Singing volume advice

[johnd]

I worry my singing volume is very quiet, I naturally have a very quiet voice when talking.

I do have the ability to record guitar/vocals on separate channels but recently I've tried just recording myself unplugged on my phone (Lumia 1020 which has pretty great microphone actually) to try and gauge my singing/playing volume balance.

I was pleasantly surprised to hear that it's actually just about spot-on in this scenario, as long as I play without a pick - I generally don't play very hard, with the phone just on the desk in front of me (rather than right up against my lips).

Does that suggest my singing volume is actually better than I imagined, or should I be able to match my guitar volume even when I'm properly thrashing it?

[Silly Moustache]

Take a few singing lessons - Hopefully, your teacher will find and release your singing voice as a little lady did for me many years ago.

A lot of it is about confidence.

[MikeBmusic]

Yes, singing lessons could help you. Often when a person is singing softly they are not getting the best tone or pitch because they are holding back.

I think you just lucked out with your phone positioning and the relative volume of voice vs guitar.

[martingitdave]

Agreed. If I am singing full voice, which I don't do too often anymore, I can overpower the guitar. I can also be prone to singing too softly because I practice in the house after my little ones go to sleep. I sometimes end up performing the way I practice. Take a lesson. Get an objective opinion from someone who is knowledgeable.

[runamuck]

I don't think it's necessary to sing loudly; that's what a mic is for.
But I do think it's important to sing comfortably, unless we're talking about opera.