pO r'eh'te. Maybe throw in a h if you need to and don't change the vocal tract too much particularly between the last two vowels there is no 'or' vowel in bel canto i.e eva'por'ate sing that vowel like love.
I actually like listening to your voice @overdriveisclassy you have quite an original sound i think and you are getting better and better can tell you are working hard. 2.55 getting caught on uh again remember come into it from the O vowel. Also when you sing city you need to try and roll back into the i a bit more from eh i think as it sounds a bit weird like you are saying settee the notes arent that high when u sing it so shouldnt be a problem.
Link didn't work work me, but doing a search for "Cinema Greenberg" led me to it. Great job as usual! After hitting play I continued browsing and immediately forgot that I wasn't listening to the original. What is your vocal recording process like? (f.x. in terms of sound isolation and mixing)
In the past 2 weeks, I've been 'reunited' with my former bandmates after about 1.5 years apart.
The guitarist is from America, bass player's from Venezuela and myself from Canada.
This is one of our old originals that we recorded today - with some basic mic'age. Instrumental was done in a rehearsal space, and I over-dubbed/added the vocals and mixed/mastered the final product at home on my laptop.
Your feedback is always much appreciated!
Peace,
Johan
---------Edited March 6 / 1:01 AM
I've just upgraded my DAW from Adobe Audition to MixCraft - here is the same song re-mastered:
Admittedly, this was recorded with two (below par) devices: 1) Nokia 808 Voice Recorder (closer to the guitar rig) & 2) Behringer USB mic (in between the drums and the bass rig) -- then I layered the tracks over top of each other and crossed my fingers for the fullest sound I could get
We need to keep saving up our pennies to get into a proper studio...
----------------Edited March 6 / 1:10 AM
I've had some reservations about using 'Adobe Audition' for mixing/mastering musical recordings. Pretty much a question of 'bias' - as I used it in my former career as a broadcaster back in Canada. My laptop's pretty simple (no bells or whistles) and I thought that it couldn't handle much more than Adobe. Tonight, I was flabbergasted to find that MIXCRAFT works well and doesn't fry my mother board. I'm really likin' this DAW! :-)
I feel like I am slowly making progress in my opinion. I have been on Volume 2 for a while now. I was out of breath a wee bit because I kept rerecording to give my best for critiques. I admit that I may not sound GREAT but I tried my best
Hi Everyone I've just set up a new youtube channel where i will be performing one live vocal cover a week. This is my first one- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9exRqCJnjg - thanks for watching/listening
The best part of this clip is from about 0:20 to 0:32. You seem to have the melody and the pitch locked in there.
Initially, you seem to be having trouble locking in on the pitch, especially on the low notes.
It's hard to reference, because your voice is distorted in the mic. The distortion masks the intonation. If you could work on experimenting with the recording and get a clearer playback, we might be able to help you more because we could hear you more clearly.
You have a nice-sounding voice, but it sounds like you need to work on tracking pitch more accurately. I don't know if you've done the Basic Pitch program, but all of us can stand a refresher with the tips Ken gives in those videos.
Hi everyone , ive just set up a new live vocal channel on youtube, where i will be doing one live vocal cover a week. Here is my first http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9exRqCJnjg
All feedback positive and negative will be very welcome! i just wanna keep improving! thanks for your time guys
Hey guys, I wanted to share this music video I recently released with my band 'Moon Tan' called "Medieval Dance".
A little bit of a prologue: our group was looking for a singer for a few years, then I stumbled upon KTVA and I decided to learn how to sing. I've been doing the program for about 1 year now, and with no prior singing experience I must say this has been one of the best choices I have ever made. This video would not have been possible without Ken or the help of the KTVA forum moderators.
@overdriveisclassy. Cool tune. My only suggestion would be to brighten your tone slightly, make the front of your face buzz. Also increase your support, just tighten it up a little. Great acoustic guitar tone btw.
Your demo sounds pretty good. As you begin to mature into KTVA methods you will see improvements in support, tone, stamina, range, etc.
Give yourself time and apply the techniques. They will build your voice in ways that you have not yet experienced. You have a good basis from which to start your KTVA journey. Try to set aside your previous training, as that will tend to lead you astray. Focus on Ken's methods. He knows what he's talking about. You will see real improvements.
I'd like to say something here: Nice vocal tone, pretty good support!
You sound good together vocally!
Good recorded tone on the vocals.
If I had one thing to suggest that would make it even better, it would be to challenge you to even more ginormous support, especially on the "SAY SOMETHING" parts of the song. You're getting there, and I hear improvements over time. You seem to be quite comfortable recording video, and that is a good by-product of cranking these videos out like clockwork.
This tune has places where the support should be increased. It's interesting in that it's a very laid-back tune. We often presume that support is only essential for high notes, and powerful singing.
Good job on this tune. Like I say, keep working on the support. Give it maybe a little more bright edge on top of the tone you already have.
Hi Bob, thanks for taking the time to have a listen! Not only do I appreciate that, but also your breakdown of some issues that I should (and will) address. Objective feedback is priceless when we sincerely wish to improve on our craft.
One thing, at the stage I'm at (still Volume I), that I'm finding a challenge, is implementing vibrato when trying to simultaneously focus on holding back air and pushing down on the diaphragm. I'm not really sure how I used vibrato before I learned about targeting open throat technique and using proper support, but this seems an interesting endeavor to overcome.
I think a lot of the vibrato I used in the past came directly from the throat - or Adam's apple - area. Now that we're being trained to keep it in a neutral position, I know where I 'want' to do vibrato, but the muscle memory that's being ingrained doesn't want that Adam's apple to do any of that anymore. It's morbidly cool while challenging at the same time haha
I will be checking out Volume II within a week or two.
I'd like to say something here: Nice vocal tone, pretty good support!
You sound good together vocally!
Good recorded tone on the vocals.
If I had one thing to suggest that would make it even better, it would be to challenge you to even more ginormous support, especially on the "SAY SOMETHING" parts of the song. You're getting there, and I hear improvements over time. You seem to be quite comfortable recording video, and that is a good by-product of cranking these videos out like clockwork.
YES to Sunglasses! (and Challeges, too!)
Thanks Bob, always appreciate the feedback. My support is getting better over time, hopefully it'll soon become strong and no longer be my main issue! I'm excited to progress more.
It's very hard to do, but you should try to sing straight, without vibrato for the time being. It's hard to resist something like that after it has been ingrained in your singing, but it is important to UNlearn it if it is incorrect vibrato.
When you get to the point in your KTVA lessons that deal with vibrato, you can re-learn proper vibrato. Also, there are some free student videos on the forums that cover proper vibrato techniques.
You are correct that you don't want an oscillating larynx to be your source of vibrato.
Please endure as much as you can. I'm gradually realizing that self-teaching is not working for singing.
I sing while I deliver pizzas and drive to school. I warm up by belting higher and higher up into my range. I do a "hah" vocal with the last "ah" being like the "a" in "at."
Am I going to wreck my voice doing this? Even singing like this standing up?
For curiosity's sake: can any of you sing "Twice as Hard" as good as Chris Robinson did in the studio? I just want to know it can be done. That first closed vowel in "clean"...
Yes. You need some good vocal information to straighten you out so you don't hurt yourself.
You shouldn't be arching your back like that. You should keep your spine straight.
You do have some decent support and tone, but your belting could blow your voice out if you don't learn how to properly harness your voice.
There is nothing in Twice as Hard that is all that hard. It's a cool song, but the notes aren't anything that would be that hard to do with good technique.
Yeah, I did the pizza thing way back when. Paid for one of my first drum kits that way. Time to invest in some singing lessons!
I guess your bass player kinda got tired of waiting for the rest of you bums to get off your collective duffs and get this track done! He needs to slap the rest of you around a bit. ; ^ )
I guess your bass player kinda got tired of waiting for the rest of you bums to get off your collective duffs and get this track done! He needs to slap the rest of you around a bit. ; ^ )
Thank you for finally finishing something! ; ^ )
Bob
Much appreciated bob! Feels good to finish something that had been sitting around. We bums are proud!
Hello, This is a sample cover of how I sing. I would like to be more emotional but how can I do that. I would like to add a cry to my voice like the rnb artist Mario in his song "Crying Out For Me" in some part he sounds like his voice is crying for lack of a better term.
Mario is deliberately making his voice "break" at the passagio.
This is emphasized by the use of an autotune pitch corrector that is set such that it makes the musical notes of his voice sound "electronic", because it is in fact electronically enhanced.
After you learn to bridge without a vocal break, you can also learn to deliberately put a break into your voice for effect. This technique has been used by Country artists for years.
It sounds "emotional" because when people actually cry, their voice often breaks at the passagio when they are emphasizing how they feel by raising the pitch of their voices. When they lose control on certain pitches, it makes the sound of a cry.
The technical term that many call this by or this is to use a "glottal stroke".
On your demos, we kind of need you to include some backing musical tracks, low in the background behind your voice. It's hard to discern what you are doing with your pitch when it is acapella with random lines going up and down in pitch, but no reference tones.
You have a start on your voice, but need some technique to develop to your potential.
Is there anyone else out there who's got a budget (BUDGET) home set-up - using only a microphone (USB in my case), a laptop (with 2GB RAM) and a free DAW?
I've tried many ways to lower the latency on tracks that I do, but I've been very frustrated by trying to accomplish this on a tight budget.
With this current set-up, I have to sing along to the rhythm track - with my laptop speakers half way across the room from me - which causes some obvious intonation issues. I cannot listen to the music directly in my headphones unless I want to sing the vocals with a 46ms latency problem. I think you'd agree that singing anything accurately nearly 1/2 second after is a formula for madness; perhaps institutionalization lol
I want to do better, I know I can do better, but I just cannot get this set up working and the results I get when I try to do background vocal/harmony recordings suffer from a quasi doppler effect of the sound having to travel across my room low enough that it doesn't bleed into the mix but loud enough that I know the tempo and note I'm singing.
Anyone successfully overcome this on a shoestring before?
Peace,
Johan
P.S - One thing I did invest in were my Sennheiser studio monitor headphones. But, I cannot use them to monitor my vocals AS I'm singing them; I can only monitor the train wreck which are the background vocals after the fact
Hi guys, These past few months I'd been in a Music school where I focussed mainly on Piano and didn't much of Ken's workouts. There was a lot of Jazz singing there as well and I loved how good scatting is. Interesting that they do very light mix usually unless they're very bluesy, operatic in their approach. Recently however, I did a collaboration with A Finnish composer/producer Jukka Packalen with me singing very Indian classical vocals on it. I will post demonstrations soon to get feedback but please do hear this too if you have time and willingness. Refreshing change to all the music you hear usually. I really feel that my tone has significantly improved since I started with KTVA. Really thankful for that. Do give it a listen. (the very last part is made entirely by that guy assembling my takes and making something really quirky out of it) . Cheers!! Looking forward to hearing from you guys especially Bob.
Regarding your latency issues, I would recommend investing (yes, I know cost is a huge factor) in a small $100 line/mic mixer with a headphone output that will allow you real-time monitoring while listening to previously-recorded music tracks while singing along.
You can isolate your vocal track to one aux output that is sent to the computer/recorder, while listening to a "headphone mix" that is independent of the track you are presently recording.
It's important to look at the ins and outs (gosintas and gozoutas) on any mixer before you purchase. A second-hand item from online auctions might lessen the pocketbook pain.
Just a suggestion.
Bob
P.S.
You WILL go insane trying to monitor what you did half a second ago while needing to keep up with where you presently are AND prepare for what's about to come. Real-time monitoring is an issue you need to work through, unless someone has a free software fix for you.
Your voice is sounding very good, very pleasing to listen to!
The title is priceless!
You were scatting on "It's the LAH!!! AHH!!!"
I like the percussion and backing instruments also.
Yes, your tone is really sounding very good.
Nice ending.
I look forward to you resuming your voice regimen. You will find that after you're back at it for a while, you will get back to where you were before you stopped, and then again make new strides.
You can buy one brand-new for $120, and probably find a used one on eBay for less. Something like this would give you more options.
It has built-in effects like reverb and echo. The effects are somewhat limited, but for the price, you can't beat it. You can E.Q. your inputs, sing along to CD players or mp3 players by plugging them into the mixer and controlling the volume of the songs as you control the level of your mic. The headphone volume level can be good enough to monitor yourself as you sing along. You send the output to your recorder. There are Left, Right, and Auxilliary outputs that can be just your vocal going to the recorder, while you are listening to the complete mix, etc...
I'm not trying to sell anybody this one mixer, it's just one that caught my eye in Guitar Center one day, and I just had to have it.
I use it all the time for simple practicing and computer recording purposes. I have bigger consoles that I use for more intensive projects, but this thing is great for everyday use at the computer. Buy a few adapter cords to come out of the headphone jack on your computer, and go in through the line input on the computer.
Because of the relative positioning of the guitar being much closer to the webcam mic than your face, the guitar greatly covers your voice and makes it harder to hear the finer details of your singing.
It's a good-quality recording, and what I can hear of your voice sounds good. From about 2:32, you are singing with more force, and that part is more discernible. I presume the vocal breaks are intentional for effect.
If you could rerecord this with a better recording mix for the first 2 1/2 minutes, it would be a better overall result. You would have to pull back from the mic or turn slightly for the part you are punching out with more volume, or you could just cut back the air on that part.
Pitch sounds good. Guitar sounds good. Vocals need to come up in the mix.
@tkzuspan if you are going to post a video on a singing forum we want to see your face not your guitar. you slam your 'i' vowel pretty hard at 3 minutes the same at 2 minutes 7 you want more 'eh' as in lead. You also close down you I vowel a lot maybe you are trying to do this to sound like kurt i.e at 3 mins 28 i would keep it more Ah. Could be better supported in places i.e 2.54 you sing 'through' and i think it would sound better to stay on the higher of the two notes dont know if you drop down to a lower note coz you have run out of support?
had an audition for The Voice UK today unfortunately i didn't get past the first stage. I didn't sing well though I rushed it and went in a bit unprepared. Still it was a good experience.
Comments
@ guitarmaniac,
Thank you for doing this demo on a track. We aren't having to fuss about the guitar tuning, or the division of your attention between playing and singing at the same time.
Now we have to talk about your pitch. It's better on this, but still needs your attention. You're mostly struggling with your high notes and most of those high notes are a bit flat.
So far, I think every one of your demos has been on a song.
How about submitting some demos of you doing the lah scales so we can get down to brass tacks on what you are doing right and what you are doing wrong?
Your voice isn't terrible, but it's wandering with regard to pitch. You are going to have to harness that thing and get control over it. We've got to get you matching pitches and matching them on-pitch.
Have you taken the time to work through Ken's Basic Pitch Program?
I am prescribing that to you as your present homework assignment. You owe this lesson to yourself. You need to take what you learn from that program and use it to apply to your singing of songs and exercises.
This IS your best-sounding demo so far, however the pitch remains an important task before you that must be reckoned with. I reckon you better get to listening to Ken on his Basic Pitch program.
You'll find it in the Volume One section of the Forums under Better Pitch and Tone.
I have faith in you. You can tackle this.
Bob
@guitarmaniac
Thank you, my friend!
Bob
@guitarmaniac,
If you look to the right, closer to the top of the page, you will see the "New Discussion" button, under which is a column of "Categories" in blue. Go down that column quite a ways, into the Volume One section, and keep going. Near the end of the Volume One categories, you will see one about three topics above Volume Two.
It's called Better Tone and Pitch. Click on that.
Look for ***Basic Pitch*** Video Program. You will see a link and a password.
@overdriveisclassy,
This is another one of those songs that really takes a lot of support.
You do a pretty good job on this one, but I feel like you could support a bit more and it would sound that much better, more in stride, on solid pitch, and natural on it.
Not bad!
Bob
Good song, Cinema! Nice job!
Bob
Rise Against - Prayer of the Refugee (Acoustic Cover)
Looking for some feedback on vocal technique...this is an original demo.
Very nice, @jasonm.
I like the embellishments you are putting on your melodies. Sung with a lot of feeling.
Keep building on your support. It will give you even more consistency and command over your tone.
Good job! I like!
Bob
Bill,
Sounds nice. On "come closer to me" at 1:02 it sounds OK, but if you would put some real support on it there, that part would sound killer. That may not be what you want there stylistically, but that's what I would do there.
AT 3:01 you're supporting better, but at 3:16 where you go into head voice, it needs a lot more support there. At places like 3:26 "trust in what I say" these are places where you should de-emphasize consonants and ride the vowels more, to keep your open throat home position from closing down.
I'm not trying to be negative about your demo. It actually sounds pretty good overall. You were asking for pointers and that's what my impressions were. I like the song, the band, and the singer.
I like the general vibe you are putting out.
Bob
@overdriveisclassy
Nice job on this one. It is a good song, but I'm not sure if it's quite as good as the banana song.
Good production as usual. Well-supported. Nice tone on your voice. Pitch is on the mark. It comes across well.
Every time I watch your videos on that balcony it makes me wonder what your location is. Nice vistas.
See you next Wednesday.
Bob
@overdriveisclassy
Nice tune, nice job. I like this one.
Nice job on the double-tracked harmonies, too.
So you've got an album now, eh? Good job! I hope you do well with it!
Bob
@AnthonyV
This is coming across very well. I'm not hearing much in the way of problems. Perhaps you would like to share with us some of the things you think need a little tweaking.
I'm hearing very good execution, support, pitch, etc, etc, etc.
Well done. Tell us what you think.
Bob
Yes, @AnthonyV, I see where you're doing the Long "iiiiiiiiiiiiiiii" to an AH.
The "i" as in "Hit" is a troublesome vowel, and is recommended to be substituted with an "eh", as the eh is more forgiving at higher pitches.
As to the amount of support there, with support we are actually talking about how much we are holding back our exhalation, so I'm not so sure you were using too much support. Maybe you were letting too much air through. Holding back more air there may help you to connect those two adjoining vowels. Also, you might want to view Ken's "Advanced Vowel Transitions" webinar. It talks about keeping connected vowel transitions on the same variations of vowels, so you don't lose your open vocal tract position between differently-formed vowels. So using that technique you might hold on to a more "eh" form of "AH" on a single, long, held high note. Keeping the tract in one shape helps to form a more cohesive, continuous note.
Honestly, there is so much good stuff going on at once in this video, I would have never found that.
You will probably find it more comfortable to lean more towards "eh" on your "i" 's.
Excellent Demo!
Bob
Very energetic! Good job! A little pitchy on some of the high notes, but quite a performance! The audience went wild!
Bob
Gabrielle Aplin - Evaporate (Rock Cover)
In the past 2 weeks, I've been 'reunited' with my former bandmates after about 1.5 years apart.
The guitarist is from America, bass player's from Venezuela and myself from Canada.
This is one of our old originals that we recorded today - with some basic mic'age. Instrumental was done in a rehearsal space, and I over-dubbed/added the vocals and mixed/mastered the final product at home on my laptop.
Your feedback is always much appreciated!
Peace,
Johan
---------Edited March 6 / 1:01 AM
I've just upgraded my DAW from Adobe Audition to MixCraft - here is the same song re-mastered:
Thanks a lot!
Admittedly, this was recorded with two (below par) devices: 1) Nokia 808 Voice Recorder (closer to the guitar rig) & 2) Behringer USB mic (in between the drums and the bass rig) -- then I layered the tracks over top of each other and crossed my fingers for the fullest sound I could get
We need to keep saving up our pennies to get into a proper studio...
----------------Edited March 6 / 1:10 AM
I've had some reservations about using 'Adobe Audition' for mixing/mastering musical recordings. Pretty much a question of 'bias' - as I used it in my former career as a broadcaster back in Canada. My laptop's pretty simple (no bells or whistles) and I thought that it couldn't handle much more than Adobe. Tonight, I was flabbergasted to find that MIXCRAFT works well and doesn't fry my mother board. I'm really likin' this DAW! :-)
@kurzweil
Impressive video!
Are all of your bandmates brothers? Quadruplets? They all look identical!! Do they all look just like you?
Just kidding! Hot licks and vocals!
Bob
I feel like I am slowly making progress in my opinion. I have been on Volume 2 for a while now. I was out of breath a wee bit because I kept rerecording to give my best for critiques. I admit that I may not sound GREAT but I tried my best
https://soundcloud.com/chrisrobinsings/because-you-loved-me/s-v969w
@ChrisRobinSings,
The best part of this clip is from about 0:20 to 0:32. You seem to have the melody and the pitch locked in there.
Initially, you seem to be having trouble locking in on the pitch, especially on the low notes.
It's hard to reference, because your voice is distorted in the mic. The distortion masks the intonation. If you could work on experimenting with the recording and get a clearer playback, we might be able to help you more because we could hear you more clearly.
You have a nice-sounding voice, but it sounds like you need to work on tracking pitch more accurately. I don't know if you've done the Basic Pitch program, but all of us can stand a refresher with the tips Ken gives in those videos.
All the Best!
Bob
@Jonny Wilkinson
Not bad. I'm thinking you need to put some more support in the high part "It's too late".
Maybe a little more low in your mix on that part. A little more timbre... a little brighter...
The backing track is distorted on the kick. That detracts from your vocals.
I don't mean to sound overly critical. I've heard several demos from you. I think you can improve on this one.
Others may have a different opinion.
I think you can knock this one out of the ballpark if you just tighten up some loose ends.
All the Best!
Bob
@overdriveisclassy
Nice video. Your voices sound good together. I like that you have your friends do songs with you. That's cool.
Always like hearing from you and seeing what you're up to.
Keep 'em coming. Every Wednesday...
; ^ )
Bob
@AdrianD,
Very nice video! Well, it sounds like you guys have found the singer you were looking for! Good job on the vocals!
I like the music. You guys have a nice groove going, everybody's flowing together as one.
Looking forward to more good things from you!
Bob
Nice performances and visuals on this one, @overdriveisclassy.
A comment I would have on the recording this time: The vocals are a little muddy this time. Good singing, nice energy!
I would have E.Q.'ed the vocals a little crispier to make them sit up a little more predominantly in the mix.
Say YES to Challenges! I'm watching this on Tuesday Night. Have I travelled forward in Time?
Bob
@Derrick Schneider
Your demo sounds pretty good. As you begin to mature into KTVA methods you will see improvements in support, tone, stamina, range, etc.
Give yourself time and apply the techniques. They will build your voice in ways that you have not yet experienced. You have a good basis from which to start your KTVA journey. Try to set aside your previous training, as that will tend to lead you astray. Focus on Ken's methods. He knows what he's talking about. You will see real improvements.
Bob
A Great Big World - Say Something (Cover)
It's been a while since I've been around. Happy to report that I'm wrestling with the 'support demons'
Here's a song I was inspired to play and sing today.
Hope you all enjoy it!
Any suggestions/advice - always welcome, if you notice some aspects which could be improved upon.
Peace
@overdriveisclassy,
I'd like to say something here: Nice vocal tone, pretty good support!
You sound good together vocally!
Good recorded tone on the vocals.
If I had one thing to suggest that would make it even better, it would be to challenge you to even more ginormous support, especially on the "SAY SOMETHING" parts of the song. You're getting there, and I hear improvements over time. You seem to be quite comfortable recording video, and that is a good by-product of cranking these videos out like clockwork.
YES to Sunglasses! (and Challeges, too!)
@Johan_Kalevi,
Good for you for taking on the "Support Demons".
This tune has places where the support should be increased. It's interesting in that it's a very laid-back tune. We often presume that support is only essential for high notes, and powerful singing.
Good job on this tune. Like I say, keep working on the support. Give it maybe a little more bright edge on top of the tone you already have.
Bob
Hi Bob, thanks for taking the time to have a listen! Not only do I appreciate that, but also your breakdown of some issues that I should (and will) address. Objective feedback is priceless when we sincerely wish to improve on our craft.
One thing, at the stage I'm at (still Volume I), that I'm finding a challenge, is implementing vibrato when trying to simultaneously focus on holding back air and pushing down on the diaphragm. I'm not really sure how I used vibrato before I learned about targeting open throat technique and using proper support, but this seems an interesting endeavor to overcome.
I think a lot of the vibrato I used in the past came directly from the throat - or Adam's apple - area. Now that we're being trained to keep it in a neutral position, I know where I 'want' to do vibrato, but the muscle memory that's being ingrained doesn't want that Adam's apple to do any of that anymore. It's morbidly cool while challenging at the same time haha
I will be checking out Volume II within a week or two.
Again, thanks for the constructive feedback!
Peace,
Johan
@Johan_Kalevi
It's very hard to do, but you should try to sing straight, without vibrato for the time being. It's hard to resist something like that after it has been ingrained in your singing, but it is important to UNlearn it if it is incorrect vibrato.
When you get to the point in your KTVA lessons that deal with vibrato, you can re-learn proper vibrato. Also, there are some free student videos on the forums that cover proper vibrato techniques.
You are correct that you don't want an oscillating larynx to be your source of vibrato.
Bob
Nice, @overdriveisclassy.
Another good one. No gripes, just good music, good performances, and good fun!
Bob
Please endure as much as you can. I'm gradually realizing that self-teaching is not working for singing.
I sing while I deliver pizzas and drive to school. I warm up by belting higher and higher up into my range. I do a "hah" vocal with the last "ah" being like the "a" in "at."
Am I going to wreck my voice doing this? Even singing like this standing up?
For curiosity's sake: can any of you sing "Twice as Hard" as good as Chris Robinson did in the studio?
I just want to know it can be done. That first closed vowel in "clean"...
Yes. You need some good vocal information to straighten you out so you don't hurt yourself.
You shouldn't be arching your back like that. You should keep your spine straight.
You do have some decent support and tone, but your belting could blow your voice out if you don't learn how to properly harness your voice.
There is nothing in Twice as Hard that is all that hard. It's a cool song, but the notes aren't anything that would be that hard to do with good technique.
Yeah, I did the pizza thing way back when. Paid for one of my first drum kits that way. Time to invest in some singing lessons!
Bob
@Dearayne,
No problem, Dude. You have a good voice and you have potential. Develop your voice and do something with it.
Good luck and Good Singing to You!
Bob
Good job, @overdriveisclassy!
I like this track.
Good support. Nice job on the G#4's.
I guess your bass player kinda got tired of waiting for the rest of you bums to get off your collective duffs and get this track done! He needs to slap the rest of you around a bit. ; ^ )
Thank you for finally finishing something! ; ^ )
Bob
Hi, Jeff.
Mario is deliberately making his voice "break" at the passagio.
This is emphasized by the use of an autotune pitch corrector that is set such that it makes the musical notes of his voice sound "electronic", because it is in fact electronically enhanced.
After you learn to bridge without a vocal break, you can also learn to deliberately put a break into your voice for effect. This technique has been used by Country artists for years.
It sounds "emotional" because when people actually cry, their voice often breaks at the passagio when they are emphasizing how they feel by raising the pitch of their voices. When they lose control on certain pitches, it makes the sound of a cry.
The technical term that many call this by or this is to use a "glottal stroke".
On your demos, we kind of need you to include some backing musical tracks, low in the background behind your voice. It's hard to discern what you are doing with your pitch when it is acapella with random lines going up and down in pitch, but no reference tones.
You have a start on your voice, but need some technique to develop to your potential.
Bob
I like the drums, @overdriveisclassy!
Good tone on the voice. Good feel, nice job on the bridge.
Anybody that would like to take the tour of Trent's exclusive studio can go here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQ8SIQ5bN2Q&list=UU87xjsmTG3ZAcoHZtI-OaFw
Bob
Interesting version of this tune. Very laid-back rendition. Nice guitar and vocal sounds.
Bob
Been away for a while, but have still been busy with Vol I - and SUPPORT :-)
Here's a little fun I had this afternoon covering one of my favourite groups growing up: Tears for Fears
Let me know what you think - all feedback and suggestions appreciated.
Peace,
Johan
I've tried many ways to lower the latency on tracks that I do, but I've been very frustrated by trying to accomplish this on a tight budget.
With this current set-up, I have to sing along to the rhythm track - with my laptop speakers half way across the room from me - which causes some obvious intonation issues. I cannot listen to the music directly in my headphones unless I want to sing the vocals with a 46ms latency problem. I think you'd agree that singing anything accurately nearly 1/2 second after is a formula for madness; perhaps institutionalization lol
I want to do better, I know I can do better, but I just cannot get this set up working and the results I get when I try to do background vocal/harmony recordings suffer from a quasi doppler effect of the sound having to travel across my room low enough that it doesn't bleed into the mix but loud enough that I know the tempo and note I'm singing.
Anyone successfully overcome this on a shoestring before?
Peace,
Johan
P.S - One thing I did invest in were my Sennheiser studio monitor headphones. But, I cannot use them to monitor my vocals AS I'm singing them; I can only monitor the train wreck which are the background vocals after the fact
@Johan_Kalevi
Tone, support, pitch all sounding pretty good!
You could bring the drum tracks up a little in the mix... ; ^ )
Sounding good!
Keep working out!
Bob
@Johan_Kalevi,
Regarding your latency issues, I would recommend investing (yes, I know cost is a huge factor) in a small $100 line/mic mixer with a headphone output that will allow you real-time monitoring while listening to previously-recorded music tracks while singing along.
You can isolate your vocal track to one aux output that is sent to the computer/recorder, while listening to a "headphone mix" that is independent of the track you are presently recording.
It's important to look at the ins and outs (gosintas and gozoutas) on any mixer before you purchase. A second-hand item from online auctions might lessen the pocketbook pain.
Just a suggestion.
Bob
P.S.
You WILL go insane trying to monitor what you did half a second ago while needing to keep up with where you presently are AND prepare for what's about to come. Real-time monitoring is an issue you need to work through, unless someone has a free software fix for you.
@KonradSzymanski,
You phrase things interestingly.
I like your tone. Your support is good. Pitch is good. The recording sounds good, as well as the band.
Nice Job!
Keep it up! More!
Bob
@pranav,
I liked this right from the start!
Your voice is sounding very good, very pleasing to listen to!
The title is priceless!
You were scatting on "It's the LAH!!! AHH!!!"
I like the percussion and backing instruments also.
Yes, your tone is really sounding very good.
Nice ending.
I look forward to you resuming your voice regimen. You will find that after you're back at it for a while, you will get back to where you were before you stopped, and then again make new strides.
All the Best, Pranav!
Bob
...and lol about bringing up the drums ;-)
Oh how I wish I still owned my Tamas...
☮
@John_Kalevi,
You may have to adapt your Mic to an XLR connector in order to use it with a mic mixer. Most mic mixers don't have an input for usb.
I'm using an Alto ZMX122fx as an all-purpose mini-mixer on my computer. It's good for practicing through etc.
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/pro-audio/alto-zephyr-series-zmx122fx-8-channel-compact-mixer-with-effects
You can buy one brand-new for $120, and probably find a used one on eBay for less. Something like this would give you more options.
It has built-in effects like reverb and echo. The effects are somewhat limited, but for the price, you can't beat it. You can E.Q. your inputs, sing along to CD players or mp3 players by plugging them into the mixer and controlling the volume of the songs as you control the level of your mic. The headphone volume level can be good enough to monitor yourself as you sing along. You send the output to your recorder. There are Left, Right, and Auxilliary outputs that can be just your vocal going to the recorder, while you are listening to the complete mix, etc...
I'm not trying to sell anybody this one mixer, it's just one that caught my eye in Guitar Center one day, and I just had to have it.
I use it all the time for simple practicing and computer recording purposes. I have bigger consoles that I use for more intensive projects, but this thing is great for everyday use at the computer. Buy a few adapter cords to come out of the headphone jack on your computer, and go in through the line input on the computer.
Good Recording and Singing to You!
Bob
@tkzuspan.
Because of the relative positioning of the guitar being much closer to the webcam mic than your face, the guitar greatly covers your voice and makes it harder to hear the finer details of your singing.
It's a good-quality recording, and what I can hear of your voice sounds good. From about 2:32, you are singing with more force, and that part is more discernible. I presume the vocal breaks are intentional for effect.
If you could rerecord this with a better recording mix for the first 2 1/2 minutes, it would be a better overall result. You would have to pull back from the mic or turn slightly for the part you are punching out with more volume, or you could just cut back the air on that part.
Pitch sounds good. Guitar sounds good. Vocals need to come up in the mix.
Bob
This is in a nice, bright part of your vocal range. Pleasing to listen to. Explore this range more. It's your "Power Band". Exploit this sound.
Good pitch, support, and energy. Say YES to challenges!
Is it Wednesday already?
Bob
Nice!! ...groovy
Peace