Snax

I'm just listening to them as type this. GREAT job on #4 dude!!! Let 'er RIP!!!

F'n GREAT brother!!! :cool:

Very professional sounding dude! I can feel your passion on this song. LOVE your guitar tone by the way as well as vibrato. This song would be really tough for most mortals to sing I think but you made it ROCK!!! :cool:

I think I may indeed be a natural born singer as you suggested but I'm definitely not a natural born technical singer! lol I used to really struggle with any notes that were above my chesty belting range. In all honesty I haven't been keeping up on any vocal exercises on a regular basis although I know I should. I do sing sirens in the shower if no one else is home and I work alone from home so I'm usually singing along to my 80's metal blasting in the background in the workshop. I suppose I do lip bubbles pretty frequently too, but that drives my girlfriend nuts if she's around! lol I don't think I do any covering as that is something I only just became aware of. Twanging is something I'm still new to although I have been consciously applying it to be able to sing some Judas Priest songs that require that type of tone. Before my enormous tonsils were removed I was unable to make the pharyngeal type sounds like a cackling witch or other such vocalizing. I simply was handicapped in that regard and in the past 7 or so months since my surgery my voice has become so much freer and controllable! It's like a violinist being given a stratovarius to play on instead of a cheap piece of junk. I've been told by others here that I do sing in curbing which I believe is what Singing Success would call "mix" voice. I'm with Robert Lunte's opinion that their really is no "mix" and it's just a slick marketing term. We only have one voice and it resonates from the vocal folds on up to inside our heads. (I've got a fairly huge noggin hence the amount of resonation! lol) One "technique" I do when singing songs like Love Hurts is I feel like I'm holding my breath and only barely allowing enough airflow from my mouth to get each phrase out. I'm not blowing a lot of air past my lips as I would have done in the past. One exercise I do want to start doing daily is the one where you sing from a light head voice and swell it into a full head voice and back. The name alludes me for the moment but it has been discussed here in the forums many times. Steven Frazer probably knows what I'm talking about. Hopethis answers some of your questions akarawd. :)

Hands down the second take is better to me personally. It gives that part something special that sticks in the listeners head after the song is finished playing. You have some skills young Jedi! ;)

Thanks for clarifying that for me Steven. I do mix my dry vocals into my headphone mix when recording and I can hear myself quite well while doing takes. I'm really glad you brought this to my attention though and perhaps as my "new" post surgery voice gets stronger I'll be able to make the notes sit better. The entire range of this particular song is new vocal territory for me and I could never have done it pre tonsillectomy without basically yelling it! I'll be far more aware now of my intonation and I'm grateful that you shared your expert ears with me! :)

Thanks for your insights Steven. I used a pair of Fostex T-5 studio headphones for monitoring. Are you saying that I was off key slightly? I'm usually pretty good with my pitch but I'm sure that you have much more experienced ears that I do. I just played back the song and unfortunately I don't hear anything off pitch. That being said, I have been having a series of ear infections for the past 7 months that certainly might be affecting my ability to hear pitch as critically as I should. Man, now you've got me wondering Steven! :(

Man, you made my day with your post! Thanks dude! I haven't always had that range and actually during the years when I was singing in bands my range was nowhere near what it is now. I learned so much from the forums here about technique and it has truly transformed my voice! Of course the removal of my enormous tonsils and adenoids back in February of this year was a big factor. One video I saw and has been mentioned here by a number people also contributed to my upper range. It is one of Brett Manning's videos where he's got a guy named Kelly who demonstrates how he sings in a high "mix" voice. He works up to it by making different sounds and eventually belts out a line from When a man loves a woman that is very clear and powerful. I picture that sound when I sing high now and it has really helped me a lot. I used to blow too much airflow and would strain the higher up I'd try and sing. Now I have learned to control the airflow and up the support and the result is the voice you now hear. What I'm really struggling with somewhat is singing with a certain grit or growly sound like Dio,Coverdale and Jorn etc.I love the sound of those types of singers a lot and hope to be able to sing in a similar style whenever the song calls for it. I also love singers like Michael Sweet from Stryper though who have very pure voices but can add a wicked raunchy scream here and there! Thanks again for the kind words. :)

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!! Wish I was that good looking! ;)

I hear glimpses of awesomeness in the Jukebox Hero recording! Great distortion. Just the right amount. I'd say your biggest thing to work on is your pitch and timing. Definitely have some really good potential! Keep it up dude! :cool:

I'll be honest and say that I am getting the urge to hit a stage again but only for fun, not in a full time band or anything. I've always been a natural entertainer and do enjoy the attention one gets from being on a stage in front of a room full of drunken ladies! lol For those who might not get the muskies joke I'm the owner/artist of www.muskysnax.com and I make very realistic fishing lures for a living.

I guess I'm looking to improve technically so if there is anything I could or should have done differently I'd love to hear it. Thanks for the kind words though Michele. By the way, I didn't record this in one take, it is a composite of several takes for each verse and chorus. I'd sing it a little differently each time then choose the bits I liked best. With me just getting my voice back into shape post surgery I don't yet have the stamina to sing the song in one perfect take. That will come with time and building back the muscles and support I lost.

Thanks Michele. I didn't realize I'd not sang the entire song! lol Oops! Hopefully there will be something I can improve upon that someone will notice. I'm a perfectionist and any little advice will help. :)

Hey there, I redid the song Love Hurts and tried to sing it with a fuller head voice this time. I think I posted the first version a while back but I may be mistaken. Anyway I'd love to hear any comments on how I did on this take. If I'm doing anything wrong technically or could have modified a vowel here or there please let me know! I'm here to learn so be brutally honest and nitpick the song to bits! http://files.me.com/muskysnax/u3efg2.mp3

I'm surprised you could understand what I was trying to say! I seemed to have left out a few letters here and there when I typed my reply. lol I was trying to say that you had a great TONE going in most of it. You will be blowing people away in the near future with that voice of yours!

Due, I loved the second version!!! Great one you had going in most of it. I see some very good potential in your voice and with some training you could be a metal god of your own! Keep screaming bro!!!

GREAT tone! Like the others have said you are really close to nailing this style of singing and with a few small modifications you'll be there.

Great job dude! There were some really good moments in that recording and you have captured the emotion of the lyrics well. There were some pitch issues here and there but that can always be remedied. What a tough song to try and cover. Love your distortion where you added it here and there for effect. Overall a really good performance!

There were some really good moments in there dude! I like where you sing "so strong that I can't get THROUGH" The word through had a really good sound to it. I think you're on the right track for sure but I'm no expert when it comes to actual technique.

Ken sure has a set of pipes doesn't he! I still prefer Brian johnson's tone for the AC/DC stuff though.

Thanks for the comments Jens. for the AC/DC stuff you pretty much have to try to sound like either Brian or Bon or it just doesn't sound right. I love that raunchy sound of Brian Johnson a lot but it only works within the context of AC/DC's music really. He doesn't have the more "operatic" style of Dream Theatre or Judas Priest, Iron Maiden etc. I don't mind trying to mimic my favourite singers at this stage of my life since I no longer wish to pursue music as a career. Now it's just fun to let 'er rip and see what I can do!

Actually I used the same vocal tracks as the first one but just tweaked some levels and added the bit of echo. Glad you think it sounded better though! I'm enjoying playing about with this new part of my voice.

I lowered the volume on the vocals and also added a little echo to better match the original song. hopefully this sounds a little better. I'll still sing it all again once I have had some more practice doing Brian's style. http://files.me.com/muskysnax/6ovtiu.mp3

Thanks for the replies guys. I'm very familiar with studio recording and have been doing my own home recording for some time now. I threw together the mix very quickly to get some feedback on how I was doing vocally. Once I feel I have a better vocal laid down I'll mix things properly and add any automation and tweaking that may need to be done. That for me is one of the most enjoyable aspects of the process. I love tweaking compression settings and experimenting with stereo spacial enhancing effects etc. I used an old Shure SM 57 as it's the only mic I still have. I used to own a Rhode NT-2 but sold it along with a lot of other equipment years ago when I needed some money. I use Logic Pro 8 software by the way which kicks ass!

Thanks so much for the inspiring words Ron! I'll try recording it again and use everyones great suggestions.