How can I fake screaming?

I say "fake" becasue this is basically a joke project. Not something I want to commit myself to actually throwing my voice out over.

Is there anyway using production techniques ect to get that aburdly flat pterodactyl scream everyone seems to be doing these days?

Record someone else doing it and play it back on a tape recorder?

Personally, I have tried over and over again to appreciate screamo type vocals, but just can't. The last 8 years of gigging has tought me 1 thing about bands that have singers that scream. It's the #1 way to empty a bar, every time, guaranteed.

key word, "bar".

screaming done tastefully at a music venue where screaming is on the ticket, it's awesome and packs the house.

What i do is use the tops of my vocal chords.

This will get you the "black metal" type scream:

Don't push it out hard and don't "yell," that's what totally destryos your voice. The best way (at least for me) is to find the spot you scream from by whispering. I sort of imitate a "Gollum"-like voice while whispering. Now add a little power behind it with your diaphragm. I've done hour-long sets back and forth from screaming like this to singing and not lost my voice yet. It only ever hurts if i haven't done it for a while, then i have to warm up a bit and give it a couple days before I can do it at max capacity again.

edit: example here. www.myspace.com/ananiastheband. check the song "revolution resurrection."

HEY BRO

Trying to "fake" it will probably result in you doing the most damage possible.

Just like regular singing, the power has to come from your diapragm/bottom-of-the-belly and not from your throat.

Try to keep your larynx down a bit (it will rise naturally when you scream), and don't push. But don't "hold back"/"fake it" either. If you do, you'll probably end up using your throat to get the sound. It has to be loud, but not forced.

You'll know if you're doing it wrong. The first time you do, you'll shake all the phlegm off your vocal folds. When that happens, stop, get a drink of water, and chill a bit before you try again. If you keep pressing on, the folds will swell up and you'll suffer all the attendant damage.

EDIT:

Ah I realize you meant "fake" as in using effects. I've used a plugin that simulates tube distortion to enhance the effect, but I don't think you'll be able to artificially generate it.

Well allrighty then.

Though I can't listen to this type of music, this guy is amazing! He can scream extremely high and do the low, "cookie monster" (death metal?) vocals in the same song. I saw his band "Into Eternity" when they opened for Dream Theater a couple years ago. I don't like this style of music, but I was very impressed with what this guy could do. He can pull this off live on tour.

[YOUTUBE]DwIBqruSIbc[/YOUTUBE]

Definitely don't push to hard, but I don't think you should be encouraging them to whisper loudly either. Screaming involves the vocal chords, whispering is just pushing air through the throat.

I think it would be better to try singing as low as you can. Eventually your voice gets all crackly and you can't really maintain the note. That crackly feeling is what you want. Of course, you're doing it in the wrong part of your throat (scream with the falsetto or you're wrecked) and you need to put more air behind it, but that's a good place to start. From there, try to move the center of the tension up to the top of the throat so you aren't hurting yourself.

As for distortion effects, some people use them to make their screams sound harder, creepier, generally less human, etc. (See any song by Psyclon Nine for a good example of this) but I don't think there's anything that can actually turn a normal tone into a screamed tone. You're best off just doing it yourself (assuming you're careful to start doing it the right way from the beginning, and you don't make too much of a habit of it, you should be fine.) or better yet getting one of your friends that isn't a singer to do it for you.

Of course, I'm not much of an anybody, so take anything and everything I say with more than one grain of salt.