Killer Queen - Queen; is my voice breathy?

[SteelRider83]

I'm trying to figure out what's wrong with my voice, it just sounds... wrong. By wrong I mean it seems as though it lacks a certain breath support or something, perhaps I am not using correct breathing technique. Then again, I could be completely wrong and it''s just the way my voice sounds, but I really have no singing experience and am recording with a Rock Band (game) microphone, so it might be that, as well.

http://www.box.com/s/sgfn8ynny9dxu0be08q6

Enjoy! (or not, lol)

EDIT: Fixed link

[ronws]

It is a breath support thing. As well as a breath pressure thing. It sounds like you know how to resonate notes in the right places. However, your intervals are off and you are drifting from the key or tonic of the melody line. For recording a sample, even a capella, I would have the song playing in the background at a low level so that you have a reference point, at least until your pitch memory gets better.

It already sounds like you can sing, we're just wanting to help you fine tune a bit.

It also sounds like you were recording this as a whisper. That's bad to for the voice,physically and it will also lead to bad habits. I mean, you won't have to shout, but you need to get into fuller volume. Perhaps you live in a place or circumstance where you feel you can't sing out loud. Don't know what to tell you about that except to find yourself a place where you can sing at regular volume and be secure enough to hit a few sour notes until you tune up, so to speak.

Let me throw caution to the wind. Just hearing this, I would say your tessitura is either light high baritone or lyric tenor, meaning, you can do this song and other stuff in this range. By the way, you are not tone-deaf. Anyone that can sing an interval is not tone-deaf. Just the same, you need the physical sensation of where the note is. And the interval from that.

There are some web pages with tone generators where you can pick a note and play it and sing a long with it. Record that and keep adjusting until you can't tell the difference, anymore. Also, think of each tone as a color or object. Such A in any octave as being blue or apple or whatever mental image work for you. Once your mind has a solid visual to link to that, you won't lose your place after that.

Of course, you picked a really tough song to work on but there's nothing wrong for having valid goals.

[SteelRider83]

It also sounds like you were recording this as a whisper.

That's the thing though, I was using my normal speaking voice volume (perhaps even higher!) and, just as you said thought, it does sound whispery and lacking. Perhaps I have already developed bad habits, or perhaps it is my recording device. Do you have any advice to help me determine either situation? I appreciate all your advice :)

[ronws]

Trust me, BG, I know all about equipment issues. And your mic will be a big part of that. Back in the early 70's, all I had was a 5 inch reel to reel tape recorder and a small condenser mic to go with it. In the late 80's, I had and still have my portacam 4-track (cassette tape) analog recording machine. And when I got to this forum, I was still recording on my digital camera, which can make sound recordings but it's on a mic about the same as a cell phone. Then I graduated to a desk mic from Office Depot, with about the same capabilities as a cellphone mic. Then an angel sent to me a condenser studio mic, which was a vast improvement. And late in 2011, I had saved enough pennies to get a Sennheiser e835 dynamic mic. It's actually made to be on stage but I use it for recording because I can sing really loud and it will handle the volume.

As for bad habits, most people develope those as a result of learning their native language. As well as the action of speaking some dialects causes one to support breath in a way not conducive to singing. That is why I am leary of sing like you speak programs. Not that their advice may be wrong but the image that you can simply extend your speaking voice in to singing is misleading, I think. Because it does not address the problems with the speaking voice, to begin with. That's why I would rather say that you should speak as you sing.

The only thing that can cure your mic problem is money. As in, getting a better mic and a usb interface to plug it into your computer. And, as I am learning that I need, some in-line processing, usually a compressor/limiter, which evens out the volumes on the highs and lows. The last song I recorded, a friend mixed for me and the dynamics of the song were wide-ranging and he had to mix based on the gargantuan volume in my high notes, which led the quieter parts at the lower end of the range a bit lost in the mix. That's just a matter of money.

The harder part, even if it doesn't involve set amounts of money (by the way, I bought my e835 on ebay for about half of retail,) is, in fact, changing your habits of making a sound. Like I said, you already know how to "sing," we just want to fine tune it, some. And without a good recording, it might be difficult to hear what is actually a singing problem and what is an artifact created by your level of equipment.

One other member, Ronron, started out with recordings that sounded like yours and I thought he was undercutting his sound. Only to realize, after some better recordings, that he really had a unique, raspy voice and he can do an Aerosmith song better than most anyone here and that he really was singing with volume, he just didn't have the mic that could handle it, at first.

Other than that, all you have to do is some pitch matching exercises.

[SteelRider83]

I see, thanks for all of your advice! I guess the only way to hear the closest representation of the sound i make would be with money... Or perhaps ill try recording other people with the same device and see if there is any difference in sound. Other than that, perhaps later i will post another audio clip to see if singing any louder makes a difference :P

[Felipe Carvalho]

Man, sorry, didnt like it, not at all.

There are many things that need to be addressed. One of the main problems is that yes, its breathy, very breathy.

You do seem to have a very good relative pitch perception, as you follow the melody very well. But that needs improvement too.

Take your time, pick easier songs, and I think you would benefit greatly if you could find a coach to help you get your basics going. In the track you are right now, it could be hard to figure on your own and a coach would help you in one or two sessions to find a more consistent way to work.

Good Luck!

[SteelRider83]

Man, sorry, didnt like it, not at all.

There are many things that need to be addressed. One of the main problems is that yes, its breathy, very breathy.

You do seem to have a very good relative pitch perception, as you follow the melody very well. But that needs improvement too.

Take your time, pick easier songs, and I think you would benefit greatly if you could find a coach to help you get your basics going. In the track you are right now, it could be hard to figure on your own and a coach would help you in one or two sessions to find a more consistent way to work.

Good Luck!

Haha, I wasn't in love with it either to be honest I really think its the microphone, because I recorded someone else talking into the microphone and when i played it back, it sounded nothing like them. it lacked a crisp quality, and added a breathy tone (like this one). aside from that, i can comfortably say its probably from lack of experience, since i have never taken lessons for singing and only recently started looking up information on it.

Thank you for your honest criticism!

[jonpall]

Pal, yeah it wasn't really that good, but of course it wasn't - you haven't got any vocal training. Would you expect yourself to be great at playing the piano if you'd never touched it before? Of course not. Most people seem to think that you have to be "born with a good voice", but that's not true. The so called "naturals" are simply people would could not be shut up as children (translation - they were always singing as kids, because they just loved singing - THAT was their "vocal training" - that and the fact that kids are usually far less self concious of how their voice sounds and and self conciousness will cause throat tension = a bad voice).

So it's simple: If you want people to like your voice, get help from a good vocal coach. If you don't feel any progress at all after a few months, switch to another coach. That's my best advice. Just try it out. It will be fun. Cheers.

[SteelRider83]

I think i found the solution to the breathy problem: my microphone was recording at 50% volume I tried increasing the volume to 100% and it sounds better, so ill try uploading a song like that and see what comes of it.

Pal, yeah it wasn't really that good, but of course it wasn't - you haven't got any vocal training. Would you expect yourself to be great at playing the piano if you'd never touched it before? Of course not. Most people seem to think that you have to be "born with a good voice", but that's not true. The so called "naturals" are simply people would could not be shut up as children (translation - they were always singing as kids, because they just loved singing - THAT was their "vocal training" - that and the fact that kids are usually far less self concious of how their voice sounds and and self conciousness will cause throat tension = a bad voice).

So it's simple: If you want people to like your voice, get help from a good vocal coach. If you don't feel any progress at all after a few months, switch to another coach. That's my best advice. Just try it out. It will be fun. Cheers.

yeah, im gonna take a voice class next semester, so hopefully ill learn lots!

[jonpall]

Cool. Good luck with it and remember to enjoy it! Have a nice day.