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Blew my voice! Uhg

Any of you guys blown out and recovered? 

Sat in on a gig friday. Blew it out. Of course enter the horrible PA, no monitors in a chuck-e-cheese bar setting. I can still hit the notes (my upper mix A4 to D5/E5) pitch wise but they are really restrained and held back beyond my control. If i recover never will i be a slave to bad PAs. A tough lesson indeed.

this ever happen to you guys?

Comments

  • lightning337lightning337 Enrolled Posts: 4
    edited October 2012
  • Ken TamplinKen Tamplin Administrator, Moderator Posts: 446
    edited October 2012

    No not at all in fact that IS part of learning to be a professional singer. Here's the thing: at some point you will either be able to demand monitors you can hear,  ask the ego guitar player to to turn down, not let the other players suck up the wholel monitor system for "their sound" etc. etc. etc.

    This may sound silly but I want to share something with you.

    At many a hotel I had to figure out a way to not sing so loud when warming up before a show so people wouldn't complain. So I got good at singing into a pillow. (seriously).

    This was actually a blessing in disguise because I learned to hear my "placement" in my head.

    Why is this important? So that we don't "over-sing".

    Fast forward now to singing the national anthem at the rosebowl.

    We soundchecked on the sideline with a nice loud monitor.

    But when it came time to sing the anthem they put me in the center of the arena 25 yards away from the monitor I sound checked with AND the stadium delay was so intense I couldn't hear a note I was singing....however ta da, I used what I had learned from controlling my sound in those hotel rooms and nailed it.

    It's all part of growing as a professional vocalist.

     

     

  • sspatricksspatrick Enrolled Posts: 1,278
    Hey lightning337

    You wouldn't be the first singer that this has happened to.  I've had days where i could barely make a sound, rough rough tone.  Usually from not enough rest, and over singing.  The voice bounces back pretty quick though.  I have never missed a show from vocal fatigue.  Now when i'm on the road i try to get a good sleep, and do a light warmup in the early afternoon.  It really seems to help.  I also use in-ear monitors when i can.  This helps me to not over sing.  since i've started using them i've noticed a huge improvement in vocal stamina.  You can hear yourself, and everyone else a lot better.  It also keeps the stage sound to a minimum which cleans up the entire sound of the band for the front of house. All the best.
  • lightning337lightning337 Enrolled Posts: 4
    It's funny reading your words like its a rite of passage. I feel proud now!

    Kt: That is genius....the pillow thing. Necessity is the mother of invention. But I gotta warn you.You don't know what you've started Ken. Now you're gonna get pillow endorsements at NAMM!

    I think when we sing in our rooms or at a beautiful sounding venue, we aren't thinking about when we are projecting what it feels like on the inside cause we can clearly hear it resonate in room or on a $100000 system. Then enter the gig at "joeys bar and grill" with a $250 public speaking pa system and its like "what is going on? I could've swore I was belting... Guess I better hit it harder then".... GAME OVER.

    sounds like a webinar to me boss!

    Pat. Always nice to hear your tales of vocal survival. Ear monitors.... That's been my top xmas choice! Ur right about the voice regenerating. Finally getting my highs back as I write this. Go figure.

    Thanks guys for taking the time and sharing your war stories! Love hearing them.
  • NigelNigel Administrator Posts: 138
    War stories... that's a good one!  Sounds like a new thread to me...
  • JoshuaJoshua Member, Enrolled Posts: 108
    Love the pillow example...maybe now I can look crazy versus sound annoying...

    Seriously though, I'm trying it. I really want to be able to hear the placement in my head too.
  • CherieCherie Pro, 2.0 PRO Posts: 122
    edited January 2015

    As a relatively new singer, I have learned some lessons singing back-up in my first band & performance experiences. First, it seems the "back-up singer" is just about the lowest/last priority during sound checks. I bought some nice custom in-ear buds and Shure monitor however, I have never been able to use it during an actual performance because once I get to sound check the sound guy will usually tell me there aren't enough channels/mixes, whatever (I still have more to learn here about sound engineering!). So then, I usually have to share a floor monitor with another back-up singer or the guitarist(!!) that is never actually pointed in a good direction for me. I have also had the percussionist tell the sound guy to turn down the back up singers cause it is distracting him. Very often during the sound check it almost seems like it will be OK but then when the performance starts the lead singer's voice and the guitars so massively overpower the mix that I have to share with whoever. I'm supposed to blend but how can one do that if you are lost somewhere behind everyone else?  If some fan's  I-phone recording that might show up on FB the next day is not sonically perfect, it is definitely the back-up singers fault! I think the only way to overcome all this is to massively improve vocally! That's why I want to learn everything I can from this coursework. Certainly no one sings perfectly every single time, not even the greats but I want to learn to, at least, do the best I can even in less than ideal environments. I also think I want to move into a lead singer spot eventually.  I think that would be a great step forward!

  • rcrosierrcrosier Pro Posts: 275
    I don't think I'd like being a backup singer, based on this job description!!  LOL

    But seriously, you might want to try getting what I have, or maybe a nicer version of what I have.  It's a Behringer Eurolive.  (Here's a link to Musician's Friend: http://www.musiciansfriend.com/pro-audio/behringer-eurolive-b205d-active-pa-monitor-speaker?rNtt=beringer%20monitor&index=1

    It's a POWERED amp, so you need either power or an extension cord to use it.

    When I bought it, I did NOT intend to use it as a monitor for singing gigs, but that's what I've ended up using it for... the nice thing about it is that I plug my microphone into it, then another XLR cable into the back, and THAT goes to the mixer/amp, that is controlled by someone else.  I can adjust MY volume and Hi/Mid/Low mix, without messing up the amp output.

    It works really well for my, but I'm doing duo and trio gigs, so it may not be enough for a larger situation.

    HOWEVER, I would highly recommend something like this, maybe one with nicer, fuller sound though... but for the price, it has saved my voice MANY times!

    Either that or find a better sound situation or sing with someone who doesn't do that crap!

    It's too bad this happens, but one of the BEST singers I've heard in many years in our area was constantly drowned out by the musicians when she sang with a band, and our only complaint when we (my wife and I) went to see them was that we couldn't hear HER... all we could hear was guitars and drums!!  (And I'm a drummer, too!)

  • highmtnhighmtn Administrator, Moderator, Enrolled, Pro, 3.0 Streaming Posts: 15,354
    edited January 2015

    Mackie also makes a unit that is just like the Behringer model.  They're both the same, and the Behringer is less expensive. 

    It is convenient to have a "more me" control on your monitor.   The nice thing about these is that you can put one on a mic stand, right in front of you so that it doesn't have to be very loud for you to hear yourself (not to mention, others who may not want to hear you shouldn't be bothered, because it's closest to you, not them).

    The bass player in my band has a little black box (not sure who makes it) that clips on to his regular mic stand.  It's a little headphone amplifier, and he runs his in-ear monitors from it.  It runs on phantom power from the main mixer.  It has a mic input on it, and he plugs his microphone into it.  There is a control on the black box that allows him to make his mic louder or softer in the mix he hears.  He has a monitor mix coming to him from the main board, but he can turn his own mic up in his headphone mix...  MORE ME. 

    A mic cord comes out of the little black box and goes on to feed his mic into the main system.  He has to run a cord from one of the monitor mixes into his black box. 

    That's just another variation on what rcrosier gave a link to.  My brother has one of the Mackies and also one or two of the Behringers. He says they are identical in quality, power, etc...  but not in price.

    Bob

  • rcrosierrcrosier Pro Posts: 275
    Oh yeah, I have a short mic stand AND a tall one... when I'm standing up to play my drum pad, and singing, I use the tall stand!  Good point, Bob!

    They are worth their weight in gold, in my opinion...

    I also like the sound of that thing the bass player has!

    The only thing about the Behringer that I'm not crazy about is the quality of the sound.  It's kind of shallow, but it's WAY better than nothing at all!

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