Members Sirens35 Posted January 21, 2010 Members Share Posted January 21, 2010 Im a novice singer,, played about4 shows so far but i havent impressed that much with my vocals... im really good acoustically, but with our band (2 loud guitars, bass, drums) it gets rough.. do yall use any equipment? also do you ever tell the soundguy tips to make you sound better? i dont have anything nor i dont even know where to begin. please help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Voltaire Posted January 21, 2010 Members Share Posted January 21, 2010 experimentation, lots of it. down to it though, if you've got a terrible voice you've got a terrible voice and no amount of outboard hardware or effects or whatever isn't going to help you out. [i know from experienc, HAHAA~! oh, i made myself feel bad : (] if you need help standing out you can EQ yourself to be more present in the live mix, you can use a whole slew of equalization effects, pEQ, EQ, compressors, delays or reverbs if you'd REALLY like.. but just make sure it sounds GOOD. don't smother yourself in effects unless you're that type of band. you could listen to what the sound guy is telling you to do.. unless he's telling you to jump off a building, in that case, don't do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Sirens35 Posted January 21, 2010 Author Members Share Posted January 21, 2010 if you need help standing out you can EQ yourself to be more present in the live mix, you can use a whole slew of equalization effects, pEQ, EQ, compressors, delays or reverbs if you'd REALLY like.. but just make sure it sounds GOOD. don't smother yourself in effects unless you're that type of band. you could listen to what the sound guy is telling you to do.. unless he's telling you to jump off a building, in that case, don't do it. haha thanks. yea i really cant hearmyself at all when we play.. and i find myself straining to get louder so that i can hear myself.. its tough. but hopefully like u said practice will work.. i plan on renting a pa next couple days and really experiemtning all sorts of madness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Voltaire Posted January 21, 2010 Members Share Posted January 21, 2010 having a PA for practice would help! HAH! but that opens a whole new can of worms...like feedback :shudders: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members HairyScaryMark Posted January 21, 2010 Members Share Posted January 21, 2010 Start with the simpliest solution first. Practice singing through a microphone. There are different skills and disciplines involved and you need to get used to how your voice sounds through a microphone, in a band situation. You might like how your voice sounds acousticly along to some fairly quiet instruments but that's an entirely different situation to singing out in front of a live band. A Shure SM58 or similar + small PA or keyboard amp isn't a bad place to start. Even Costco sometimes sell things, which aren't brilliant but are certainly good enough to get you + your band hearing yourself in a band practice. Rented rehearsal rooms usually come with PA systems included. You don't tell a sound guy tips to make you sound better because if he's a good sound guy he will already know what to do and if he's useless then you'll just end up offending a useless sound guy and be no better off. You should however communicate with the sound engineer and keep asking for what you want in your monitor mix during sound check. If necessary, you can ask during a performance but obviously this is not as preferable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jersey Jack Posted January 21, 2010 Members Share Posted January 21, 2010 Do everything you can to practice regularly with a PA. You should always try to simulate in practice the real situation you'll face at the gig. Avoid surprises! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ido1957 Posted January 22, 2010 Members Share Posted January 22, 2010 How much money do you have to buy a PA System? You need one - the only question is how much can you spend? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rodclement Posted January 23, 2010 Members Share Posted January 23, 2010 You need to hear yourself...period! I left many bands that played so loud that nothing I could do was loud enough to cut through the mix. I like to use personal monitors in acoustic gigs with individual volume controls, and in ears for live full band gigs. If a band is lo loud that you can't hear yourself you need to have a talk with them, your instrument in the hardest to repair if it gets damaged. Rod Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MikeyParent Posted January 27, 2010 Members Share Posted January 27, 2010 also do you ever tell the soundguy tips to make you sound better? If *you* have to give the sound guy tips on how to make you sound better, it may be time to get a new sound guy. Seriously. Anyways, I use a mic (Audix Om3xb) and a vocal effects pedal into the board. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jersey Jack Posted January 27, 2010 Members Share Posted January 27, 2010 The single best way to improve your live singing is to insist on being able to hear yourself at proper volume at all times. You should never agree to perform without adequate monitoring--do it for the audience! Before I get flamed, I don't mean to suggest that good monitoring is more important than lessons, practice, hard work, etc. It's not. But good monitoring will provide a quick fix. You're likely to find a dramatic improvement in your voice when you can hear yourself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members YeahDoIt Posted January 28, 2010 Members Share Posted January 28, 2010 haha thanks. yea i really cant hearmyself at all when we play.. and i find myself straining to get louder so that i can hear myself.. its tough. but hopefully like u said practice will work.. i plan on renting a pa next couple days and really experiemtning all sorts of madness. How loud is the band? If you are indoors and the band is real loud you might not be able to hear much anyway, even with a PA system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RHA Posted January 28, 2010 Members Share Posted January 28, 2010 I agree with Jersey Jack--lessons, coaching, experience are all great, but the best singers in the world won't sound good if they can't hear themselves sing. I don't know what your band has for PA; nor do I agree that it is ever acceptable for you not to hear yourself, even indoors in a close environment. At a bare minimum you need a decent montor that has enough power to provide a good vocal mix for your ears. If you are singing in front of a monitor and still can't hear, you either have a terrible pa system or a band that can't control its stage volume in a professional manner. Without knowing more about your specific situation, I'd bet its the latter problem. Any band that has vocals needs to understand that getting those vocals prominently in both the monitor and FOH mix is job one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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