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Singing Tips & Recording Questions


JohnnyMoon

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Guest angimun
Play around with this thing.. Where the red arrow is.. That should change the volume of the background while the mic volume stays the same.. or if you want to change the volume of the mic you do the same thing with the other one. (with the pic of the mic.)

untitled-1.jpg

Lol im not too sure if it will work because I myself never used audacity before..

yay it works now thanks A.lee!

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Guest EternallyFallen

PLEASE HELP!

can i make my singing voice go higher/stronger with practice?

Yes, but with a lot of practice. And you also have to remember to warm-up. Try doing the 'siren' by making your voice go as high as possible, sliding up and then as low as possible, sliding down.

are people born with good singing voices, like, if you suck at singing, you will never be good, or is it like, although you're not very good at singing right now, with practice, you can become great?

just wondering...

There are people who are born with the singing talent but those who aren't, can teach themself how to be a good singer. It takes practice and perserverance.

and my other question is, is it just me or do you have to sing louder for your voice to go up? how loud do singers usually sing when they hit the high notes? do they all belt out the notes? can they hit the high notes without making their voices louder? i have to really try and belt to get the high notes (although my voice usually cracks) lol

Many people have to sing louder when they sing a high note, and they often go softer on a lower note. For the singer, it depends on how easily they can hit the high note that determines the volume of their voice. Belting out a note isn't the best thing to do, because you're practically near yelling at that point. To try and reach a high note without going loud, you have use your head voice, get a lot of air and chest support. But if they can't hit the high notes, their just damaging their vocal chords. I suggest that you don't try to belt the notes because it will hurt your throat at a point.

i also find that i sound better if i sing along to a singer's voice and when i sing without any music, i dont have confidence to sing. what does that say about me?

That happens to a lot of people but that's mainly because when they hear the other singer, they can't really hear their own voice. You have to get used to hearing yourself sing without the music. All it says about you is that you haven't gotten used to singing without the actual music and most of the times, it may sound wierd because you might be singing it incorrectly.

ok, one last set of questions..how do you know which key is the right key for you? and how do you know which voice to sing in (out of the difference voices each person has, throat, head, whatever)..i realize that when i sing, i sound better in one voice verses another, but i cant find that voice all the time when i sing bc i dont know where that voice is coming from. also, do singers have bad/off days where their voice just doesnt sound good and isn't as strong/cant hit the high notes as their normal/good days?

Taken from Wiki

Head voice or Head register:

The head register is a register that can sound similar to falsetto, but usually sounds less hooty. Folds engaged in the register produce a sound with less harmonics than falsetto. It is sometimes heard when a woman shouts or is highly excited, and is used less commonly by men, unless they are deliberately accessing the range. To the untrained ear it can be difficult to distinguish between someone singing in falsetto or head voice depending on the quality of production. A good head voice will not sound like the chest voice but will sound so much less like falsetto that it will fool many who don't know of the register into thinking it is simply a high chest register.

Head voice is different from falsetto in that it is possible to connect it to the chest voice. That is, the singer's head voice and chest voice can be linked and sound bridged; in transition the voice can be trained to not cut out or make any audible changes in harmonics. The head register is accessible and can be developed and strengthened through proper training.

The tonal qualities of the head voice are usually described as being sweet, balladic, lilting, lyrical, or pure in classical singing. However, with proper training, one can develop a more chest-like sounding head voice.

Falsetto:

In falsetto, the vocal folds, or cords when viewed with a stroboscope are seen to be blown apart and a permanent oval orifice is left in the middle between the edges of the two folds through which a certain volume of air escapes continuously as long as the register is engaged (the singer is singing using the voice). The arytenoid cartilages are held in firm apposition in this voice register also. The length or size of the oval orifice or separation between the folds can vary, but it is known to get bigger in size as the pressure of air pushed out is increased.

The folds are made up of elastic and fatty tissue. The folds are covered on the surface by laryngeal mucous membrane which is supported deeper down underneath it by the innermost fibres of the thyro-arytenoid muscle. In falsetto the extreme membranous edges, ie the edges furthest away from the middle of gap between the folds appear to be the only parts vibrating. The mass corresponding to the innermost part of the thyro-arytenoid muscle remains still and motionless.

Some singers feel a sense of muscular relief when they change from chest voice to falsetto.

In women, the falsetto voice refers to the whistle register.

Generally when singers describe their range they exclude the falsetto voice. A classical male singer who routinely sings using the falsetto is called a countertenor. Countertenors tend to count this range. If a singer makes frequent use of their falsetto it may be counted as part of their vocal range.

Chest Voice/Speaking Voice:

The chest voice is the register typically used in everyday speech. The first recorded mention of this register was around the 13th century, when it was distinguished from the throat and the head voice (pectoris, guttoris, capitis -- at this time it is likely head voice referred to the falsetto register, see falsetto article) by the writers Johannes de Garlandia and Jerome of Moravia.

The speaking voice is named as "the chest voice" in the Speech Level Singing method. It is so called because it can produce the sensation of the sound coming from the upper chest. This is because lower frequency sounds have longer wavelengths, and resonate mostly in the larger cavity of the chest. A person uses the chest voice when singing in the majority of his or her lower range.

It was discovered via stroboscope that during ordinary phonation, or speaking in a man the vocal folds contact with each other completely during each vibration closing the gap between them fully, if just for a small length of time. This closure cuts off the escaping air. When the air pressure in the trachea rises as a result of this closure, the folds are blown apart, while the vocal processes of the arytenoid cartilages remain in apposition. This creates an oval shaped gap between the folds and some air escapes, lowering the pressure inside the trachea. Rhythmic repetition of this movement a certain number of times a second creates a pitched note. This is how the chest voice is created.

The tonal qualities of the chest voice are usually described as being rich or full, but can also be belted or forced to make it sound powerful by shouting or screaming.

When talking about a singer's vocal range, usually only the chest voice is counted. When a singer or person shouts or screams, this is in the chest voice; however, use of overly strong chest voice in the higher registers in an attempt to hit higher notes in the chest can lead to forcing. Forcing can lead consequently to vocal deterioration.

I can't say that all of this is really accurate or not... but hopefully it helped answer your questions somewhat...^^;

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Guest xlilvietgrl

hmm...i dont know if this is off topic or not...but...When you listen to a song, how do you figure out the notes of the harmony when there are 2-5 people singing?

Listen to it over and over? Is there any easier way...or is that the only way? :sweatingbullets: Plaese help...

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sorry this is really off topic but does anyone live in the Los Angeles area and have a vocal coach?

i've been looking for one, but i haven't been successful. thank you :]

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Guest lshluvr
hmm...i dont know if this is off topic or not...but...When you listen to a song, how do you figure out the notes of the harmony when there are 2-5 people singing?

Listen to it over and over? Is there any easier way...or is that the only way? :sweatingbullets: Plaese help...

Slowing the song down but having the same pitch? XD I dunno

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Guest dark intuitions

xlilvietgrl:

I tend to use Audition to Centre Channel Extract the main vocalist out, and then listen over and over and over and over and over again.

Plus there are some basic patterns for harmony that you begin to pick up if you have an ear for it.

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Guest babiepooh

Can anone tell me what i"m doing wrong. I tried the Audacity and cut out some of th vocals on a song. Then i tried recording and playing the music at the same time but after i record everything I can't seem to play back my voice. All I hear is the music.

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Yes, but with a lot of practice. And you also have to remember to warm-up. Try doing the 'siren' by making your voice go as high as possible, sliding up and then as low as possible, sliding down.

There are people who are born with the singing talent but those who aren't, can teach themself how to be a good singer. It takes practice and perserverance.

Many people have to sing louder when they sing a high note, and they often go softer on a lower note. For the singer, it depends on how easily they can hit the high note that determines the volume of their voice. Belting out a note isn't the best thing to do, because you're practically near yelling at that point. To try and reach a high note without going loud, you have use your head voice, get a lot of air and chest support. But if they can't hit the high notes, their just damaging their vocal chords. I suggest that you don't try to belt the notes because it will hurt your throat at a point.

That happens to a lot of people but that's mainly because when they hear the other singer, they can't really hear their own voice. You have to get used to hearing yourself sing without the music. All it says about you is that you haven't gotten used to singing without the actual music and most of the times, it may sound wierd because you might be singing it incorrectly.

Taken from Wiki

Head voice or Head register:

The head register is a register that can sound similar to falsetto, but usually sounds less hooty. Folds engaged in the register produce a sound with less harmonics than falsetto. It is sometimes heard when a woman shouts or is highly excited, and is used less commonly by men, unless they are deliberately accessing the range. To the untrained ear it can be difficult to distinguish between someone singing in falsetto or head voice depending on the quality of production. A good head voice will not sound like the chest voice but will sound so much less like falsetto that it will fool many who don't know of the register into thinking it is simply a high chest register.

Head voice is different from falsetto in that it is possible to connect it to the chest voice. That is, the singer's head voice and chest voice can be linked and sound bridged; in transition the voice can be trained to not cut out or make any audible changes in harmonics. The head register is accessible and can be developed and strengthened through proper training.

The tonal qualities of the head voice are usually described as being sweet, balladic, lilting, lyrical, or pure in classical singing. However, with proper training, one can develop a more chest-like sounding head voice.

Falsetto:

In falsetto, the vocal folds, or cords when viewed with a stroboscope are seen to be blown apart and a permanent oval orifice is left in the middle between the edges of the two folds through which a certain volume of air escapes continuously as long as the register is engaged (the singer is singing using the voice). The arytenoid cartilages are held in firm apposition in this voice register also. The length or size of the oval orifice or separation between the folds can vary, but it is known to get bigger in size as the pressure of air pushed out is increased.

The folds are made up of elastic and fatty tissue. The folds are covered on the surface by laryngeal mucous membrane which is supported deeper down underneath it by the innermost fibres of the thyro-arytenoid muscle. In falsetto the extreme membranous edges, ie the edges furthest away from the middle of gap between the folds appear to be the only parts vibrating. The mass corresponding to the innermost part of the thyro-arytenoid muscle remains still and motionless.

Some singers feel a sense of muscular relief when they change from chest voice to falsetto.

In women, the falsetto voice refers to the whistle register.

Generally when singers describe their range they exclude the falsetto voice. A classical male singer who routinely sings using the falsetto is called a countertenor. Countertenors tend to count this range. If a singer makes frequent use of their falsetto it may be counted as part of their vocal range.

Chest Voice/Speaking Voice:

The chest voice is the register typically used in everyday speech. The first recorded mention of this register was around the 13th century, when it was distinguished from the throat and the head voice (pectoris, guttoris, capitis -- at this time it is likely head voice referred to the falsetto register, see falsetto article) by the writers Johannes de Garlandia and Jerome of Moravia.

The speaking voice is named as "the chest voice" in the Speech Level Singing method. It is so called because it can produce the sensation of the sound coming from the upper chest. This is because lower frequency sounds have longer wavelengths, and resonate mostly in the larger cavity of the chest. A person uses the chest voice when singing in the majority of his or her lower range.

It was discovered via stroboscope that during ordinary phonation, or speaking in a man the vocal folds contact with each other completely during each vibration closing the gap between them fully, if just for a small length of time. This closure cuts off the escaping air. When the air pressure in the trachea rises as a result of this closure, the folds are blown apart, while the vocal processes of the arytenoid cartilages remain in apposition. This creates an oval shaped gap between the folds and some air escapes, lowering the pressure inside the trachea. Rhythmic repetition of this movement a certain number of times a second creates a pitched note. This is how the chest voice is created.

The tonal qualities of the chest voice are usually described as being rich or full, but can also be belted or forced to make it sound powerful by shouting or screaming.

When talking about a singer's vocal range, usually only the chest voice is counted. When a singer or person shouts or screams, this is in the chest voice; however, use of overly strong chest voice in the higher registers in an attempt to hit higher notes in the chest can lead to forcing. Forcing can lead consequently to vocal deterioration.

I can't say that all of this is really accurate or not... but hopefully it helped answer your questions somewhat...^^;

THANKS A LOT FOR THE INFO!

i tried to find some of the answers to my q's here, but there were so many posts + people were usually talking about the recording devices, etc..

are there certain people who can't hit high notes? i tried to sing as high as boa (i think she naturally has a high voice?) and my voice kept cracking, and my throat was sore for two days after. now im afraid that i may damage my voice or get singer's nodes or whatever it's called and i dont want to practice singing anymore (i guess that's what personal coaches are for). im resting my voice right now and trying to drink a lot of water. i want to practice singing, but im afriad that i might be doing it wrong and damage my voice. my throat was sore two times (for two to three days each time) the past two weeks already bc i practiced singing higher/stronger, and this never happened to me before. i thought the soreness was from a flu, it was that bad...and it also affected my speaking voice, it was deeper than usual and i couldnt speak in a firm/loud voice

is it true that you're suppose to sing with your chest and not your throat? how do you do that? like, the sound is suppose to come from your chest and up, and not from your throat and up

oh, and should i sing in a range of voice that's the most comfortable for me or should i get out of my comfort zone and sing in a different range? like beyonce..her speaking voice is deep but her singing voice is high..i want to sing in a voice that's higher than my speaking voice..how would i achieve this? i can sing high in a soft voice, but how do i make my voice strong singing high WITHOUT damaging my voice? thanks ;)

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Guest xlilvietgrl
xlilvietgrl:

I tend to use Audition to Centre Channel Extract the main vocalist out, and then listen over and over and over and over and over again.

Plus there are some basic patterns for harmony that you begin to pick up if you have an ear for it.

we can download that program for free right?

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THANKS A LOT FOR THE INFO!

i tried to find some of the answers to my q's here, but there were so many posts + people were usually talking about the recording devices, etc..

are there certain people who can't hit high notes? i tried to sing as high as boa (i think she naturally has a high voice?) and my voice kept cracking, and my throat was sore for two days after. now im afraid that i may damage my voice or get singer's nodes or whatever it's called and i dont want to practice singing anymore (i guess that's what personal coaches are for). im resting my voice right now and trying to drink a lot of water. i want to practice singing, but im afriad that i might be doing it wrong and damage my voice. my throat was sore two times (for two to three days each time) the past two weeks already bc i practiced singing higher/stronger, and this never happened to me before. i thought the soreness was from a flu, it was that bad...and it also affected my speaking voice, it was deeper than usual and i couldnt speak in a firm/loud voice

First off, i would like to say that what "know" is all based on things i've read and understand, and i'm not always right. So, please forgive me if i give wrong info. shall i start? haha

they are many people who cant hit high notes naturally, but with practice you will be able to. there are also people who have natural high voices. I guess you can take boa for example but maybe its also because she has a lot of training, which enable her to be able to sing "high" comfortable or maybe thats her natural range. Natural range is the range you are born with. You can always have more "range", but without practice you wont be able to achieve it. Think of your vocal cords like muscles, you need to take it slow and train it so that you will be able to go higher (like lifting weights). Your throat is hurting is because your using your throat to sing which is very unhealthy.

You have to understand how the voice works (vocal cords, diaphram, etc) to be able to understand how to use them. do i make sense? :x sorry if i dont. take for example the vocal cord like a unhealthy muscle that we havent used often. that is why people have to practice year(s) to get a good sound because you have to train the vocal cords, with good practices everyday so it gets healthy and produce a good sound.

so you have to relax and take it slowly, well not literally, but you have to make sure you do warmups before you sing and dont push your self farther then you can. if your voice starts to hurt then you know that your doing something wrong, not always but most of the time. also drink alot of water 1-2hours before you sing. It takes about 2 hours for the water to get into your system and reach your vocal cords.

From what your saying, I'm guessing your not doing enough warmups or your not singing right(breathing,etc) because your throat shouldnt be sore from singing. And if you are, you might not be using the right "technique" to reach high notes. I dont really have much information on that part. That is why vocal coaches are recommended. They can help you more then i can.

My advice for you is, download that SLS cds around here somewhere and use them to warm up. Breathe from your stomache and when you sing, imagine the words(/notes) riding on the waves of your breath when you breathe out. You know like those little kids shows where it looks like musical notes on waves? haha yeah like that! As for singing higher you would have to practice scales, but i'm not sure. I know for me, I do scales and I can honestly say that I reached 1-2 notes that I couldnt reach before(2 months ago). Singing stronger, I'm not sure aobut this. I always thought it was on your natural voice but I have no idea. sorry :(

Wow that was long eh? probably not even all of what i wanted to say but I hope you got the idea and what i tried to say. I hope this part has help you and many other people who might of had the same questions. and sorry if it seems as if things sounds repetitive, i seem to do that when i write. now onto the next part...

lets "sigh" together. haha

is it true that you're suppose to sing with your chest and not your throat? how do you do that? like, the sound is suppose to come from your chest and up, and not from your throat and up

Its true, but you have 3 different "voices". Its all explained in EternallyFallen posts. You usually never sing with your throat because it'll end up hurting.

Here try this excersice: First, place your tongue behind the lower teeths, take a deep breathe in with your stomache, and breathe out holding out a hum also put one hand on ur chest.

If you are doing it right, you should feel the vibration in your chest, behind your upper/lower teeth, and lips. Your lips might tickle a little but that just means your doing it right. And from my understanding, what you feel on your chest is your "chest voice".

I might be wrong, but thats what I always thought it was. haha :crazy:

oh, and should i sing in a range of voice that's the most comfortable for me or should i get out of my comfort zone and sing in a different range? like beyonce..her speaking voice is deep but her singing voice is high..i want to sing in a voice that's higher than my speaking voice..how would i achieve this? i can sing high in a soft voice, but how do i make my voice strong singing high WITHOUT damaging my voice? thanks ;)

Most of the time you should sing with your comfortable range but if you want to try something different make sure that its not too out of your range. also make sure you had a good warmup before you try anything too much for your voice. From what you've said, I suggest that you get a vocal coach. The way you want to sing isn't impossible to achieve your self, but it will be very hard. You need to get a vocal coach to guide you and make sure your not doing anything wrong. Also teach you the right techniques.

From my experiences:

I'm still new to all this singing stuff, but I was really new 2 months ago. I couldnt reach certain notes and even if I could I would put a lot of stress on my throat and jaw which isnt good, but after doing some SLS excersice and a month or so I started to understand my voice more and figured out what I was doing wrong. If you just started singing, I think the first months or so is all about understanding your voice, and learning more about the voice. Like breathing, how it feels when you put stress on your jaws and the throat muscles when you sing higher, etc. I think thats all I have to say for now, my mind wondering off thru out this whole post so sorry if things doesnt make sense.

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Guest xlilvietgrl

OH! and i have another question! Is Goldwave better or is Adobe Audition better in your opinion? Cause I'm not sure of which one to use...:sweatingbullets:

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Guest Dreamss

uhmm well i have questions bout recording songs onto computer..

like i kno yu need soundclick..and thats teh only thing i know..

like what else do you have to do?

can someone help me? :x ;;;

thanks in advance<3

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Guest sungiebaby637

can someone help me

where i could get some

other programs so i could

record coz my goldwave expires...

T_T and i'm thinkin of usin other programs

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ok, i think i get what you're saying! lol.

what does SLS stand for? ill dl it and try the warm up..i think im beginning to notice my voice more when i sing whereas before i would just sing without much thought. and i need to drink more water. a LOT more. thanks again!

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Guest dark intuitions

SLS=speech level singing

sungiebaby--try Audacity, completely free and people in here seem to be coping with it. Or, obtain Audition if you want to take things seriously.

Dreams--you need a recording program and a mic. I recommend Adobe Audition if you're serious about things, or Audacity if you aren't. (Audition costs money if you obtain it legally, Audacity doesn't and is easy to use). Microphones wise--i use a desktop mic, but i'm not serious about recording. Quality is improved by decent mixing.

xlilvietgrl--I'm biased because I've been using Audition all the time. Multitrack programs are useful when you want to do harmonies and such. You can download a trial version of it for free.

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Guest sungiebaby637

^ where i could dl Audacity or Audition?

i'm not really serious about singin but all

i want its jus sing that all hehe ^^

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Guest dark intuitions

sungiebaby--google is your best friend. ^^ well, it's my best friend anyway

Hmm...wondering (asking the people in charge actually)...hmaster's tutorials on the front page of this thread have expired...Should I re-upload?

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i just started to use audacity.. im singing with the music in the background.. but when i record my voice and play it.. i sing after the orginal singer is singing..its not the right timing. can anyone help me please?

oh and how do you take out the singer's voice and just let the instrumental play. or do i need to dl a seperate instrumental clip for the song?

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Guest krnpopfan

i have a very vague general question!!!!!

how do you improve your singingg in general?

from going from..sucking..to mediocre..and then good???

i heard vocal lessons were vital....but they teach something..so i was wondering what it could be...

please reply soon

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Guest sungiebaby637
sungiebaby--google is your best friend. ^^ well, it's my best friend anyway

Hmm...wondering (asking the people in charge actually)...hmaster's tutorials on the front page of this thread have expired...Should I re-upload?

could i dl it free?

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