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Old 03-20-2021, 07:57 AM
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Default Thought provoking Article on recording Vocals

So I frequent the Production Expert blog (formally Pro Tools Expert) and get routine e-mails about articles

This one showed up today, while aimed more at commercial studios that record other people. But the concept I think applies to those of us who are self recordists at home and how I am guessing many of us are not completely satisfied with our own voice.

The article suggests focusing working with the voice you have not with the voice you don't have ... I know it took me a while to come to terms with it.

https://www.pro-tools-expert.com/pro...eid=3af5b4ba3b
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Old 03-20-2021, 09:22 AM
CASD57 CASD57 is offline
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Great article on "Reality"
'm a believer, I find if I can't do a song I'll know it pretty quickly.
But I also know that if I can kind of do it, I should put it down and come back to it.
Another saying "You gotta know your Limitations" but always work on them.
I would love to Sing...Sting..Prince, and hundred more and some of their songs I can...But My Way
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Old 03-20-2021, 09:56 AM
Dave Hicks Dave Hicks is offline
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Thanks for the link.

I've always disliked my voice on recordings, but if I want to record a vocal track, ain't nobody here but us chicken. (Couldn't convince my wife to sing.) Years ago I went to a blues jam, got up with a bunch of people who wouldn't sing, and had to do it myself, so I eventually accommodated to doing vocals live, at least.

So if I record a vocal, I blow my nose well, get right up on the pop filter and avoid my adenoid voice* as much as possible. By the time I've done several takes and mixed the whole mess, I'm pretty well immunized and can tolerate hearing myself, though it's still not that pleasant an experience.

D.H.

* Some people call this "head voice", I think.
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Old 03-20-2021, 10:30 AM
Brent Hahn Brent Hahn is offline
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Originally Posted by KevWind View Post
... the concept I think applies to those of us who are self recordists at home and how I am guessing many of us are not completely satisfied with our own voice.
I know exactly one singer who loves the sound of his own recorded voice, and he's a twit. That leaves the rest of us.

We'll never love the sound of our own voice, but we can certainly cut loose from our inhibitions and learn to inhabit the character of the singer we'd like to imagine we are. It's all acting, really, so act like that singer. Play the part.

This, of course, is all homework. Not something applicable there and then for that guy who wrote the article. His immediate solution is more along the lines of, "Hire Sting."
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Old 03-20-2021, 10:50 AM
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'm a believer, I find if I can't do a song I'll know it pretty quickly.
That's very true in my case, as well. But that issue ramps up to a whole other level when the song I can't sing is a song I've just written. When I write a song, I don't always sit there with the guitar or a keyboard. I'm often writing in my head where my range is far greater than my actual singing voice.

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I know exactly one singer who loves the sound of his own recorded voice, and he's a twit. That leaves the rest of us.
It's a weird quirk of anatomy and physics that none of us ever hear what we actually sound like until we hear ourselves on a recording because when the sound waves that emanate from our mouth hits our ear drums, it has traveled through bone, sinew, and flesh before arriving. And because what we hear in a recording is not what we're used to hearing, we hate it.

I was probably about 10 years old when I first learned that. I had gotten a mini reel-to-reel for either Christmas or my birthday one year. I don't remember the brand or even much about what the unit looked like. The reels couldn't have been more than about 3-4 inches at most. It was fun to play with but I spent a lot of time re-spooling tape.
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Old 03-20-2021, 11:25 AM
Glennwillow Glennwillow is offline
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The article is clearly written from a commercial studio point of view. But even from that perspective, a project doesn't always have the funding to go out and hire Sting. (Do you think Sting likes his voice?)

I do think it's true that most of us don't like the sound of our own voices. As Jim noted above, part of that is that the recorded voice does sound different from what we hear inside our heads.

But I also know there is a lot that can be done to modify a vocal sound for something like an audio book. Some readers (or singers) are very good at knowing how to change or at least modify the character of their voice; some vocalists are very good at learning how to use a microphone. Certainly there are tricks that can be used with microphones, and different microphones can be used to get closer to the desired recorded sound.

Then again, some people are just not right as readers (or singers). Some people are essentially "undirectable."

Regarding singing, one of the comments above is that we need to know our limits. I would suggest that an awful lot of singers, including me, probably don't know their limits all that well. Many of us can do more than we realize with more work and practice.

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Old 03-20-2021, 01:28 PM
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But I also know there is a lot that can be done to modify a vocal sound for something like an audio book. Some readers (or singers) are very good at knowing how to change or at least modify the character of their voice; some vocalists are very good at learning how to use a microphone. Certainly there are tricks that can be used with microphones, and different microphones can be used to get closer to the desired recorded sound.

I would suggest that an awful lot of singers, including me, probably don't know their limits all that well. Many of us can do more than we realize with more work and practice.

- Glenn
I agree on a couple of thoughts I got a voice exercise CD a number of years back by some Hollywood voice coach or other, and after several months of practicing, I was able to increase my upper range (which is not great) by two or three scale notes before cracking .

The as far as "modify the character" I have since my teens been able to somewhat loosely mimic (not copy) the tonality , and a bit more closely mimic the delivery style, of some of my favorite singers I cover from, Elvis ,to Morrison ,to Lightfoot, to Dylan etc. A talent that honestly also allowed me to become quite good at mimic'ing bugling elk, and often get them to come right in close, out in the mountains.
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Old 03-20-2021, 01:47 PM
Brent Hahn Brent Hahn is offline
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... and a bit more closely mimic the delivery style, of some of my favorite singers I cover from, Elvis ,to Morrison ,to Lightfoot, to Dylan etc. A talent that honestly also allowed me to become quite good at mimic'ing bugling elk, and often get them to come right in close, out in the mountains.
So you were able to draw Elvis in close enough to get off a good shot? :-)
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Old 03-20-2021, 01:53 PM
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So you were able to draw Elvis in close enough to get off a good shot? :-)
No he left the building despite my best effort

However got Eddy in pretty close.... But once I started naming em, a photo was the only shot taken...

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Old 03-20-2021, 01:58 PM
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So you were able to draw Elvis in close enough to get off a good shot? :-)
So THAT'S what really happened to Elvis...

I never could figure out how he sang as well as he did after eating peanut butter and banana sandwiches!

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Old 03-20-2021, 02:07 PM
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That's very true in my case, as well. But that issue ramps up to a whole other level when the song I can't sing is a song I've just written. When I write a song, I don't always sit there with the guitar or a keyboard. I'm often writing in my head where my range is far greater than my actual singing voice.



It's a weird quirk of anatomy and physics that none of us ever hear what we actually sound like until we hear ourselves on a recording because when the sound waves that emanate from our mouth hits our ear drums, it has traveled through bone, sinew, and flesh before arriving. And because what we hear in a recording is not what we're used to hearing, we hate it.

I was probably about 10 years old when I first learned that. I had gotten a mini reel-to-reel for either Christmas or my birthday one year. I don't remember the brand or even much about what the unit looked like. The reels couldn't have been more than about 3-4 inches at most. It was fun to play with but I spent a lot of time re-spooling tape.
As I got older I soon realized the older I get the more limited my vocal range is. If I'm going to record a song I work with various keys until I figure out exactly what I need to be able to sing effectively.

I've heard of singers who couldn't quite handle a specific song's range requirements so had the engineer adjust the playback speed to shift the pitch enough so they could hit all the notes.

It always makes me think of the vocal on "Lucy In The Sky Wih Diamonds".

With current DAWs you can pitch shift without changing tempo, but that all feels a bit like cheating.
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Old 03-20-2021, 02:58 PM
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Bob Womack Bob Womack is online now
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As a recording engineer/producer I do a lot of voice recording. I work from top to bottom - the highly talented professionals to avocational musicians. Guess what? Whenever a musician of any grade is "in the tank" his or her ego and emotions are right out on their sleeve. They are very vulnerable. They often do their work while looking me in the eyes. The temporary psychological bonds that happen are very interesting and their is definitely something spiritual about it. It is my job to become their temporary best friend, choosing to both gently hold their heart in my hands and affirm and urge them on to excellence. I do so by encouragement. I do it in an atmosphere of acceptance.

One of the first things I do is to talk to them and place a sheet of paper over my face and show them that until they push the expressive bounds a little, no-one can hear a difference. I tell them three things: 1) We are not simply singing, we are acting out the emotions involved in the song. The voice is a stream, and unless we modulate it purposely to communicate, the audience won't hear the emotion in our voices. 2) Until you push the emotional bounds until you are a little uncomfortable, there's a pretty good chance that the audience won't feel your communication. 3) We are all "Italians" in the studio. As a culture, Italians communicate freely with their hands. Guess what? When you gesture with your hands, it is almost impossible to keep your voice from inflecting, from responding with greater emotion. So point, wave, sweep, shake your hands, reach for the sky. We are all Italians in the studio and we aren't ashamed of it. "Speak with your hands... we can hear it."

When you are at the point of the DAW being in record-ready and the talent standing before the mic, it is time to accept the tool (voice) for what it is but work to get the most out of it while encouraging the talent so he or she can leave the experience feeling he or she gave it his or her best, whatever that was, and can hold his or her head up and look forward to the next time.

Oh, and I use these techniques with myself as well.

Bob
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Old 03-20-2021, 03:12 PM
Glennwillow Glennwillow is offline
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Originally Posted by Bob Womack View Post
As a recording engineer/producer I do a lot of voice recording. I work from top to bottom - the highly talented professionals to avocational musicians. Guess what? Whenever a musician of any grade is "in the tank" his or her ego and emotions are right out on their sleeve. They are very vulnerable. They often do their work while looking me in the eyes. The temporary psychological bonds that happen are very interesting and their is definitely something spiritual about it. It is my job to become their temporary best friend, choosing to both gently hold their heart in my hands and affirm and urge them on to excellence. I do so by encouragement. I do it in an atmosphere of acceptance.

One of the first things I do is to talk to them and place a sheet of paper over my face and show them that until they push the expressive bounds a little, no-one can hear a difference. I tell them three things: 1) We are not simply singing, we are acting out the emotions involved in the song. The voice is a stream, and unless we modulate it purposely to communicate, the audience won't hear the emotion in our voices. 2) Until you push the emotional bounds until you are a little uncomfortable, there's a pretty good chance that the audience won't feel your communication. 3) We are all "Italians" in the studio. As a culture, Italians communicate freely with their hands. Guess what? When you gesture with your hands, it is almost impossible to keep your voice from inflecting, from responding with greater emotion. So point, wave, sweep, shake your hands, reach for the sky. We are all Italians in the studio and we aren't ashamed of it. "Speak with your hands... we can hear it."

When you are at the point of the DAW being in record-ready and the talent standing before the mic, it is time to accept the tool (voice) for what it is but work to get the most out of it while encouraging the talent so he or she can leave the experience feeling he or she gave it his or her best, whatever that was, and can hold his or her head up and look forward to the next time.

Oh, and I use these techniques with myself as well.

Bob
These are great comments, Bob!

How do you get the most out of a singer without shattering their confidence?

I sometimes record someone else's voice for various projects, and I know that I need to keep my face completely passive so that I am not shaking somebody up with a look of concern or disapproval. But I am pretty sure I am not always successful at this.

When I'm recording myself, I don't have to worry about how I am doing! If I am off that day I either try again and again, or I quit and come back another day.

Fascinating comments, Bob!

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Old 03-20-2021, 03:44 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob Womack View Post
As a recording engineer/producer I do a lot of voice recording. I work from top to bottom - the highly talented professionals to avocational musicians. Guess what? Whenever a musician of any grade is "in the tank" his or her ego and emotions are right out on their sleeve. They are very vulnerable. They often do their work while looking me in the eyes. The temporary psychological bonds that happen are very interesting and their is definitely something spiritual about it. It is my job to become their temporary best friend, choosing to both gently hold their heart in my hands and affirm and urge them on to excellence. I do so by encouragement. I do it in an atmosphere of acceptance.

One of the first things I do is to talk to them and place a sheet of paper over my face and show them that until they push the expressive bounds a little, no-one can hear a difference. I tell them three things: 1) We are not simply singing, we are acting out the emotions involved in the song. The voice is a stream, and unless we modulate it purposely to communicate, the audience won't hear the emotion in our voices. 2) Until you push the emotional bounds until you are a little uncomfortable, there's a pretty good chance that the audience won't feel your communication. 3) We are all "Italians" in the studio. As a culture, Italians communicate freely with their hands. Guess what? When you gesture with your hands, it is almost impossible to keep your voice from inflecting, from responding with greater emotion. So point, wave, sweep, shake your hands, reach for the sky. We are all Italians in the studio and we aren't ashamed of it. "Speak with your hands... we can hear it."

When you are at the point of the DAW being in record-ready and the talent standing before the mic, it is time to accept the tool (voice) for what it is but work to get the most out of it while encouraging the talent so he or she can leave the experience feeling he or she gave it his or her best, whatever that was, and can hold his or her head up and look forward to the next time.

Oh, and I use these techniques with myself as well.

Bob
Great stuff. I remember talking years ago with a fairly successful regional female singer performer. Who was saying how much harder it was for her to come across a convincing (as she called ) in the studio, then it was live. How to bring the emotive emotion she could get live, meant she had to bring it to a new level in the studio
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Old 03-20-2021, 04:23 PM
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I would suggest that an awful lot of singers, including me, probably don't know their limits all that well. Many of us can do more than we realize with more work and practice
So true. Many hear their recorded voice and cringe, so they say that they can't sing. So they never learn to use their voice properly and how to use a microphone properly. But i think many folks confuse not liking their voice with not liking how they sing. learning how to use ones voice can go a long way to to bridge the gap.

It's like hearing a recording of your guitar playing when first starting off. Either the mistakes motivate you practice and get better or you give up.
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