Enander

I'm not sure where I should put this as I don't know whether my problems stem from bad vocal technique or pure technical/recording/producing problems.
Judas Priest - Painkiller is a typical song to sing, but I've always felt it was a bit too low for me so I pitched it up. I'm still not comfortable singing it, but when listening to the recording my voice sounds very "grounded" (as in: being placed far down in my throat, as opposed high up in my throat). However, the recording sounds worse than what I experienced and heard (with my own ears) when I actually recorded it. But, if you're listening with headphones and really crank up the volume those high frequencies pertained to "placing the voice high up in the throat" start to show up, and it sounds like it felt when I recorded it.
It might just be my mic/mic placement as well other non-vocal problems, but it seems weird how such things would make such a big difference, so I feel there must be some vocal-technical issue as well.

So, do you have any tips on how I can "lift my voice" from the lower part of the pharynx to the higher part of the pharynx? If that's the right way to go. I might be waaay off!

How it sounds: 
https://soundcloud.com/rednane-kirderf/painkiller-test
 

Here's a recording from this evening, now I tried recording audio with 2 mic's and a line out from guitar (one of the mic's visible, other one as a room mic). I think it was KillerKu who in one of my previous covers pointed out I should make more of an effort with the recording setup. It's not yet where I want it to be with the audio, but getting better I think.
Anyway - I like this song, it's fun to sing and leaves room for playing around with distortion.
 

It is, as you say, a very difficult and beautiful song! I can't listen to Donny without getting a bit teary-eyed, so I was listening with very judgmental ears, and you did great!

Ah, cool! I guess the pakistani people I've met wasn't a good measure then.
Absolutely, but you shouldn't worry about it! My ears are just very nitpicky, but:
"Giggle", "disapproval", "should've", "mouthpiece", "say it", "is when I'm alone with you" and then some I'm not sure of, but I think you get what I'm getting at.

Now, don't get me wrong, the performance is really great! I don't think most people will hear it; they will probably just percieve it as authenticity (that it hasn't been tempered with and that you're pouring your feelings into it). It's just that I've been listening for sour notes for years and probably been "damaged" haha!

Great job!

I don't mean to be rude, but your pronunciation is incredible for being from Pakistan!

I've got a few pointers concering the chorus though.
1. Since "so take me to church" is a crucal phrase (it's the first thing the listener hears in the chorus and in some way sets the mood) it needs to be on point. Sadly, it's a bit too off pitch to really give it the right impact. Sure, with your timbre and the overall feeling of the song a bit of "pitchyness" just adds some authenticity (which is the case of the verse; really nice!), but I don't think this particular phrase is not something to take lightly. Just record it until it sounds spot on, and maybe try to emphasise the consonants a bit more. It might blend in better with the following phrases (which are rather distinct), but I'm not sure. Hard to say without hearing it for real.
2. "I'll tell you my sins and you can sharpen your knife" sounds lower than the previous phrase. You should adjust the volume so it feels like the whole chorus is one single take.
3. "And offer me that deathless death" lacks the reverb that the previous phrases had. I realise it's the same thing with "I was born sick, but I love it" in the verse, but it feels like a natural way to descend into the silence, whereas you probably should keep the reverb all the way through the chorus.
Speaking of "I was born sick, but I love it"-phrase, if it were me, I'd keep the reverb during "I was born sick" and cut the reverb at the "but I love it" part to give it even more impact Just a humble tip!

Do you mean E4 to A5 Elvis? :-P
 
OK, here goes. Not what I was expecting to do at the end, but it is what it is. One frustrated singer begging for help!
 
(Sorry the sound is slightly out of sync, but I rushed it!)
 
 
 

bro if i counted how many times i posted "embarassing" clips here i would probably get better at math!!
 
Also nothing embarassing here. It was a decent effort and that falssetoy head voice thingy works for this song. Also dont be afraid to push a lil bit, breaking is a natural thing for a student of singing.
And bro im in a same boat with you, i hate lowering key, feels like im settling for less then i could.
Decent effort bro, post a clip of you trying to add more mass to it and belt the "life's not a wheel" part, people will help you better if they see what are you doing wrong.
Truly you can only learn from your mistakes
 
p.s. spontaneous Air Grabs are a sign you feel the song, thats one of the more important things for me.

Haha! You come here showing off your vocal prowess and tell us to keep the faith. Love it!

You've taken a HUGE step forward!!

Very well done, Olem! Det är så en slipsten ska dra's haha!

Hey guys!! I got a Rode NT-Usb so i wanted to see how it performs!
 
I still didnt really get to hang of the Mic and how to use it the optimal way but here it goes!
 
Tell me what you think!!! I had alot better recordings but i kept this one for some reason xD
 
 
https://app.box.com/s/bnvqdb8lrsxyqkeem72zr14cj4m531v6
 
I was really off- pitch in a few places!!
 
Also the backing track is just brutal xD

Ok, so, trying it again i was very focused on pitch. It´s a damn hard song and i am not 100 % successful but i think it is my best effort so far. Please, tell me what you think. Thanx in advance/ Ola
 
 
 

To sing hard songs without any flaws is something best left to the virtuousos So don't think so much about it! Haha!
Generally, your "ee" och "oo"(?)-sounds are great (words like "gleaming", "betray", "beauty", "day" and "you", "true"). The vocal line "mystified by her beauty. Does the hunter pity his prey?" sounds really nice in regards to timbre, and gives me an opportunity to come with a few pointers:

1. When singing "does" use vibrato! You're a bit sour on that note, but by using vibrato you will negate it. Vibrato is a nice way of masking a sour note At the same time, from a compositional point of view I can see why you kept it straight, seeing as the other sustained notes in the phrase was sung with vibrato. Unfortunately, technical restrictions and artistic freedom counter each other.

2. "piTy". As a fellow swede I feel your pain haha, but it's supposed to be pronunced somehwere between t and d. Swenglish is a bit of a problem through-out the song, but I have the same problem. I can't sing words like "pity" correctly either. Bork bork bork!

The whole chorus sounds very nice as well, with the exception of "paradise" which sounds like it constains a bit of vocal fry. Sure, it's hair-splitting and nitpicky, but then you might understand how nice you sound when I say you sound "very nice"
You've got a warm typical "I'm in a professional band selling thousand of albums"-voice, which probably turn a lot of people green with envy (me included). You remind me of Daniel Gildenlöw; the vocalist of Pain of salvation.

Lastly, your distortion is not there yet, and your high notes sound strained, but in the grand scheme of things that's nothing. It will come with practice.
However, from my personal, non-professional experience, I've found that distortion and range go hand in hand. By applying a nice amount of distortion on a high note you're able to create the illusion that it's an easy note. BUT, I'm no vocal coach (and have never even visited one) so I think you should take this with a grain of salt. It might conjure a thought process about it at least

To sing hard songs without any flaws is something best left to the virtuousos So don't think so much about it! Haha!
Generally, your "ee" och "oo"(?)-sounds are great (words like "gleaming", "betray", "beauty", "day" and "you", "true"). The vocal line "mystified by her beauty. Does the hunter pity his prey?" sounds really nice in regards to timbre, and gives me an opportunity to come with a few pointers:

1. When singing "does" use vibrato! You're a bit sour on that note, but by using vibrato you will negate it. Vibrato is a nice way of masking a sour note At the same time, from a compositional point of view I can see why you kept it straight, seeing as the other sustained notes in the phrase was sung with vibrato. Unfortunately, technical restrictions and artistic freedom counter each other.

2. "piTy". As a fellow swede I feel your pain haha, but it's supposed to be pronunced somehwere between t and d. Swenglish is a bit of a problem through-out the song, but I have the same problem. I can't sing words like "pity" correctly either. Bork bork bork!

The whole chorus sounds very nice as well, with the exception of "paradise" which sounds like it constains a bit of vocal fry. Sure, it's hair-splitting and nitpicky, but then you might understand how nice you sound when I say you sound "very nice"
You've got a warm typical "I'm in a professional band selling thousand of albums"-voice, which probably turn a lot of people green with envy (me included). You remind me of Daniel Gildenlöw; the vocalist of Pain of salvation.

Lastly, your distortion is not there yet, and your high notes sound strained, but in the grand scheme of things that's nothing. It will come with practice.
However, from my personal, non-professional experience, I've found that distortion and range go hand in hand. By applying a nice amount of distortion on a high note you're able to create the illusion that it's an easy note. BUT, I'm no vocal coach (and have never even visited one) so I think you should take this with a grain of salt. It might conjure a thought process about it at least

If your band mates say it's fine, just go for it! That will be "your sound". I don't think you can do much until next saturday anyway. With that said, it could be much worse!
Also, no matter what you do it will ALWAYS be people that will dislike it. Might as well do your thing and don't care what other people think from the start

Good luck!

What kind of performance is it?

Hey everyone!
 
I've been working on this cover for quite some time now, it's been very giving. Would love for some extra ears on it and if you have the time and will, please leave a comment. I will probably not rerecord this (at least not in a while) but critique is always welcome whatever it is
 
https://app.box.com/s/g0o5rww41t7d6wefbpechudm56t2cj5a
 
Thanks in advance and cheers!
 
P.S Will upload a picture asap

Hey man i heard it, your close but your vowelmods are abit all over the place wich throws it abit pitchy. Try this, im hearing that your closing down abit to much on the closed vowels specialy the ih/ee vowels.

I'm glad you like it, and it's nice that it "feels" emotional!

Thanks!

Hi!
 
I'm in the process of producing my new song, and I just want to check if my vocals are (kind of) in order. I will never be a top-tier vocalist, but if there's something that's very off-putting let me know!
It's so easy to get "stuck in one's way" and miss some dodgy stuff in the performance, so a little help would be nice.

Don't mind the crappy sound production/sound mix. That's not the matter at hand, and I will try to fix that later haha.

(This is an old post. The finished song can be found in an later post)

Great! I like the combination of clear and raspy voice, both high and low. And it's very emotional.

First off, you're already a top-tier vocalist so...
 
Secondly, it's sounds really good! The song had a nice 80s feel to it, I liked it. Regards to your singing, I think when you went for the higher distortion it kind of went outside of the genre for the rest of the song. I REALLY like that distortion, but it sounds a bit more Dio than.... Aha xD In the context of this song it might sound more cohesive with a little less aggressive distortion. Just an idea
 
Cheers man and good luck!

Yes, I know that feeling all too well haha.
I'm doing the exact same "mistake" when trying to sound like a high-pitched Halford, but I believe that if you practice it consistently your muscles will get used to it and be able to loosen it up a bit and still produce a nice sound.

But am I practicing consistently to put my theory to the test? No, I do not haha! Not even close, but you've got a nice thing going here so test it out