A question about singing

[reallyoddone]

i'll just use my phone's recording function. but for some reason, my voice is like a couple of pitches higher during playback.

[acroberts]

Originally Posted by acou57

For those of you that sing I want to know if there is a technique to hear my actual voice that other people hear while I'm singing. I know with recording equipment I can hear myself live but I was hoping to find an alternative solution so I don't have to buy expensive studio equipment.

A setup like this helped me immensely and can be had for under $200:

Behringer Xenyx 502 Mixer ($45)
Shure SM58 + Cable + Stand ($110)
Behringer HPS3000 Headphones ($25)

You can save some $$$ by buying a GLS ES-58 mic for $30, but if you grab that Shure, you've got a lifelong piece of gear...

Anyhow, throw your guitar and mic into the mixer and play away with headphones on. You'll discover your singing voice in no time.

Best of luck!

[JonPR]

Originally Posted by reallyoddone

i'll just use my phone's recording function. but for some reason, my voice is like a couple of pitches higher during playback.

That's interesting - and seems highly unlikely. Have you tried recording guitar on it? Does that come out a couple of pitches higher?
If not, then you are imagining the effect on your voice - which is quite likely. As mentioned above, the way we sound to other people (and on recordings) is not the way our voice sounds to us when we speak or sing. If someone else hears a recording of your voice they will almost certainly recognise it as you, in a way that you might not. (That can be a scary revelation )
We can of course learn to tune our voices accurately, but most of us need a fair amount of training or exercises to do it. (There's a danger here of the thread slipping into a debate about "natural talent"... )

[mchalebk]

Originally Posted by acou57

These are my first attempts at recording so it's been quite shocking to hear the difference.

Don't fret about it. Pretty much everyone experiences the same thing when they first hear their own voice (singing or speaking) played back to them.

[nightchef]

Originally Posted by acou57

I always think I've hit the right pitch when the recording shows that I didn't.

Are you wearing headphones when you record? This is very likely to produce pitch perception issues, especially if you don't have a lot of experience.

[Klef]

A lot of pros use one hand to hold half a headphone to one ear and the other hand to hold a scotch.

[glissongs]

If you're recording without headphones, you're doing it wrong....