Quincy

Glad you posted it Tommy, I enjoyed it. I really like practicing this song as it slaps you around through the passagio and some light mix headvoice in the chorus also. The two words I have to focus the most on are Speaking "words" of wisdom and "There" will be an answer. Getting the vowel right on "word" with the proper air balance is critical for me. And I just like the way McCartney says "there" which I keep working on trying to copy. But it's a fun song to sing and challenging for me to make it similar to his version. I don't usually try to imitate precisely but would love to get some of his tone... being one of my favorite singers.

Well that's good you got some real software... it should save you a lot of frustration in the longer run. I would definitely use the faster computer and more soundproof basement for recording... maybe that will give the rest of the household some relief also.

I'm sure it will take a little time gettig familiar with Cubase. Personally I know about 1/50th of what it can do but that's not my main concern. It's great to practice takes and listen back for improvement.

The compression plugin I'm using is called TrackPlug LE which I think is part of Cubase. You can download all kinds of free plugins, which I played around with in the past. Supposedly that not as good as the commercial ones you have to buy, but good enough for me.

One thing I do like about having decent software is I can change the key up and down with a click of the button. Some tough songs I'm learning I will sing it 2-3 steps lower until it flows more connected and then bump it up when I feel ready. Also stretching the length of the track slows it down without changing key and that's also good practice for making your cords learn a lot of useful maneuvers finding stuff.

If you had Cubase installed, I could give you what my settings are. But I'm really horrible at understanding what I'm doing. I know it sounds better than without it and don't really tweak it from song to song other than the gain on it. Don't know about Audacity's compression plugins, but sounds like that would be a nightmare trying to set it since you can't do any tweaking in real time.

Tomorrow I am going to try a few things. One is distance from the mic which I already tried but then the volume was too low because of it. And the other is to play with the volume controls to counter the mic distance just mentioned.

Tommy, You should try those things you mentioned also, but the easiest and best sounding way to get the dynamics under control... both loud and soft... is using compression. Pretty much everybody uses some compression to even out the vocals and get it to punch thru the music better. It brings it to life from the more dull sound.

It's not cheatin' :lol:

Really enjoyed it. And i checked out some of your other songs on youtube. A lot of talent! I sure hope you are getting out in the public and letting others hear as well. No point in keeping to your self. :cool:

I just thought I would mention that there is a program called Reaper that I've heard a lot of good comments about. It sounds up to par, depth of function wise, with programs like Cubase, Sonar, and other more established recording software. I haven't checked their website in a long time, but it used to be $50 and the free trial period was a fully functional version but had no time limit. It was an honor system. I would imagine it could do things like real time effects and such.

Also if you buy and Audio Interface, many times they come with a "lite" version of one of the big name programs. When I bought my Firebox AI, I also got Cubase LE4. Pretty much does everything I want or need.

Very good. I thought your tone was a great fit for this song.

Really liked it man! Very enjoyable.

In some ways that strange mic gave it a cool sound in different parts.:)

I agree. Very well done! Also loved the guitars and stereo panning effects.

Awesome job on the song man!

Sound quality definitely improved. Your vocals stand out better and I can hear the details clearer. The dynamics are more noticeable.

Trust your ears and keep at it.

My Firebox is an Audio Interface that uses a firewire connection to my laptop. It works pretty well, but it seems to be a crap shoot whether it will work with any particular computer or not (I’ve had problems trying to use it with a different PC and their tech support boards are full of people who have problems with audio dropouts). It also has a midi connection which I haven’t used but would be cool if I had a keyboard. There are other brands of Audio Interfaces that use a USB connection to your computer. But what all these AIs do is give you inputs and outputs for mics, instruments, Midi and other type gear. They usually have preamps built in on a few of the inputs for stuff like mics and guitars, etc. These different input channels are then recorded into your software on separate tracks. The software has all the tools that you use to tweak your recording; add compression, reverb, EQ, and other effects to your separate tracks. You then set the volumes for each track so they fit together with the right balance and you mix that down to a single stereo track.

Most PCs have crap recording inputs with no preamp. A decent brand AI typically has a higher quality 24 bit recording vs. 16 bit, decent preamps and better analog/digital converters compared to most PCs.

How are you hooking your mic up and does it have a preamp?

Actually, I'm using some type of cheaper midi interface. It doesn't have any equalization options, or presets, and I record directly to youtube through my webcam. Can anyone suggest a good third party program to use as an equalizer? Or maybe do some video or audio editing? At first I was just eager to get my mic and piano through my computer, but you are right. Without proper equalization, and a good preamp.. I am sort of floundering.. I'll take any help I can get.

Travis

I don’t know anything about youtube but I would think you could record your sound thru an audio interface (keyboard on one input and vocals on a second input) into your recording software (sequencer). After you have your final mix down the way you want it, you could export the file and there should be a way to splice in the new audio file with your video file before uploading to youtube. Maybe someone will chime in if they know how to do it or a better way.

I have a fairly basic setup using Firebox as my Audio Interface (2 inputs with preamps) that connects to my laptop. The Firebox came with Cubase LE (sequencer) software.

I do know youtube now has several different qualities for uploads, including hi def and stereo. If you were trying to max out, you would want to upload at a high quality.

It’s kind of a pain trying to learn all this recording stuff, but you slowly get better and better at it. I’m a long ways from it but keep making progress. There are a few people on the board really good at it.

Keep experimenting. :)

As usual I really like what you do.

I see you are experimenting with your new mic and interface. What kind of recording software are you using? I think you could bring your vocals out a little better with some compression and maybe just a touch of reverb; and put your piano on another track. That's if you are wanting to polish it up a little.

Hope you put up another version of "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" with your new equipment. I've been practicing that song lately and found it helpful listening to your interpretation. I love the way you do the lyrics!

I agree wholeheartedly!

You are making huge strides in your tone, control, breath management, dynamics, etc. It's great to watch...err listen!

Awesome dude. Can't wait to hear what you sound like with your new mic!

Hi Janet. I second all the recommendations given. If you work on developing your support and twang, it will do wonders for you being able to sing with more ease and power. Did you notice anything different about how it felt when you were singing the word “watch-ing”? I could hear some pharyngeal twang on the “ing” part. It had more ring and core to it. There are a lot of vocal exercises that use the “ng” position and it is an important concept for developing your twang.

I think your best approach would be to learn what you can from these boards getting familiar with some of the concepts and jargon and find a vocal program with structured exercises. I don’t have Robert Lunte’s training system but have a pretty good idea would he is about and have heard plenty of samples from his exercises and I can tell it would be a great place to start your journey. He is very passionate about helping people.

Welcome aboard, reading this forum and progressing along with your singing can become very addictive! :)

Joshual, Not sure if you’ve seen this video Analog posted on CVT, but I found it really useful to “find” the position of support.

It’s helped me engage the many different muscles that come into play. I was not getting enough upper torso support, like my pecs, lats, etc. It’s made it easier to keep my ribs expanded and the solar plexus pushing outward. So in this position, when I am controlling the exhale of the air, the lower abs seem to contract inward without having to think about them.

I’ve had the same problem when trying to support a high note for example, and the abs would lock up. With these other muscles engaged, it makes more of a rolling motion with the upper abs (solar plexus) pushing outward and lower abs pulling inward.

Another way I’ve found this position is to pretend you are bracing up with your arms locked by your sides and your hands out preparing to catch a heavy sack being dropped down to you.

Hope some of this helps!

I thought you did a great job. Really liked it! That’s an infectious riff too.

One thing I’ve been playing around with lately, as far as support goes, is keeping my lower ribs expanded and solar plexus bulging while supporting. But the magic ingredient for me to make it all work in unison is focusing on keeping a raised sternum. If I keep focused on making sure it doesn’t collapse, it seems to really make the whole support system work better with less effort. There are some threads floating around recently discussing this in more detail.

Playing guitar and sitting down might be impairing you also. You might try practicing the high sternum thing while standing and see if it sticks. Then with the guitar and then sitting down. Just throwing out some ideas.:)

I'll just say one thing about effects; I think everyone is capable of doing them...barring some physical problem...so don't worry about it at this point. I think you have the right idea learning clean sounds with control, lower volumes, etc. Then build off of that. Having a sense of control is priceless IMO. You can always add to that ad infinite later, working from a solid base sound. As they say, don't put the cart before the horse. :cool:

I really liked your cover. You showed a lot of musicality. What are you wanting to learn to do with your voice?

I don't have a critique, but I really enjoyed it. Well done!

I think that you might still be using too much breath pressure on the high stuff. Think of how tiny the vocal folds are and that you only need a small amount of air to actually create those notes. The volume and tone will come from the resonation and twang not by pushing that air flow.

Here's a tip for you... Exhale all your air and then only take a short tiny breath in. Now sing the line "Run for you're liiiiives". Did you get the feeling that it was easier or less of a strain? Hopefully the answer will be yes. Now you'll try to remember that sensation every time you sing that part of the chorus. I'm bad for trying to breath in way more air than I need when I sing stuff like this too so I understand what you are experiencing. My mental image now when I sing is that my voice is an instrument and I'm "playing" my vocal folds. You wouldn't blow into a flute with all your might to reach higher notes and you don't need to do so with your voice.

Keep on rocking!!!

Snax, I think this bit of advice is a little gem. I tried it out most of the day and was pleasantly surprised how much it helped. Particularly on extended phrases that have a jump into higher pitches with good volume. I practiced these type sections with what felt like about ¼ tank of air compared to what I would normally use and was able to stay way better in balance. It was surprising just how long and with power it was possible to do these phrases. So now I’m kind of focusing on filling my lungs with the least amount of air needed and still be able to sing the phrase. I think this will help recalibrate my breath management. Thanks man, good insight!

I thought it sounded great. I also heard a real sophisticated level of breath management. Fantastic!

Ron, I know you are tight on funds, but when I saw this i thought of you.

http://www.woot.com/blog/viewentry.aspx?id=14229

Maybe something like that would work for you until you could get some better stuff. Just an idea.

oh it didn't list the price. $65 with shipping included.

I noticed when you sing the word “crazy”, you’re losing your support and the mode, I think. That “a” in crazy is harder to keep the cry on it. You might try modifying it more towards an “eh” sound. Also the onset “cr” at the beginning of “crazy” is probably messing with the air balance. Blowing through it. You might try onsetting the sound with less abruptness and less air pressure behind it. If you can, think about inhaling that onset along with the vowel modification. You could just practice doing that word at the right pitches a few times and then try it in the phrase.