For singers or guitar player/singers

[Dead Winter]

So I'm reviewing my tape of our show earlier this month and I was overall not very pleased with my vocals. However, everyone came up to me and was like, "Holy shit that was awesome!", and not people who would suck me off just because they're scared to tell me the truth. Granted, the soundman knew shitto about what sound we needed for our show, so along with fighting feedback the entire time, I didn't feel my vox were up to par. Ok, I'm the guitar player and singer so my brain is split in half and of course it would've been much easier to JUST sing without playing as well, but I have no other choice. It will never be 100% while I'm playing guitar as well but it didn't even turn out as I expected.

On stage the sound was fucking awesome...it was big, loud, and clear. However, off stage was a chocolate mess. My question is do any of you have experience with live sound pertaining to vocals, and if so, does a video camera hinder the sound in a live environment, making it sound much worse? It wasn't distorted and of course I know it's not going to be hi-fi or as good as it would be live, but it didn't sound ANYTHING like what I was hearing on stage...even the timbre of my voice sounded completely different. It could be that I just don't like hearing my own voice when I sing, I dunno. It was a bit too shriek-y and not enough black, imo. I can easily change it but everyone was blown away by our show and complimented me on the vocals...why do they sound like shit to me?

 

[Shpongled]

You'll get used to it. It was the same story for me when I started doing radio and I'd have air check reviews with my boss. All I could think was "Wow, THAT is what I sound like? Ughhhh."

But after a while I got over it and now I think I sound exactly the same recorded as I do in person. It just took some time for me to become comfortable with hearing myself.

Also, of course a video camera recording will sound drastically different than it sounded to you in the moment. Those little things don't have nearly enough power or technology to pick up and properly translate every single sound reverberating through the room.

 

[Shpongled]

Also, don't be too analytical of yourself. If people say you sounded great, then take it at face value and accept it. Don't beat yourself up over the small stuff. Just always keep trying to improve. You are your own worst critic. Never ever forget that. It makes things easier.

 

[Dead Winter]

Thanks Kevin. I always strive for perfection because I'm an anal-retentive retard about it. To be honest there were a few parts that I could say, "No matter what I think of myself, this just doesn't sound good", but fortunately they were few and far between. However, I'm glad to know that other people are unnerved a little as well by the sound of their own voice. It's like, "I sound like THAT?!?!?"

Although the camera is definitely not a tool you would use to help your singing voice, I can definitely see how useful it is. I can now fine tune little parts of my voice that I had no idea needed fixing. You've been a tremendous help and boost of self-confidence. Thanks a million.

 

[The Emptier]

agreed with shpongled, you're never going to be too pleased hearing yourself haha. just set a bit lower standards and take it in stride and just work on the flaws you hear and don't worry about it, people who are there usually don't give a fuck and aren't analyzing everything you do

 

[Enemy242]

yeah you can dissect every aspect but in the end it'll just drive you crazy. if it's not horrible and staring me in the face flaws i just accept it, especially if the crowd digs it (thats what really matters). It's always weird to see yourself or hear yourself and you judge too harshly, our guitarist does that and it annoys basically everyone haha. its great to want to improve but most people take it to a crazy level.

 

[azal]

It's all just a thing of routine man, the more you play the more you'll get used to everything, and really you never know, and the best way to get what your voice sounds like live is to have a mix from the soundboard with a couple atmosphere mics around the club that will pick up some ambiance along with the actual performance.

I've had times when I thought I sounded great in my monitors and people have told me I've sucked, and moments when half the people said I was shakey and half said I was great, so that whole thing with the way people interpret what their hearing, there's really no rules for that, just keep working at what you're doing.

And like Kevin said, I think that a lot of people who sing have the sound of singers they love and that they are emulating in their heads, and then when they hear their actually voices, they get down on themselves.

You just need time to get used to your voice, you may find that it works, and you may never like it.

I'm at that place right now, when our singer left I took over the clean vocals, and I'm still trying to find myself and balance out my voice and the hardest thing is not trying to sound like him, since he's on the recorded material. And I really won't know if my vocals work in the band until we record some new material, and if I don't like it after that, I'm not to proud to say "Yo, this isn't what I want, lets find another solution."

 

[Dead Winter]

Awesome...from all of you. Thanks so much.

Azal, that's basically what I'm trying to do is emulate the drummer's voice since it's on the recorded material. However, after studying the tape I realize I don't have that sort of window-shattering screech and shriek that he does, so I'm just gonna straight Marduk and Gorgoroth it from now on.

Fortunately the cleans are good...in tune and really powerful. I tried to clean up some parts of "Forever" at the beginning and playing simultaneously just hinders it. I have to hit it really, really high; not falsetto but natural like Dickinson. Again, if I had the freedom to just sing I could do it but rather than have it sound forced I'm gonna dirty it up a little. Put some grit in it. People don't give a shit anyway. We have a great stage presence even if it's just the two of us and anyway they're all fucking Italian; they wouldn't understand English even if I spoke to them in single syllables.

I guess I'm just one of those people who doesn't like the sound of his own voice. Surprising, since I make such long posts, haha!!!

 

[slashvanyoung]

You'll get used to it. It was the same story for me when I started doing radio and I'd have air check reviews with my boss. All I could think was "Wow, THAT is what I sound like? Ughhhh."

But after a while I got over it and now I think I sound exactly the same recorded as I do in person. It just took some time for me to become comfortable with hearing myself.

Yeah, it was the same for me.

@ Chris: Sound on-/off-stage can vary soooo much. Not only is the monitor mix usually different to the FOH mix but when you sing on stage you also hear your voice through the soundwaves travelling through your head, the jaw-bones specifically. So most people perceive their voice higher than it actually is.

Record yourself as much as possible to get used to how your voice sounds to other people.

 

[Dead Winter]

Will do! That's exactly how it sounds to me...it sounds a bit higher on stage than off, to the point that there were places on the tape where I could've sworn were better than what came out.

Also, I'm used to hearing the cd and his voice on cd sounds like Ihsahn meets Dani Filth. My voice is a bit more "Blashyrkh" meets "Procreating Satan" and to my ears it wasn't such a big difference until now. What I'm going for now is a more Anaal Nathrakh "Do Not Speak" sound. The majestic cleans are easy...it's the screams that I need to work on. The timbre is there, just need to raise the pitch a bit without getting shriek-y. I have a somewhat deep voice so it's kinda difficult.