Candlemass - Solitude

[Enander]

So, I've been trying to soften things up!

I didn't want to do a radical change, just a tweak without losing the "feeling".

I have lowered my distortion in intensity (except a few moments where I feel it's due, but I actually regret them now) and started using cleaner notes, but to make some of them more interesting I've been using harmonics ("voice breaking"), been rather hefty with the legato, or taking a more airy approach.

https://www.box.com/s/q93337bb7py4fqw1u0qy is short (I like it that way though), but it shows my new direction.

I haven't sung this "low" in ages and it's far from perfect, but I must say I don't remember feeling this comfortable singing like this before.

[Guest]

Sounded good Enander. A little airy but for me that isn't a problem. However I know others here don't go for that. I think it adds some interest if used right. There is a difference between a mistake and an effect I think it fit the song.

The only iffy spot for me was the word "free" somewhere around 18 secs in. Not bad just a little weaker than the rest. Nice though. An eery sound You are headed in a good direction I think.

[Enander]

Sounded good Enander. A little airy but for me that isn't a problem. However I know others here don't go for that. I think it adds some interest if used right. There is a difference between a mistake and an effect I think it fit the song.

The only iffy spot for me was the word "free" somewhere around 18 secs in. Not bad just a little weaker than the rest. Nice though. An eery sound You are headed in a good direction I think.

Thanks, Tommy!

Yeah, I tend to dislike using an airy sound as well, but as you said, it's an effect in this case.

Oh, I like iffy spots! Haha! I would very much appreciate if you elaborated your thoughts on "free"!

To read about my faults is why I post these things after all :)

[Guest]

I wouldn't call it a fault just sort of a wobble and to my ears sounded a little off from the rest of the notes. Not pitch, but maybe support. Just a little weakeness at the beginning of the word. I am not at a computer where I can listen to it again right now and give a better discription; but I listened a couple of times after I heard it. It just sort of wobbled a little. But again, as I said....to my ears Maybe to others it was nothing. To me it was just a slight mismatch compared to the notes in the rest of the song. Like it lost a little support at the start of the word and that made it a littl unsteady or less controlled. Just a little....that's why I had to listen a few times. :)

[Enander]

I wouldn't call it a fault just sort of a wobble and to my ears sounded a little off from the rest of the notes. Not pitch, but maybe support. Just a little weakeness at the beginning of the word. I am not at a computer where I can listen to it again right now and give a better discription; but I listened a couple of times after I heard it. It just sort of wobbled a little. But again, as I said....to my ears Maybe to others it was nothing. To me it was just a slight mismatch compared to the notes in the rest of the song. Like it lost a little support at the start of the word and that made it a littl unsteady or less controlled. Just a little....that's why I had to listen a few times.

Hm! I believe I've found three reasons for that:

1. I didn't want to create "an explosion" so I tried a small crescendo at the beginning of "free", but since "be" is rather gritty I can see why that would sound wobbly.

2. "Waiting" is most certainly off pitch, and "to be" might also be off pitch, which might make "free" sound weird.

3. I may have made the melody during "free" too complex for me.

Good things to think about. Thanks! :)

[Adoney]

Pretty good so far. I've been practicing the messiah marcolin vibrato recently, hehe, and I was actually just thinking about doing this! Only thing is that I think you are a little bit too harsh on the acoustic part... Save it for later, ya know?

Would you be able to upload/send me the backing track you have?... I could give it a shot this weekend too.

[ronws]

I couldn't tell if you were being ironic or serious. Less distorted, less heavy? Than what? All out mayhem and screamo? What you put up had plenty of distortion and heaviness to it. Nothing wrong with it, just funny. "Let me try something soft and clean" and you come up with something that is heavy as Brian Johnson.

[Enander]

Pretty good so far. I've been practicing the messiah marcolin vibrato recently, hehe, and I was actually just thinking about doing this! Only thing is that I think you are a little bit too harsh on the acoustic part... Save it for later, ya know?

Would you be able to upload/send me the backing track you have?... I could give it a shot this weekend too.

Haha! That would be nice to hear!

Regarding the backing track; it's nothing fancy. I got the track, opened it in Audacity and used the "remove vocals" feature, but sure, if you want me to, I could fix it for you.

Yeah, I hear you, and if I ever do this as a whole song I'd change layup! This was just to display how I'm trying to incorporate tones that's not full throttle throat-thrashing.

I couldn't tell if you were being ironic or serious. Less distorted, less heavy? Than what? All out mayhem and screamo? What you put up had plenty of distortion and heaviness to it. Nothing wrong with it, just funny. "Let me try something soft and clean" and you come up with something that is heavy as Brian Johnson.

Haha! I'm having a hard time understanding whether that's an outright insult or just a tongue in cheek-thing.

I didn't say "let my try something soft and clean", but I can see how "soften things up" (from my point of view) might sound pretty funny in the light of my performance. I was stupid to assume you, the regular users, would have a smattering of my voice. I'm sorry for that!

In essence, I was trying to lose the "all out mayhem" I've been exercising in the past, but without losing the wheight. It's more of a tweak.

Sure, one could absolutely argue that putting up such an incremental tweak on the forum is silly. However, I don't mean to sound arrogant or anything, but I can't help but feel that a tweak is what I need; not some major overhaul.

[ronws]

It was not meant as an insult and if I knew you were going to be so touchy, I would not have commented at all and perhaps, should not have commented, anyway.

I happen to like irony.

I am a regular user and you feel that I do not have a smattering of your voice, though I am not sure what that means. But that's okay, I have a thick skin.

I did not say your performance was bad. I didn't have any technical things to point out, as did Tommy. He tells you what he things you could change. I only said it was ironic that even your light sound is heavier than most. I liked your performance.

And no, I don't do heavy distortion or screamo but I have nothing against it, either.

Have a lovely day.

[Enander]

It was not meant as an insult and if I knew you were going to be so touchy, I would not have commented at all and perhaps, should not have commented, anyway.

I happen to like irony.

I am a regular user and you feel that I do not have a smattering of your voice, though I am not sure what that means. But that's okay, I have a thick skin.

I did not say your performance was bad. I didn't have any technical things to point out, as did Tommy. He tells you what he things you could change. I only said it was ironic that even your light sound is heavier than most. I liked your performance.

And no, I don't do heavy distortion or screamo but I have nothing against it, either.

Have a lovely day.

I feel like there's some problem in the communication here. I was in no way bashing you in my previous post, nor did I take serious offence in what you wrote

I fully understand that you weren't criticising my voice, and it's not a matter of being touchy. I was just trying to explain what I meant about "soften things up"; that I wasn't being ironic, but still acknowledged the fact that it might have sounded weird with such a performance.

Smattering (my british friends are using this term) of my voice = a small/general idea of how I sound like.

Simply speaking, I assumed you knew I was overdoing my grit, and put "soften" in that context My apology was sincere. I was stupid, and perhaps even self-centered, to assume you would remember me and my problems.

I hope everything's good!

[ronws]

It could be I have forgotten whatever problem you had in the past because I didn't hear any problems in this recording.

[Enander]

It could be I have forgotten whatever problem you had in the past because I didn't hear any problems in this recording.

Yeah, my problem was/is that I lack dynamics. My harsh singing tends to get boring/less effective because I overdo it. So I try to use slightly softer tones, but without losing the sense of aggression.

[ronws]

Okay, now I remember.

Well, it worked in this performance. That much I can hear. I, too, prefer dynamics. To where it's not all one thing, all the time.

For example, one of the things I liked about Black Ice by AC/DC is that Brian is showing a more dynamic approach to the vocal line, instead of a supersonic screach all the way, from beginning to end.

Bon Scott had good dynamics, too. One of the things I liked about the song, "Jailbreak," is the range he went through, as well as the low and high volumes, as well as the spoken bits. The whole gamut of what his voice could do.

As opposed to "Long Way to the Top," which is a great song but it stays in one octave, mostly, and one volume, mostly. Each one good for the effect it brought, but a dynamic singer, overall.

So, good for you.