Your Song Covers
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stefan86
invariably off-topic
Lifemocker
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- Jun 16, 2016
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stefan86
invariably off-topic
stefan86
invariably off-topic
Belac
Flesh To Steel
stefan86
invariably off-topic
stefan86
invariably off-topic
DarkGift
ov Doom
stefan86
invariably off-topic
winters epilogue
Senior Lurker
Sounding great as always, stefaneightysix and Patonehundredfifteen.
I remain envious of Stefan's (and Joakim's and Caleb's) enunciation, breath control, and tone.
Even back when I did death vocals more regularly with old bands, I couldn't keep the delivery consistent. A fairly brutal sounding single note, sure, but full verses would come out comically bad. (My voice also leans more towards a black metal rasp then a death metal bellow – e.g. this noise track I added placeholder (though purposely schizophrenic) vocals over – which can sound okay in the right context, but is pretty worthless when trying to cover anything.)
I remain envious of Stefan's (and Joakim's and Caleb's) enunciation, breath control, and tone.
Even back when I did death vocals more regularly with old bands, I couldn't keep the delivery consistent. A fairly brutal sounding single note, sure, but full verses would come out comically bad. (My voice also leans more towards a black metal rasp then a death metal bellow – e.g. this noise track I added placeholder (though purposely schizophrenic) vocals over – which can sound okay in the right context, but is pretty worthless when trying to cover anything.)
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Belac
Flesh To Steel
Finally using some black metal chops \m/. I'm unfamiliar with a lot of Marduk (somehow??) still but sounded good.
You said vocals are meant to be placeholders so I guess I can't really make much of a judgement on it. The recording quality is fairly low in general (not sure what kind of mic you used) but sounds like you have some decent growls as times. Definitely a little schizophrenic though haha.
winters epilogue
Senior Lurker
Yeah, that site (Bandlab) is pretty cool in terms of getting quick collaborations done, but it's not exactly an ideal place for high quality output. In those cases, I'm simply downloading the file from the site and recording a track in GarageBand. (Also, I don't know anything about recording music, especially when it comes to mixing it so it doesn't sound so out of place from the original material.)
Anyway, here's a better idea — presented in glorious vertical video because why not make it both a tedious aural and visual experience? — about what I mean about not being able to maintain a decent growl:
Even giving myself the few passes I can (i.e. recording as quietly as I could during my lunch break in an apartment while sitting down), I simply can't seem to keep the tone consistent. It devolves into a borderline throat-singing rather than a growl.
Maybe that would improve with practice, but I'm pretty sure these vocal chords just weren't made for that kinda sound. Oh well, it's still fun to do on my own time.
Belac
Flesh To Steel
So casual. I'm gonna sit at my desk, sip some coffee... Yell a little. 
It's not too bad, my initial impression is that you do indeed need more practice to be consistent. You sound a little like I did when I first got back into growling. I went over three years doing no vocals and that first practice session was hard, couldn't keep my voice steady. I thought I lost the ability, but after a couple weeks it fell back into place. Sometimes it's still not as good as it used to be though.
There were a couple parts where your voice would randomly get more brutal, but mostly a couple words at a time. The first chorus when you say the word "mute" it had a little bit of Fathomless Mastery style tone to it. That whole line sounded pretty decent actually, then the second half of the chorus sounded more fatigued.
Honestly it's probably a practice/warmup thing. Your voice sounds like it's being pushed in an uncomfortable way, like it needs to be warmed up or part of your throat is not keeping up with the pace. I usually do a bunch of vocal warmups before doing serious growls. Typically I do a few lines of mid growls, take 10 minutes off, then do some lows and highs for a couple minutes, take another 10 minutes break and drink some water. Then I do a fairly easy song a couple times, stopping for a section if I feel like it and jumping back in for the next part. Basically a full warmup takes around 30-40 minutes for me before I feel ready to use my full force.
Can't tell what you were drinking, but if it was coffee that will just dehydrate your throat. Room temperature water is the best way to maintain in my experience, and coffee might actually be the worst.
Another factor I'm thinking is volume. Optimal volume depends on the individual, some people need to be loud while others have a smooth mid-volume voice. I can't tell what the case is with you, but I myself lose a lot of consistency if I'm trying to growl more quietly or constantly being mindful of how loud I am to other people. I find it strains my voice more because I'm pushing and holding back at the same time, and my voice doesn't know what to do. It almost becomes a self-conscious feeling and that alone is a bad thing in terms of being able to stay loose and comfortable.
That's just speculation though, you may be more comfortable at lower volumes as some people are.
Essay complete. Not sure where all that came from. Sometimes my hands just take over and vomit out unfiltered TL;DR thoughts
It's not too bad, my initial impression is that you do indeed need more practice to be consistent. You sound a little like I did when I first got back into growling. I went over three years doing no vocals and that first practice session was hard, couldn't keep my voice steady. I thought I lost the ability, but after a couple weeks it fell back into place. Sometimes it's still not as good as it used to be though.
There were a couple parts where your voice would randomly get more brutal, but mostly a couple words at a time. The first chorus when you say the word "mute" it had a little bit of Fathomless Mastery style tone to it. That whole line sounded pretty decent actually, then the second half of the chorus sounded more fatigued.
Honestly it's probably a practice/warmup thing. Your voice sounds like it's being pushed in an uncomfortable way, like it needs to be warmed up or part of your throat is not keeping up with the pace. I usually do a bunch of vocal warmups before doing serious growls. Typically I do a few lines of mid growls, take 10 minutes off, then do some lows and highs for a couple minutes, take another 10 minutes break and drink some water. Then I do a fairly easy song a couple times, stopping for a section if I feel like it and jumping back in for the next part. Basically a full warmup takes around 30-40 minutes for me before I feel ready to use my full force.
Can't tell what you were drinking, but if it was coffee that will just dehydrate your throat. Room temperature water is the best way to maintain in my experience, and coffee might actually be the worst.
Another factor I'm thinking is volume. Optimal volume depends on the individual, some people need to be loud while others have a smooth mid-volume voice. I can't tell what the case is with you, but I myself lose a lot of consistency if I'm trying to growl more quietly or constantly being mindful of how loud I am to other people. I find it strains my voice more because I'm pushing and holding back at the same time, and my voice doesn't know what to do. It almost becomes a self-conscious feeling and that alone is a bad thing in terms of being able to stay loose and comfortable.
That's just speculation though, you may be more comfortable at lower volumes as some people are.
Essay complete. Not sure where all that came from. Sometimes my hands just take over and vomit out unfiltered TL;DR thoughts
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winters epilogue
Senior Lurker
Many great tips and much appreciated feedback. Thanks, Caleb.
Even though this was super casual — I haven't done a death growl in months, and my "warmup" today was the take before this one where I had to start over after fucking up a line — it highlighted exactly what I mentioned earlier and what you touched on: I can get out a brutal sounding word or partial word every once in awhile, but my voice quickly fatigues and loses it. (I hadn't thought about how volume could affect the consistency. That sweet apartment life makes testing that difficult, but maybe next time I go for a long drive...)
While there's no delusions of grandeur here — I'm not expecting to try out for a band, let alone record any other covers — it's encouraging to hear that it’s not 100% terrible and maybe (with enough dedicated practice) I might be able to do a better job than I did there.
Anyway, that's enough about me.
It sounds like you have a solid warmup routine; do you play live ever? If so, how does that affect your routine? What about you Stefan and Joakim, do you warmup your voices before a gig? If so, how?
Even though this was super casual — I haven't done a death growl in months, and my "warmup" today was the take before this one where I had to start over after fucking up a line — it highlighted exactly what I mentioned earlier and what you touched on: I can get out a brutal sounding word or partial word every once in awhile, but my voice quickly fatigues and loses it. (I hadn't thought about how volume could affect the consistency. That sweet apartment life makes testing that difficult, but maybe next time I go for a long drive...)
While there's no delusions of grandeur here — I'm not expecting to try out for a band, let alone record any other covers — it's encouraging to hear that it’s not 100% terrible and maybe (with enough dedicated practice) I might be able to do a better job than I did there.
Anyway, that's enough about me.
It sounds like you have a solid warmup routine; do you play live ever? If so, how does that affect your routine? What about you Stefan and Joakim, do you warmup your voices before a gig? If so, how?
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Belac
Flesh To Steel
I used to play live, I'd practice about the same amount, just enough to open the voice up. In a live setting you can still kill your throat, sometimes the adrenaline kicks in a bit too hard and you go a little overboard.... Also beer.
DarkGift
ov Doom
Caleb, the resident growl coach 
keep it up! Maybe start with online coaching? Like via Skype or something.
I'm super lazy with warming up. I usually just sing some stuff (like normal singing), and then growl a bit and grab a beer or two before a gig. The biggest problem for me live is bad on stage monitors, I have a tendency to push my vocals into unhealthy territory when I cannot hear myself properly.
keep it up! Maybe start with online coaching? Like via Skype or something.I'm super lazy with warming up. I usually just sing some stuff (like normal singing), and then growl a bit and grab a beer or two before a gig. The biggest problem for me live is bad on stage monitors, I have a tendency to push my vocals into unhealthy territory when I cannot hear myself properly.
Belac
Flesh To Steel
I get into it a bit too much I know, but I have some insight and I like to share my knowledge, even if it's just conveying my personal experience. It's one of the things I excel at (sort of) and I like helping people in general. Encouraging growls is kind of a small karma boost but it's still good.
stefan86
invariably off-topic
