Can I get some pointers on how to get better on signing?

Let me start off by I only RECENTLY started taking singing a little more seriously (before was just singing to myself when I hear a song I like), but I bought a relatively cheap microphone just to record myself. I've been working at it for weeks, tracking myself in Reaper and playing back and see if I improved and after awhile, I'm slowly giving up.

It gotten to a point where I track my vocals and then play back, and I slowly adjust my own voice lower and lower... until it's barely audible and covered by the original song

Singing is a hobby to me and all, but this is anything but inspiring

How are you adjusting lower and lower? Why? I don't get how you're barely audible..

I do that inside a program. Basically what I was saying was, I was adjusting the level sliders on my vocal tracks.

What the hell? Are you into opera or something? This is the proper way to sign:

I don't understand this thread.

Anyway, you can't expect to actually like your voice when you first start recording. I hated the sound of my voice (partly because I was bad at singing, of course), and I remember I cringed sometimes when listening to an especially bad take.

I'm not sure about how to best teach voice, but try to skip the backing track and only listen to your voice. Write down what about it you don't like, and attack each of the things one at a time. You can't do them all in one sitting. Accept that you won't like your voice, but understand that you can practise and improve until you like it a lot.

If you're really interested in singing, get some voice lessons.

There's no replacement for voice lessons. You really need someone

to put you on the right track and help you to develop good habits.

I found an online thread about voice teachers in Vancouver:

http://forum.vancouveractorsguide.com/showthread.php?7405-Who-are-some-good-voice-coaches-in-Vancouver

Here's a voice teacher I found on Google:

http://www.brennanbarrett.com/

You say you've been working at it for weeks but that doesn't tell us how. Just by singing? Or have you been studying books and CD's at least. A coach would be nice as cham has mentioned but that isn't always an easy option. But the work you put in is important so what have you been doing? It isn't as simple as "How can I sing better?"

The voice is another instrument like anything else and it takes time, work (lots of practice) and care. The voice needs to be exercised either by specific exercises giving it flexibility and strength, agility and a second nature like quality or by singing allot and applying these practices while singing. Songs that work on these techniques.

Not much different than playing guitar. People usually don't see it that way though. You don't just purchase a guitar and then think by owning it you can play it just by fiddling with it all day. You'll probably figure somethings out if you're natural but many will get nowhere while others will learn wrong or develop bad habits. The voice isn't much different. And you could damage it. You own the instrument now you need to "learn" how to play it. There are techniques and an understanding of how it works. It isn't just like speaking. (Arguably).

Maybe supply a voice sample so someone here can listen for what you may be doing wrong....or right. Keep at it, get hold of some books. Get books that come with CD's.

I don't know how serious you are looking to get. Maybe you are just looking to sing a little with your guitar or maybe backing vocals. But none the less. You get out what you put in so you decide how much you need. That doesn't change the fact that there is a method to singing that needs to be learned. Sometimes/most times a bad sound isn't a bad voice but someone hitting the wrong strings (vocal cords) or hitting them the wrong way. Yes, they get stretched and relaxed (fretted) pretty much like a guitar string). You need to learn how.

Good luck.

A few weeks is not much time. It might help if you could hear your voice. I plug a microphone into a little amp to hear myself.