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 perhaps some advice. vocally.
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Elijah
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Joined: 20 Jan 2004
Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada Eh?
PostPosted: Wed Jan 17 2007 05:25    
perhaps some advice. vocally.
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ok.. ive asked a couple ppl and they say that... well

they say i cant sing. but they cant really tell me what makes me such a bad singer. so perhaps you madtrackers can tell me.

they say im not off key. but they cant really tell me why. i dont know.. i like how these sound. but as is every singer's fear, i dont want to think i can sing while everybody else is like 'what the **** is he doing?'

i was having a lot of fun recording these vox too...

anyways some advice would be awesome. and maybe some links to some good vocal tutorial sites or something.

anyways. heres the link - http://soundsofcalgary.madtracker.net/funkybeat.mp3

and.... last but not least. this was made in one of those 'creative zones' so its not really mixed that well. and the drums are gay etc. etc. so just vocal advice would be great.


- Elijah
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Breaker
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Joined: 12 Feb 2006
PostPosted: Wed Jan 17 2007 09:19    
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Well i can't find anythong wrong with your voice, as far as i can say everything is in tune and stuff... Maybe your vocal sounds to dry, and the second half your back up voice starts clipping ... but your singing itself is fine imo
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TOffe
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Joined: 04 May 2003
Location: nomad
PostPosted: Wed Jan 17 2007 11:50    
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First of all cool song. This is how I would imagen a Blur remix to sound like.

I do think the vocal is out of tune in a couple of places. Also the fact that you use such a slow portamento on almost every last word in your sentences can have somthing to do with it sounding a tad out of tune sometimes. I would try and go with some faster portamento just to emphasise the clear notes.

I wish I had your voice tho, this thing just needs a few more takes. I think the second part is really nice. If other people say it's not because it's out of tune it might be that they heard you speak alot and then it gets strange to all of sudden hear you sing, cause I think this in tune would be awesome.


http://www.sonitusmusic.com
http://www.myspace.com/meltic

"You don't get harmony when everybody sings the same note." -Doug Floyd
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bigandymac
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Joined: 18 Nov 2004
Location: Leeds UK
PostPosted: Wed Jan 17 2007 12:08    
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toffe is right about the portamento. i dont think the song is the best for judging your voice, but 99% of the time youre in tune. also it sounds like youve run the vocal through some mild distortion or overdrive which gives it a gritty lofi quality (esp the higher notes).
you dont have a standard voice by any stretch, but nor does ray lamontagne and look how he has done.
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oldbrian
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Joined: 18 Aug 2004
Location: hungary
PostPosted: Wed Jan 17 2007 12:41    
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there were some times when you went offtune but as Toffe and Andy already pointed out this was pretty much due to the portamento. the distorted vocals were however too out of tune to my taste (e.g. 3:10), they messed up the overall sounding quite a bit.

but i like your voice as well, i don't know what others' problem with it can be. i think you should just keep on practicing - maybe they were just to picky for the slightest problems Wink
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Silas Rye
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Joined: 27 Apr 2004
Location: South Carolina, USA
PostPosted: Wed Jan 17 2007 14:46    
i think its pretty good
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I myself have been trying to work on my voice over the past 1-2 years (not really disciplined over that time). I think your voice sounds pretty good, there are some tonal things that I recognize happening but cant put a word to, that I also notice in my voice and that I'm trying to get rid of. For that, I say just keep practicing (on this song or others). I love to put a little flange or distortion on my voice, and while i like to put these effects on everything, I may use it to disguise some imperfections, so listen to your self clean alot and try and work on making yourself sound the way YOU want to sound.

Maybe the biggest thing...
What kind of mic are you using? I noticed a huge improvement in the sound of my voice when i moved from a $35 stage mic, to a cheap $60 condenser mic. I imagine a really nice condenser mic would make a big difference, its also going to let you hear better what you sound like.
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Franklin van Uden
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Joined: 26 Apr 2005
Location: The Netherlands
PostPosted: Wed Jan 17 2007 15:40    
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Frst of all i love your vocal tracks/experiments so keep on posting sweet vocal stuff !!!

I'm not an expert but i try to give you some pointers on the vocal (Some of them are pretty obvious i guess Wink)stuff :

Recording: Room Damping/pop filter in addition plugins for editing vocals (de-hissing/decracking etc. etc.)

Tuning/timing: Melodyne, it costs a few bucks but i promise it is def. worth it ..

Compression: Compress the living shit out of the vocals Wink

Delay and reverb: , well i don't think i have to say anything about that, neither the vocoder part.

Vocal processing: I use the Yamaha Vocal Rack plugin for vocal processing, it's easy to use and adds up alot of process possibilities to make vocals sound awesome, http://www.etcetera.co.uk/products/YAM072.shtml

In addition here is some good additional about vocal recordings/processing: http://www.tweakheadz.com/how_to_record_vocals.htm

Hope this is a bit of help ...

keep those vocals coming Wink


Music ... is endless ... Work in progress ...

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Elijah
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Joined: 20 Jan 2004
Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada Eh?
PostPosted: Wed Jan 17 2007 16:14    
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wow... i didnt expect that.

haha. THANKS GUYS. i apprecirate the feedback.

franklin: i used a shure sm58 for this recording. because i was using an overdrive plugin on the vox (heavier in the last part) for my next take i will use my condenser (studio projects... something. it cost me like 400 bucks).

i have melodyne but i dont really like to use it on my vocals. call it my artistic stubbornness. amd i compress the hell outta all my vox.

and thanks for the links man. i appreciate it.

silas> I think your voice sounds pretty good, there are some tonal things that I recognize happening but cant put a word to, that I also notice in my voice and that I'm trying to get rid of.

thats what i am trying to figure out too...

i was told my voice isnt comercially viable or something.

i was trying to be a bit quiet because my landlord lives upstairs, and even though he plays his guitar till 1 am in the morning, i cant sing down here because its too loud.

but!... Thanks so much guys. i am going to practice my vocals more before i throw them out on this track. i will try a quicker portamento on my voice. i just wanted to give some wierd effect to this on. and i love the backup vocals so i will keep them but sing them more in tune.

thanks for the feedback. i guess vocals deserve more attention than i was going to give them. haha.

ok.. im off to do this... after work.

i just woke up.

ps. franklin this recording tutorial looks really good. im gonna save it an read it at lunch.


- Elijah
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TNK / ATK project
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Joined: 13 May 2003
Location: Village-Neuf, France (Dont's search on the map, it's tiny...)
PostPosted: Wed Jan 17 2007 17:44    
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1st of All I'ld like to say that you're quite a good singer.
Indeed, the portamentos you use obviously makes you get out of key during the transition (the transition being fluid, it does morph form one right pitch to the other, and therefore, while in the middle between two 'correct' pitches, it is, if one is narrow minded, out of key, but in fact it's more an artistic choice rather than singing out of key).

Also note that people nowadays are used to ultra post-processed pop stuff that is autotuned all the way, making the singers sing in over-humane correct pitches. That's why modern generations tend to consider most voices as out of key. But if they would listen to some Dylan stuff from the 60's for exemple, they would consider it much more out of key than you are. You could autotune on your voice like 99% of the showbizz nowadays does, but I leave that up to you as in your case it would rather be some kind of artistic choice rather than a way to hide your (non existing) bad vocal abilities.

Besides this... congrats for that great tune !

Elijah wrote:
i was told my voice isnt comercially viable or something.


That's unfortunately true... but not because you sing out of key, but because of your style that is not trendy. Your voice makes me sometimes think of Jim Morrison's, and the whole stuff, while modern sounding, seems to have it's roots in some kind of blues or psychedelic rock music, styles that are for sure very 'artistic' but not very commercial nowadays ( = You don't sound like the backstreet boys! ). In fact, I doubt that Morrison's voice would be accepted in the modern pop industry neither.

So once again, this is a question of personnal choice here. Or you try to go commercial and train your voice to sing like the top 40 singers do, or you prefer to stay yourself and probably remain underground (or atleast not a top 40 chartbuster). This is something you have to decide by yourself.
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SoulEye
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Joined: 31 Jan 2004
Location: Helsingborg, Sweden!
PostPosted: Wed Jan 17 2007 19:56    
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It's inspiring to say the least though, and I'd love to hear some more tunes. You gotta be one of (if not the) best singer in the mt community (sorry TNK Wink)... As for the complaints, see TNK's post.

I almost wanna pick up the mike and sing too but I'm too shy Embarassed Smile
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TNK / ATK project
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Joined: 13 May 2003
Location: Village-Neuf, France (Dont's search on the map, it's tiny...)
PostPosted: Wed Jan 17 2007 20:37    
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SoulEye wrote:
It's inspiring to say the least though, and I'd love to hear some more tunes. You gotta be one of (if not the) best singer in the mt community (sorry TNK Wink)... As for the complaints, see TNK's post.

I almost wanna pick up the mike and sing too but I'm too shy Embarassed Smile


Don't worry, I do not claim to be a singer and :

- I improved a lot Very Happy . The last song I performed vocally you heard is now almost 3 years old, and lotsa things changed since that time. But 4 sure I will always keep my white sounding voice, which is not the best in a world where black sounding voices are what's hype.

- Elijah sings in his own language, which is not my case when I sing in English.

Besides this, I want to make clear that if I indeed have to say the thing I said about the "commerciality" of his voice, it does not make him a bad singer at all.
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Elijah
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Joined: 20 Jan 2004
Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada Eh?
PostPosted: Wed Jan 17 2007 21:41    
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TNK / ATK project wrote:
Besides this, I want to make clear that if I indeed have to say the thing I said about the "commerciality" of his voice, it does not make him a bad singer at all.


thats actually what i was gearing my question towards mostly. because i dont know what makes my voice different than whats on the radio. but... thats not really a bad thing to me. but when this album is done i want to send it out. and who knows, right? i just wanted to get some advice from some 3rd partys.

i suppose those that like my voice will like it and those that won't, won't right? i can't please everybody. anyways.. thanks for the advice. i will post the song soon (and not 'soon' like my last 'soon's' because i never got anything done. im kind of abandoning my perfectionism and just finishing stuff. i want to have a party CD by the summer.

take it easy, all. tnk, thanks for the feedback.

and souleye. you know you can sing. c'mon i cant stop listening to geisha love....

lol


- Elijah
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StyrmanLjungberg
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Joined: 03 Feb 2006
Location: Östersund, Sweden
PostPosted: Wed Jan 17 2007 23:07    
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I actually kinda like the slow portamento, it gives the phrases some other harmonies that I pretty much like actually. Guess that's all about personal taste though.

About the off key, I don't find it to be disturblingy off, a little at some places. But faaar from horrible Razz

About your voice itself, I think it's very nice! Maybe it's 'cuse I know I have my own "sound" to my voice. I've been told I've got a special sound in my voice, I'm not gonna comment on that myself though. Razz And I like the sound in your voice! Very Happy

Overall I think there's nothing wrong at all with your voice! Smile
Great tune btw!

Edit: and the SM 58 is a very nice mic for it's price! Very Happy Have one myself nowadays! Aswell as a SM 57 for recording my guitar! Smile
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cHiEfRoCkA 4 ReaL
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Joined: 23 May 2005
Location: Germany
PostPosted: Wed Jan 17 2007 23:47    
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The guys are right!

When I heard your voice the first time in the Chainsong I liked it a lot!

And that didnt change! And when I like a voice, that means that the guy/girl can sing, hits the tunes and got a good sounding voice.

So get some more feedback...but let me tell you that your voice is absolutely alright.

But I also know how it is...

I often questioned myself whether I can rap or not...sometimes I still dont know...lol.


Btw....good song!




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Elijah
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Joined: 20 Jan 2004
Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada Eh?
PostPosted: Thu Jan 18 2007 02:34    
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cHiEfRoCkA 4 ReaL wrote:
I often questioned myself whether I can rap or not...sometimes I still dont know...lol.


"a dope emcee is a dope emcee"

of course you can rap. im still waiting on a song of yours to sing in.


- Elijah
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