The Jam Room Blog Thread.

[liquidsmoke]

Technique and masturbatory noodling is always trumped by simple, catchy melodies that get stuck in your head.

Keep it simple. Simple is always better.

Hmmm....

[jibberish]

hey liquid.   I was thinking of singing just at any and all times, like instead of whistling while you work, sing, or sing with headphones while you walk like this one black HS kid who walks by every day. dude is belting it out a' cappella for the whole world to hear. every day. He is actually good, but then again he sings every day for who knows how long.
anyway, you are just making vocals a more natural function. you know, double up when you are doing something else that leaves room for singing. and singing anything is ok.

my buddy , who is a lead singer by trade, sings along with everything all the time. I actually have to ask him to stop sometimes if we are critically listening to something.
but damn is he good. super comfy performing because he can sing better than he can walk.

in other words, beef up your vocal chops just like you do for your guitar chops.  I get real intimidated behind a mic real fast.   way more exposed with vocals. even if you are about to puke with nervousness, you can strum that powerchord the same as if your stomach was ok. I know, I hide more easily behind the guitar. but if you lose confidence during a song, oh man..scotty just beam me up now.   voice gets crappy, start second guessing your tone feel and miss notes and the whole thing spirals to hell.
im not kidding when I say I practice singing a lot,. it is so scary, but I have to do it. it is so much fun. haha.  I do it by repetition, total brute force.

fwiw, I get stuck in transitions between phrases more than anything..chord changes, load next verse of lyrics, more going on then.

[liquidsmoke]

I hear ya and that is a good idea. I do some singing in my car along with CDs when my throat isn't toast from work and/or dry air. One more reason for a job change.

[JemDooM]

beef up your vocal chops just like you do for your guitar chops

good point!

[liquidsmoke]

A friend of mine says my vocals sound weak live but when I sing in front of him otherwise he says they sound good. 
Perhaps the PA isn't loud enough or frequencies are getting lost in the mix.

[AgentofOblivion]

Maybe practice mic technique?  Learning to regulate distance/angle to accommodate natural volume shifts is a skill in itself that requires probably as much thought/practice as singing itself.

[liquidsmoke]

Maybe practice mic technique?  Learning to regulate distance/angle to accommodate natural volume shifts is a skill in itself that requires probably as much thought/practice as singing itself.

That is a good idea although while playing guitar it's a lot to think about and implement. I generally have my lips almost touching or slightly touching the mic(I bring my own to gigs) straight on and pretty much give it my all on every part while trying to avoid straining. If I had quiet parts nobody would hear them at all unless they were during an also quiet instrumental section. I sing in the pseudo bass/baritone to midrange which is probably harder to make out live along with loud B tuned guitar and bass vs high-mid to high range vocals.

I've probably produced a few face palms with this post. Our practice PA(vocals only) isn't even as loud as it should be for the band. I do my best.

[AgentofOblivion]

It's a lot to think about because you haven't practiced it a lot  .  Playing guitar was a lot to think about when you first started learning too.  But I understand what you mean.  If you're constantly battling volume and trying to be as loud and un-dynamic as possible, mic technique doesn't probably apply much.  It must be hard to stay on pitch if you can't hear yourself very well.  For me that would be like playing a fretless guitar blindfolded and with earplugs.

[Danny G]

About to take my stricken Acoustic B200H to a tech finally.

Hopefully what's wrong with it is something cheap and easy, cause I'd love to bring it back into service as a gig worthy backup/smaller gig amp.

I'd like to take it out of the enclosure and put it in my rack.




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[liquidsmoke]

It's a lot to think about because you haven't practiced it a lot  .  Playing guitar was a lot to think about when you first started learning too.  But I understand what you mean.  If you're constantly battling volume and trying to be as loud and un-dynamic as possible, mic technique doesn't probably apply much.  It must be hard to stay on pitch if you can't hear yourself very well.  For me that would be like playing a fretless guitar blindfolded and with earplugs.

I've practiced quite a bit, just not as much as I should be.

I use an in ear monitor in my left ear so I can hear my vocals fairly well. It's a matter of how much guitar, drums, and bass I want destroying my hearing from that ear bud since the vocal mic pics up everything.

[RacerX]

It's a lot to think about because you haven't practiced it a lot  .  Playing guitar was a lot to think about when you first started learning too.  But I understand what you mean.  If you're constantly battling volume and trying to be as loud and un-dynamic as possible, mic technique doesn't probably apply much.  It must be hard to stay on pitch if you can't hear yourself very well.  For me that would be like playing a fretless guitar blindfolded and with earplugs.

I've practiced quite a bit, just not as much as I should be.

I use an in ear monitor in my left ear so I can hear my vocals fairly well. It's a matter of how much guitar, drums, and bass I want destroying my hearing from that ear bud since the vocal mic pics up everything.

Get a mic that doesn't. The Audix OM-2 works very well in high stage volume/close quarters situations.

[liquidsmoke]

It's a lot to think about because you haven't practiced it a lot  .  Playing guitar was a lot to think about when you first started learning too.  But I understand what you mean.  If you're constantly battling volume and trying to be as loud and un-dynamic as possible, mic technique doesn't probably apply much.  It must be hard to stay on pitch if you can't hear yourself very well.  For me that would be like playing a fretless guitar blindfolded and with earplugs.

I've practiced quite a bit, just not as much as I should be.

I use an in ear monitor in my left ear so I can hear my vocals fairly well. It's a matter of how much guitar, drums, and bass I want destroying my hearing from that ear bud since the vocal mic pics up everything.

Get a mic that doesn't. The Audix OM-2 works very well in high stage volume/close quarters situations.

I will look into this mic. Currently using an SM-58.

edit: reviews say it's great and B&H sells it for $69.88. Will probably get one soon.

The version with the on/off switch is an extra $50 though, *gulp*.

[the diddler]

Is an on/off switch on a mic good for anything?  Just seems like everytime you grab the fucker between songs to scream "HOW YOU DOIN' SAN DIEGO???" or "LET ME SEE YO' LIGHTAHS OUT THERE!!!" you run the risk of hitting the switch

[AgentofOblivion]

Yeah, fuck a switch, just unplug it.

[liquidsmoke]

Switches are nice at band practice when you are talking between songs. If one person's voice is booming out of the PA system it makes conversations kind of odd. One can always take a step back away from the mic of course, if you have the room to spare.

[Corey Y]

Switches are nice at band practice when you are talking between songs. If one person's voice is booming out of the PA system it makes conversations kind of odd. One can always take a step back away from the mic of course, if you have the room to spare.

^This. I like em at practice, but they're nothing but a source of frustration at gigs.

[RacerX]

I was using mine in conduction with a foot pedal fx unit with a kill switch. Worked very well except for the few times I forgot to turn off the effect while announcing the song. That's always...   

...eh, let's just say "interesting."

[Cursed71]

Played a benefit show with one if those, and was halfway through a song when the organizer ran up and switched the damn thing on.  I didn't even notice.   There were so many bands, and everything was so rushed, that we/I didn't even check the mic.   Also...marijuana.

[liquidsmoke]

Yeah it's one more thing to check at gigs. Once in awhile at practice I'll forget to switch it back on before we start a song.

The effects in my Boss vocal unit can be turned off and on with the foot pedals but there is no way to actually cut the sound without bending down and switching the present or the volume down to 0 or the unit off.

[RacerX]

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/SignOff/

[James1214]

Fuck , I bet if you were even reasonably handy that thing could be made for under 20 bucks.

[RacerX]

Yer probably right . It's just a latching lo-Z kill switch.

[James1214]

Found their schematic, super simple circuit.

[moose23]

Move an inch or two back from the mic and you'll sound less weak, proximity effect can work for some people but generally just sounds weaker for most, plus with you lips up against the mic they aren't moving/opening as much as they should. Just like with guitars it's about moving air. Most important for me is to make sure not to shout out stuff but go for big growly singing, I'm still pretty shit though.

[RAGER]

How much I can hear myself in the monitors really affects how loud I sing.  If I hear too much of myself I tend to back off.  Just enough so i know I'm in key and I belt that shit out.