question for CVT students/experts! is this Edge? (on gates of babylon)

[darkclaw3000]

Hey everyone!

I got the CVT book and have been trying out the techniques in there. Simply amazing book.

I'm very interested in the modes Overdrive and Edge. I think I seem to sing mostly in those modes even before I known about CVT.

To confirm, is the following on the mode Edge?

http://www.box.net/shared/fpmjo9oefgx17upbe7yn

this is not my best, but is the mode right?

there are parts that my support is lacking. working on that.

a note: if im singing like this for a long time, i will get tired. and can't maintain the mode.

i wonder if i'm screaming too much.

while practising in the studio, i tire easily.

practising at home, i can go for hours. what exactly is my mistake? improper monitoring? (can't hear myself, so i shout?)

any kind of feedback n comments is greatly appreciated guys!

Thanks!

aliz

[Spectrum]

Sounds like edge to me, with some distortion and occasional creaking. This combination of high volume, high notes and effects takes a lot of support to maintain without tiring yourself.

Could you make a quiet 'sssss' with your tongue, and time yourself? This gives an idea of how much air your body is releasing and how good your support is, less air (= longer 'sssss' time) is better.

Less than 30 = Bad

30-40 sec = Average

40-50 sec = Good

50-60 sec = Great

More than 1 min = Excellent

By the way, if you want to know what overdrive sounds like, here's a song I just recorded. Listen from 4:20 onwards for some high OD:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgblnEc6_Ls

[darkclaw3000]

thx for the suggestion!

i timed myself with the 'ssssss'..

something wierd.

at first take it was 57secs.

then its 44.

then its 41.

last is 38.....

then i tried again, with a deep breath, its 54secs.

0_0 what is wrong wit me!?!?!?! hahahaha

also im not sure if this support is used when im singing..? i donno if when im singing, everythin changes..

[Spectrum]

at first take it was 57secs.

then its 44.

then its 41.

last is 38.....

then i tried again, with a deep breath, its 54secs.

0_0 what is wrong wit me!?!?!?! hahahaha

Nice, 54-57 seconds is very good. Try it again, and see if you can figure out why your time shortens. Do you take in less air? Did you exert yourself on the first run?

If you can eliminate that and make your support more consistent, I have a hunch that your voice won't tire as easily.

[darkclaw3000]

Nice, 54-57 seconds is very good. Try it again, and see if you can figure out why your time shortens. Do you take in less air? Did you exert yourself on the first run?

If you can eliminate that and make your support more consistent, I have a hunch that your voice won't tire as easily.

it must be that I took it less air before.. i will try again and get an average.

i'm not quite sure if my so called 'good support' is activated when im actually singing..

i donno if tire out because of wrong/bad technique, or i tend to shout alot to make myself heard over the loud instruments during practice.

there was once i tried to sing in distinct twang thruout the song. i ended up using a lot of air and support to get the note right. no matter how much i twang it, i feel like i used too much air and i can't quite figure out whats going on

[darkclaw3000]

here is me doing another take

my 1st try:

http://www.box.net/shared/u7yf34eyrr0eaihap5ac

another try:

http://www.box.net/shared/6rj1e6nb7r2evfxsmnk5

this time, im not using as much edge or distortion. i try to keep it clean.

what mode is this? is this overdrive?

if you listen to both carefully, you will hear a significant drop of energy. i got tired. i did back to back.

you will hear that i put abit more effort on the 2nd one.

i donno if im keeping in the middle of the mode. as there are some distortions or creaking in there. its kinda hard.

what do you think??

[darkclaw3000]

it would be really nice all those that viewed this post n previewed the links at least comment on how i did.. i really like to know what you guys think..

thanks! =D

[Spectrum]

Alright... you're between edge and curbing on the high notes. It's harder to notice with the distortion, but here it is quite obvious where your troubles lie. There is low resonance between modes, so the vocal cords are working a lot harder than they need to.

I would suggest picking one mode. Try both curbing and edge, see which you prefer.

For curbing, hold back the volume slightly, and modify your vowels to I (sit), UH (under) and O (woman).

For edge, use more twang, and modify your vowels to I, A (and/end), EH (stay), or OE (herb). Remember you need to modify the vowels in edge at all times, not just on high notes.

[darkclaw3000]

i will try curbing. will record it soon.

i have 'complains' from my friends when i do edge. it seems 'ugly'. hahaha. not quite sure what does that mean but i think its something gotta do with too much twanging..

about the distortion you mention. that may be a problem for me too. it seems harder for me to sing in clean. i still think its bad technique.. but i'm really not sure..

btw, what about overdrive?

[Spectrum]

For overdrive, pick up the volume, and use the vowels OH (so) and EH (stay). Keep in mind that overdrive isn't really suitable for high, light passages, like the ones in your song.

Yeah, edge can be grating at times, because it's very loud and piercing. Overdrive has a nicer tone, but is more limited in terms of vowel selection and control. Curbing combines the best of both worlds, with a subtle tone and a wide variety of vowels to choose from, but is lacking in volume.

Each mode has its limits. You can experiment with these limits by altering how the mode sounds, and later blending them together, but these are advanced techniques. Make sure you've got the fundamentals of each mode figured out before you change anything, otherwise you risk losing your correct technique and having to start again.

[darkclaw3000]

hmmmmmmm maybe thats why I've been failing all this while, I keep trying to sing the song in overdrive, I end up being way too tired. I will try your suggestions.

seems the next 'challenge' is to find a suitable mode, or combination of modes to fit the song that I want to sing..