Crimson Glory - Astronomica tracks

[akarawd]

Astronomica was sung using head voice & distortion or whatever that is and

War of the Worlds is full voice & gruff except for the "that only dust remains" and "astronomica"

parts were it is, inevitably, the piercing voice.

Astronomica :https://app.box.com/s/jd3m8yr2ajyso1ykkjfn

War of the Worlds : https://app.box.com/s/3f1gx0pyol3p049ie4ku

The Other Side of Midnight : https://app.box.com/s/ik9bq3eyiwqggy5kocta

Anything you like/dislike ?

Cheers,

Thanasis

EDIT : Astronomica has been updated to correct the completely "disconnected" parts

EDIT2 : Added a 3d song : The other side of midnight

EDIT3 : Added a more distorted version of Astronomica : https://app.box.com/s/9qykxthujle6olreteol

[Jugulator]

I like the energy of your singing. Some higher notes sound good. The major problem that I can point out is that you sing it in a disconnected voice and sometimes it sounds like falsetto. This is because the lack of support, twang, and compression. Cheers.

[akarawd]

CHeers Jag, I was afraid that would be the case when I sing with that piercing tone but I am slowly finding how

to make it sound more connected (some notes in astronomica are that way, most aren't)

Is it the same for war of the worlds though ?

[akarawd]

Also Jagulator, do all the parts of Astronomica sound disconnected to you, or is it the clean ones (eg. the introduction before the main verse kicks in ?).

Anybody who agrees/disagrees with jag, or has something to comment ?

Be honest guys, I'm learning just like every body else.

Thanks,

Thanasis

[Jugulator]

Yes, when you're adding grit you sound more connected.

[akarawd]

We're on the same page, I can hear the same thing.

That intro at the beginning of astronomica has a few "unhinged" notes that sound shaky,terrible,

pitchy and all that (mainly endings). I'll have to re-visit that. However, I am not sure I completely dislike that heady. disconnected sounding, approach on the intro as a whole.

I'd like to hear more opinions so I can reset my ears.

And I've found that after not being in the game for so long, I need to re-work on my support and compression (both of which I used on War of the Worlds).

However bad sounding these samples are, the more opinions I get, the more I understand what I really sound like and how I can improve,

Thanks,

Thanasis

[ronws]

"War of the Worlds" that's a keeper. Right sound, right mix of vocals against music.

"Astronomica" - Voice is so strong in the mix and from my amateur perspective, I would rather hear it settle a little more in the mix. I know I keep advising different things. I think if you did this song "heavier," it would sound like a hit. You sang well but from my personal aesthetic consideration (that and $1.70 USD will get you a Diet Coke), I would have preferred your heavier voice. Just a style thing, though. Nothing technical that I could think of.

[akarawd]

Thank you Ron, and by all means keep giving me your opinion, a different perspective is what I need.

Here's Astronomica with a "connected" intro.

https://app.box.com/s/jd3m8yr2ajyso1ykkjfn

Also, the phrase "streched beyond the limits down into the unknown" is connected with distortion

and the second part of the "chorus" (worlds spinning....), one voice is the distorted one and the second is full voice now.

Jagulator, is it any better now ? Any advice ?

Ron, I'm glad you liked War of the Worlds as it is now, I couidn't even hit the notes in the verses a year ago. Not the high ones, the low ones. I couldn't do it to save my life and now I'm "pressing" on them with ease.

By "heavier" in astronomica, do you mean a similar voice to the verses of war of the worlds ? Not sure I can do that as it is deceptively high but I'd like to ask if the phrase ""streched beyond the limits down into the unknown" is more to your taste.

Cheers guys and by all means, please help out, my enemy is stagnation, not honesty.

Thanasis

EDIT : I had posted the wrong link, it is now fixed

[akarawd]

Another song added :

The Other Side of Midnight : https://app.box.com/s/ik9bq3eyiwqggy5kocta

[ronws]

By "heavier" in astronomica, do you mean a similar voice to the verses of war of the worlds ? Not sure I can do that as it is deceptively high but I'd like to ask if the phrase ""streched beyond the limits down into the unknown" is more to your taste.

Yes.

[ronws]

Another song added :

The Other Side of Midnight : https://app.box.com/s/ik9bq3eyiwqggy5kocta

Awesome. Don't know what it is but you sounded great on this. I guess that is going to happen. Some songs seem to fit, others take different approaches. I don't want to say "do this one thing" because it might work for one song, but not the next.

Go with your instincts.

[akarawd]

I couldn't agree more Ron.

The thing is, I had never been able to sing any song without my voice faltering or without

it shaking etc I can finally sing a note without having to worry too much about that.

I have to admit my voice is a bit tired now so I am going to give it a day's rest or so before

I record anything again, although I think I should give it a longer rest. The good thing

is that I am not hoarse or anything, it just feels like it is not ready to give 100%.

Thanks for that Ron

Thanasis

[Chavie]

Awesome. Don't know what it is but you sounded great on this. I guess that is going to happen. Some songs seem to fit, others take different approaches. I don't want to say "do this one thing" because it might work for one song, but not the next.

Go with your instincts.

This is my favorite performance by you yet man

Was that your low notes in the backround as well If so thats some range you've got????

[akarawd]

Thank you very much Chavie. I am glad I can almost sing nowadays.

If you get a minute, could you please tell me what the negative points of

the other 2 tracks were ?

Thank you,

Than

[akarawd]

And here's a heavier (I guess more distoorted and a bit less "heady" sounding) version of Astronomica :

https://app.box.com/s/9qykxthujle6olreteol

Any ideas ?

Cheers,

Thanasis

[gno]

Astronomica sounds really cool. Especially when it gets heavier and you add distortion. Is that creak or false fold distortion? It sounds like you've got really good control through these heavier sections. It it fatiguing to sing like that? Or are you at the point where you can make it sound heavier while conserving energy?

[akarawd]

Geno, good to read a comment from you, I am very content that you found Astronomica cool, you know how I value your opinion and singing.

The distortion ; a long long time ago I had posted a clip named "hurting" distortion. It is that same distortion only now I can control it. It might tickle ever so slightly but it does not limit my range or tire me at all as long as I keep and focus on the bright (ping/sharp/piercing) clean sound underneath. If I let go of that, I am still ok but after a couple of songs I may start feeling my range being limited, chocking etc If I let go, it feels like it "falls" inside my throat and just grinds the folds.

Not sure what type of distortion it is but I can safely say that I have managed to control it by practicing vocal fry across my range and by always using it (vocal fry NOT the distortion), even when I talk. This is what changed everything for me and what made my head voice be free of strain etc etc Once that was under (some) control and I focused on singing with it (even if it sounded breathy in the passaggio and above), I increased twang (take into account that I had been practicing Lugo's "wich cackle" for a long long time) and managed to add just a bit of that distortion without it hurting me. I took it from there and I can feel my voice developing. Even my pitch (I know I still have issues) is now easy to control or at least... control is meaningful in the sense that I feel I am actually doing something.

All in all, this voice is the exact opposite of my 15 year old practice in singing. In that official queensryche thread, I saw that Keith posted an example of my old version and I posted one with the new voice. I can do this much better and I would like to do an acceptable version using my old way (which is fully clean), the new voice clean and then with this distortion.

I have to admit that adding chest voice is still an issue and I have yet to discover how to add this distortion to chest voice. Some of my examples might sound chesty (like the "tell me now what do you see" part in intro of the first astronomica clip) but I am still confused as to what I can do and how to develop it. Time is a huge issue and I have very little, if any, to spend on singing and practicing.

One last thing, I cannot express how loud, resonant and powerful it sounds in the room (or with a band) yet it is an effortless sound. To bad I can't capture it as well as it sounds due to poor room acoustics.

I hope I've shed some light and I apologize for the long post

Cheers,

Thanasis