5/30/2016 2:37:12 PM
New complete single Hummingbird

5/23/2016 4:33:44 PM
Hey all! I would really appreciate some feedback on where is my head at.

5/23/2016 4:33:44 PM

Hey all! I would really appreciate some feedback on where is my head at.
http://indiemusicpeople.com/songs.aspx?SongID=98086&ArtistID=158894
Here is the demo.
I also have an acoustic video on my page

Thanks for listening
Cheers
Dan

5/23/2016 8:30:03 PM

Every now and then I hear a song that just feels off. This is one of those songs for me. It sounds out of tune in so many places including the vocals. I did like the beat but almost everything else just seems a bit off key. I should note that I did like lot of the bass and guitar work here. Good song form. The vocals need work and so does some of the instrumentation.

5/24/2016 12:01:53 AM

Thanks for listening Stoneman :)

I dont know what happened to the track but between bouncing from Garage band and saving I have changed the key of the guitars by mistake. I have just uploaded the correct version as far as I can hear from my laptop speakers.

The vocals definitely need to be recorded better. I find it so hard to record vocals at home

5/24/2016 3:18:26 AM

I really liked it so I think my head is at the same place as yours Captain Sketchy. It made me want to start a psychedelic station. I might just do that as I've never started a station here and I know 3 songs that would be great on it!

5/24/2016 11:52:02 AM

I have not heard this yet but if your having trouble getting good vocals at home I have some tricks for you that I have learned. You can hit me up on my page click send artist mail and I'll talk with you about it.

Two Silo Complex,
Ken

5/24/2016 3:11:50 PM

Sweet thank you Bobby! :) Glad you dig

5/24/2016 3:12:46 PM

Awesome thanks Ken, I will when I get home from work.

5/26/2016 3:52:32 AM

Out of interest what didn't you like about your vocals? I like the raw and natural sound of them :)

5/30/2016 2:39:13 PM

I just dont seem to be able to capture a live vocal performance with tone and dynamics when at home. Guess im to worries what the neighbors will think.

Also hard to work out which takes are keepers when tracking yourself. For me anyway

6/2/2016 12:16:09 AM

Hmmm, not sure what to suggest then as actually i have the same problem. Have been told I need to sound more confident in my vocals but for me that means singing louder too and i'm so afraid the neighbors will hear - i'm shy! But i reiterate i liked your vocals on this :)

6/3/2016 12:28:17 PM

Been recording vocals at home for many years. Two isssues to worry about. 1. Performance: Read your lyric carefully and make sure that you put the emotions of the song in the vocals. That can be done by role play. You must assume the role of the song and make sure that the emotional make up of it comes through in your vocals. 2. Technical : Make sure that you are between 6 to 12 inches from the microphone. Use a popper stopper and a voxguard (look it up if you don't have one) They are very cheap. treat your vocal room to acoustics treatments. You can get the materials at your local Guitar Center and find instructions online. But really, those are the two most important parts of home vocal recording. Performance and Technical issues will doom the whole production every time. Your home vocals will seldom sound as good as they do in the studio. But you can get very close by using trial and error methods. You must find the sweet spot in your room or create one with acoustic materials. Once you have a sweet spot. Do all vocals in that spot. You will know the sweet spot when you find it or create it. It will be the place where the sound rings in your ears when you sing. It is called the sweet spot because it is the place that your voice sounds the best at. Mouth placement is crucial to getting a good recording. Too close and you ill introduce unwanted sound anomalies. Too far away and you will miss the full dynamics of your voice. The good news is that once you find the right spot and the correct technique, you can use it over and over for many recordings. I have done thousands of recordings in my vocal room. Many of them are award winning recordings. All could have sounded better in a room with better treatment. But most pass the muster for what I was striving for. Trial and error is the best way to get there. When you do a recording that sounds exceptionally good, replicate the settings, position etc. and try to do it again. Of course, there are also several plug ins and effects that will help to solidify your vocal recordings. But those are secondary to getting a good signal in with a qualitative vocal performance. Vocal performance is very important. If you are singing a sexy song put on a red light and wear sexy clothing to get you in the mood. Use breathy utterances of the lyrics in order to give them the sexy sound. If performing and angry protest piece put on bright lights and hang large red lettered signs all over the place. Usually it is the role of the producer to get the Performance and Technical part of vocal recordings correct. However, if you are self producing you must assume that role. Look for creative ways to get yourself in the mood of the song. Don't let anything get in the way (including fear of disturbing your neighbors) of the best vocal recordings possible.

Hope This Helps!
Much Respect,
Stoneman

6/3/2016 2:08:46 PM

Great write up stoneman.

Vocal technique sometimes depends on the mic and I agree if your using large diaphragm condenser stoneman is right on the money.

I use a SM57 Beta and this mic works better for me up close and personal. This mic is know for its bass reflections on vocal using proximity effect.

If you use pop filter you can get up close and not sound too breathy and it will boost your bass end frequency. Personally I record within 3 inches on sm57 but not closer than 6 inches on large condenser.

I created a sound booth for my vocal which is how I recorded sound of silence with SM 57 only in my home studio. The parts are easy to find and cheap if you have some imagination I built mine for under 50 bucks with some pre-done wood 24 inch frame and 2 plys of 1 inch mattress foam pad from waltmart. The result is completely dead vocal with no reflections it works great.

If you send me an artist mail I can talk with you about it. You don't always need to sing loud to get volume but you do need to sing with confidence as stoneman mentions.

Two Silo Complex,
Ken

6/16/2016 5:03:41 AM

Great tips thanks. Reflecting back I definitely don't get in the zone enough - gonna try this :)

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