vocal effects

[Resunikcufecin]

I sing in a band and can handle singing melodies and harmonies, but when I try to do the "cookie monster" thing in parts, I'm kind of lacking. I know distortion helps, but I want something to also take my voice down and make it sound a little more demonized.

I'm thinking of something along the lines of the Six Feet Under vocal sound. Any suggestions?

 

[AmirH]

If you do decide to use distortion it's a really bad idea to overdo it. If you put any at all, make it so it's just *hint* for added effect. I've personally found that the most invalauble tool is compression however, as it can tame over the top sounds and make the littlest sound huge. This also something that should be used tastefully though- don't go bringing the threshold up like 12 db or something. Reverb will add some depth to the low end if used in moderation as well. Another tip for sounding really deep and demonic is to doubletrack your voice(if the patterns are simple enough to pull off right) and pan them each slightly to the right and left. That's really the only advice I can give other than improving technique. A good death metal vocalist sounds ok without relying heavily on effects, but maybe you could post some samples and I can hear specifically what would help you most.

 

[Resunikcufecin]

Thanks, for your advice. I do keep disortion to a minimum, and I do double and pan. Haven't really messed with compression much though. I'll look into that.
The truth is that I'm just limited when it comes to delivering death-style vocals, but I feel my band's music calls for them occasionally. While there are guys like George Fisher who don't have to use much at all in the way of effects, I know guys like Six Feet Under's singer (whatever the hell his name is) has GOT to be using a lot of effect.
Thanks again, for the help. I may take you up on sending a sample.

 

[AmirH]

Maybe you just need a little bit of inisght on proper tecnique... I generally like to respond to these sorts of topics because most people do a really bad job of explaining it and most people seem to catch on well when I explain it. I remember looking online and stuff for info on how to do it not too terribly long ago and finding nothing. It took me a really long time to learn, so I can sympathise with people who feel they could benefit from it and hurt their throats and stuff trying.

 

[The Grimace]

While there are guys like George Fisher who don't have to use much at all in the way of effects, I know guys like Six Feet Under's singer (whatever the hell his name is) has GOT to be using a lot of effect.

You mean Chris Barnes, the original singer of Cannibal Corpse before Fisher?

No, he doesn't use effects.

And there is absoultely nothing you should be doing to your vocals besides getting better at growling.

 

[Resunikcufecin]

You mean Chris Barnes, the original singer of Cannibal Corpse before Fisher?

No, he doesn't use effects.

I used Fisher as an example, because I saw the making of Wretched Spawn, and heard him doing it clean. It basically sounded just like the end result. I don't doubt Chris Barnes sounded that way clean too.

 

[Resunikcufecin]

Maybe you just need a little bit of inisght on proper tecnique... I can sympathise with people who feel they could benefit from it and hurt their throats and stuff trying.

I'd appreciate any tips you might give me. At this point, I can do a good growl, but it's not very loud, and my voice is toast after a very short period.

 

[The Grimace]

It's all about control. There's no tricks or secrets, other than start off by learning to clench up your throat/mouth/lips as solidly as possible with as much control as you can maintain. Singing of any style is nothing but holding your mouth area in a certain position and forcing air out, and growling is just adding a throat-thing to the overall process. It's not about opening your mouth and roaring like a lion at the top of your lungs, in fact you should use very little (a controlled amount) of breath when you growl. Experiment with different throat/mouth/lips configurations and different breath control until you find what style is best for you. Not everyone can spit molten lava at crazy hyperspeed like Fisher or gurgle down to the same depths Barnes can reach. Most people can't. You have a unique "growling voice" just like you have a "singing voice".

Hope that's any help at all.

 

[AmirH]

Sorry I haven't had time to reply. I just copied and pasted from the file I made for this a while back. Should be noted that it's just to teach technique for loud("normal") growls which sounds to me like you might need to know since you mentioned it being too quiet. Also note I talk about sounding better high, but since then I've had lots of practice and my deep one sounds just as good or better. It's all practice. Room level type are useful too so don't throw that out the window. Just another sound you can get from your throat

The key is to feel the gurgle in your throat, as this is what makes the sound. The proper term, is "vocal fry." Yknow that rasp you hear in metallica style singing?(think sandman) THAT'S vocal fry.

Start by talking like you've just gotten up in that morning, with a grog in your throat. Don't push much air out. Just groan, or say "oh I don't wanna get up." or something. Then use that to sing a bit. Don't push the air while your singing. The force of the air creates a clean tone, so by lightening this you make a pleasant rasp. You should really be able to get a feel for hard rock singing in a few minutes, I'm not saying you'll be in tune- but the rasp should now be there. If you do plan on singing this way, be sure to practice clean as well since many singers can't sing a clean tone if they sing this way too often. The growl won't affect that though.

Alright, here we go- take that rasp and drop down a few octaves in your voice. This should REALLY give you a feel for the growl. From here, you should be able to feel it in your throat, and learn how to control it. If at first you can't do it automatically just refer back to "oh I don't wanna get up" with very little air, and drop right back into that growl. Practice changing tones, and experimenting with octaves. Find what's comfortable for you and make use of it. It's been my experience that people tend to be comfortable with some ranges and uncomfortable with others. I know my black metal scream is pretty crazy sounding, and it's consistent in that range. My younger brother, who I taught to scream, has a low brutal death growl and his voice is higher then mine in real life- so go figure. The point is that once you feel that gurgle you should be able to experiment and feel whats comfortable. Make sure to try switching to a high(black metal sounding) octave while maintaining the rasp at least once to see if you like it. Practice when you can and soon you will be able to go longer without dryness in the throat. You should IMMEDIATELY notice that you will no longer be sore back there like it can get if you just scream as loud as you can. As long as you don't push too much air(to the point where the tone almost becomes clean) it's unlikely that you'll damage your vocal chords. In fact, it should be no problem to switch from a growl to clean singing. Practice makes perfect though, so if it's possible- try recording yourself as well, and adjusting it to the way you would like it to sound.