1st Take "Screaming For Vengeance" by Judas Priest - Please critique

[Olem]

So, another Judas Priest song. One of my favourites - i love to sing/scream this song. I think i am on the verge of finding the right tone. I want to sing this song with the same tone as in the chorus and for example the phrase "The world is a manacle place" i am still too dopy sometimes in the verses i think. What do you guys think?

[ronws]

Yeah, I can hear some dope sound, as well, now that you mention it. So, do you desire to dial back on the dopey as a sound effect choice? Or does the dopey sound feel like straining?

I don't know, just asking questions. Do some voices sound more dopey to begin with? I ask because for other voices, there are images and suggestions to increase the dopey sound, to aspire to the dopey sound. Not as much discussion to the reverse, I think.

Granted, this is a tough sound, a high tessitura, if you will. It has a dense lyric structure pitched about where dog whistles start.

I am not hearing any technical problems. It sounds more like you are asking for stylistic considerations.

[Jugulator]

Yes, you sound halfordish, but his tone is brighter. And, as you could suspect, there are pitchy places.

[Olem]

Thanx for listening, Igor and Ron. As Igor said, Rob´s tone is a little brighter and i would like to achive that tone without being squeaky. Yeah, i would think that it was off pitch. I have listened more closely to Rob´s two verses in this song and here is what i hear:

1 verse: Hey listen don´t you let em get (C5) your (B4) mind (C5), Fill your brain with orders and that´s (C5) not (B4) right (A4), they´re playing at a game that draws you (C5) clo (E5) ser (C5), till your living in a world that´s ruled (B4) by (A4) fear (G4)

2 verse: Always takin baby out (B4) that´s (C5) ok (B4), What they´re giving maybe it´s (B4) out (C5) of phase with me (B4), Told you (B4) once (C5) youre never gonna (B4) win (C5) the race (B4), Same old (B4) no (C5) tomorrow kicked (B4) in (C5) the (B4) face (A4) we (G4) are (F4)

Anyone wants to help me with this?

Oh, here is Rob´s vocal track by the way:

[ronws]

Thanx for listening, Igor and Ron. As Igor said, Rob´s tone is a little brighter and i would like to achive that tone without being squeaky.

Anyone wants to help me with this?

Oh, here is Rob´s vocal track by the way:

So, I am going to go "typical ronws" on you. Which you are certainly free to ignore and it will not hurt my feelings, in the least bit.

It could be that you think getting brighter might make you more squeaky. And how do you define squeaky?

I hear plenty of dopey in your voice and I could also hear some in Rob's, as well. However, as much as other might disagree with me, I also think your voices are different, though you can obviously get close to his sound.

And so, that is why I would ask about your perspective of "squeaky". Because many is the time that you have applauded some cover of mine, especially if it had lower notes in it that might be interpreted as dopey or low-resonating. Or even a great compliment on a song in a higher range, while you never fail to mention that you like the tones in the lower end of my voice.

Point being, that I think you admire lower tones or overtones and perhaps eschew, especially in yourself, tones of brighter clang, as it were.

As I can see, it is not a matter of range, which you already have, it's a matter of tonality. Tonality informed by what you value. Or, just as importantly, how you think the original singer is doing it. And Rob may very well be using some dopey sound in HIS voice. You might get away with a little less dopey and get the "ring" that you are looking for in that song.

[Olem]

Squeaky or shrill, Ron. I certainly want some overtones a bit of chest in it but it is a thin line. I just need a tad more twang i think and i will get there. This rendetion doesn´t sound good at all overall. I think it also has to do with a bad mixing to it also but i will certainly make another version of it. By the way, i don´t want to copy Rob Halford´s voice by 100 %, that is impossible, there is only one Rob as u usually says Ron, but i do want to capture that kind of tone. Thanx for being so helpful, Ron, as always.

And a big thanx to Igor - Jugulator - who helped me with the trancription.

[ronws]

I am glad you took my response in the spirit intended. And yes, for the rest of us to hear, try different editing strategies, different eq values, for example. That is, you might be doing just fine but the mix is burying you. I've shot myself in the foot, figuratively, a number of times. When I did my coiver of "Jesus Just Left Chicago" by ZZ Top, I sweetened the eq, which sounded okay, playing back in Audacity. Then I exported it to mp3 and put it in my ipod. And it sounds way too shrill in that playback configuration. I keep it as a lesson to myself about recording editing strategies. I am still learning about recording, a discipline unto itself.

[Olem]

Ok, tried this song again, now with more of a pharyngeal voice and grit. I also try a different approach to my mixing, among else i totally skipped the compression feature and lowered the delay effect. So, what do you guys think?