Snax

Well, it TAKES great to KNOW great! (Meaning that YOU are great, not me. lol)

Hi gang, Here's a song recorded a number of years ago by an old friend of mine who I haven't seen in ages. She looks just like Bette Midler but sings just like Sass Jordan! Here's the tune... https://files.me.com/muskysnax/23jjn9.mp3

Glad to help. The setting is a handy one and a quick review of your manual will get you going. What you want is for the reverb to stay constant but the echo repeats to come on when you click to the other preset and off again. The delay should repeat once or twice depending on what you want. I did pretty much the same thing for Ron this evening on his Rainbow In The Dark you can check out here... https://files.me.com/muskysnax/sehfmw.mp3 Every now and then you'll hear the delay repeats kick in, especially on the high note at the end of the song. That's the effect I'm talking about.

A great tip for the Voice Live is to use just a little reverb on the entire vocal on one preset and set up another one with a stereo (or mono) 1/4 note delay. Adjust the volume so that it is only heard just a little louder your revered voice preset. Then click the delay effect on and off at the right moment to give some pizzaz to your high notes or for dramatic effect here and there.

Can't go wrong with Ken Tamplin! 'Nough said.

Much appreciated Barbara and we are just as happy that you joined us. Please call me Mike as everyone else can also.

My pleasure. Just a coincidence but my mothers name is also Barbara and "Stevie" is what I called my little brother who sadly passed away in 2004 from Diabetes. When it comes to reverb etc less is more. It's great for softening screams and for adding ambiance but it's so easy to overdo it. Trust me, I've only recently begun getting my own recordings to sound authentic. You can hear an example here... https://files.me.com/muskysnax/9y7wnn.mp3

Man, do you EVER sound like Stevie! Too much reverb drowning out your lovely voice though Barbara. If you have any recordings of the backing music and your voice separately I'd absolutely love to mix them for you! For that matter if you could record anything accapella with no reverb etc and email it to me I can make it sound like a real recording studio. Welcome to our family! ;)

Thanks Ron. I use Logic Pro 9 plus some plugins that I have added that enable me to do what I do. Recording and mixing etc is a whole 'nother world besides the singing itself. It sounds on a CD like a singer just went in, sang the song a few times and picked the best version but that is so far from reality! Many times, an engineer will take single words and sometimes a single syllable from a phrase and edit it with the other best bits until a complete vocal is manufactured. It's not cheating really as long as the singer can really perform live as well. They just want to make the song sound as good as possible since it will be committed to disk and heard over and over for years to come.

I'm so glad you enjoyed it Ron. I would be quite thrilled to work as a recording engineer if I didn't choose the path I'm on. Who knows though, I could still do it on the side. Keep on rocking' dude! :cool:

Here's a new recording of Ron that I mixed for him Hope you like it! https://files.me.com/muskysnax/sehfmw.mp3

Thanks Tinkerbell! There's always room for improvement though. ;)

Thanks joshual. You are correct in your observation about support. That's where I need to focus more you get a better balance of support and air flow etc. There's always room for improvement even if the finished mixed song is passable to the average listener.

For me it is breath management. The verses are very soft and relaxed but the chorus is so powerful that you really need to be aware of how much pressure you are both storing and releasing so you don't strain. I used to be really bad for pulling chest so it's a constant struggle not to do it. With good placement and strong breath support it becomes so much easier to sing the high parts. Picture the difference if you were to just yell "HEY!" as loud as possible and then if you were to yell "HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEY" the same way. You would need to do things differently or your air would run out right? Same with singing a song like this. Not sure how helpful that was but hopefully you understand what I'm trying to convey. Oh, and please call me Mike! Snax is my business name.

Here's the bare vocal track . There is still compression and de-essing etc but no reverb or effects. You can hear me much easier like this and on the chorus you can tell I'm really focused on trying to control my airflow. It's like I was trying to hold my breath and not waste any at all as I sang. https://files.me.com/muskysnax/7ha9p5.mp3

Cheers! :)

Geez guys! Thanks again for the amazing kindness in your posts. Jimmy, I do like Michael Kiske's voice but only discovered him about a year ago. I'm very influenced by Rob Halford, Bruce Dickinson, Dio etc but also by Tom Jones, Engelbert, Elvis, etc. Jonpall, you are quite right about me paying attention to the details. It makes all the difference in the world for me and sometimes it's just a very small difference in how I sang a particular line or even a single word that determines which version I'll choose for the final vocal. you all hear the finished result but I know how much effort and struggle went into getting each verse and chorus just the way I hear it my own mind. A funny story on the high scream... I did that last night and did it about 25 different times in total until I had one I could use! I kept laughing right after it ended because I'd choke or my voice would crack. My poor girlfriend was upstairs listening to me screaming over and over and all she hears is that, not the mix of me and the backing tracks that I hear in my headphones! Good times! lol

The beauty of the forums here Janet is that everyone is here to learn and also to share what they can. Never feel intimidated to post! Posting is the best way to get feedback from people who can help guide you on your own vocal quest. Believe me when I tell you that singing did not come naturally to me! I've been doing this since I was about 18 (Now 40) and I'm only now starting to feel like I'm getting somewhere! I've never had lessons and the forums here have been SO helpful to me. Once again we welcome you and thank you for joining our online community Janet.

Sorry about that! I thought I had explained it but I hadn't. The particular exercise involves stretching your arms out to your sides and really trying to stretch your finger tips as far as possible. like you are trying to make them grow longer! At the same time, breath in deeply in a relaxed fashion. Relax your belly and let it expand as you do this. Don't be worried about keeping it tight and looking good! lol After doing this exercise for a few minutes and then singing the same lines of your song you will feel that it is much more effortless than ever before. give it a try and be sure to breath in deeply and try not to let your rib cage contract as you exhale. Keep it expanded as much as you can without being uncomfortable.

It's all about keeping your rib cage expanded and sing as though you don't want to waste a single ounce of your breath as it leaves your mouth. I just posted the finished version of the song "Alone" by Heart and in that thread I share a great breathing exercise that I do between takes. It's in the critique forums like your post. Scroll to the bottom of the thread to listen to the finished version. The first recording wasn't completed.

Hi Janet and welcome to our family! That's a very pretty song and you just need a little guidance and you'll soon have much more control over your voice. I can hear some greatness in you but your breath control is not as supported as it needs to be. By that I mean that is sounds like you are a little breathy and not getting the most from your effort. With some breathing exercises and a little more confidence you'll sound GREAT! Others here are excellent coaches and are far more able to steer you in the right direction but I believe in you Janet.

Ok, here's the finished song for you. I also ended up redoing the intro verses. Hope you dig it... https://files.me.com/muskysnax/9y7wnn.mp3 Here's an explanation of the exercise I've been doing to help get me through this tough vocal... The particular exercise involves stretching your arms out to your sides and really trying to stretch your finger tips as far as possible. like you are trying to make them grow longer! At the same time, breath in deeply in a relaxed fashion. Relax your belly and let it expand as you do this. Don't be worried about keeping it tight and looking good! lol After doing this exercise for a few minutes and then singing the same lines of your song you will feel that it is much more effortless than ever before. give it a try and be sure to breath in deeply and try not to let your rib cage contract as you exhale. Keep it expanded as much as you can without being uncomfortable.

I did a few of them between takes but the exercises will really pay off when done on a regular basis. The reverb and echo on the posted vocal track masks the trouble spots very well but to me I felt I needed a lot more control to really nail the chorus. Then I won't need as much post production to hide stuff! ;)

I think you are doing well but it sounds like you are having some difficulties keeping on pitch. I just went through the same problem recording the chorus for the song "Alone" by Heart and found that doing some deep breathing exercises where you stretch your arms over your head while breathing deeply and slowly helps a lot. Then the sensation when you start singing is like it's effortless and barely any air escapes from your lips as you sing. It has been helping me control pitch on my trouble spots anyway. I'm not a coach though so take my advice with that in mind.

I agree with Ron also. Great performance and excellent stage presence. As far as critiquing the vocals themselves it's a bit tough to do from this video as your voice is washed out a little in reverb and background noise. It would be fantastic if you could share with us a clip where we can hear you more clearly. So far as I can tell from the clip you are sounding quite good. :)