Blame it on the cold...

Last night, for the first time in... let me count... over six years! I managed to record semi-usable vocals!
 
I still hate the sound of my voice, my accent, and just about everything there is to hate, but in terms of being in tune, those takes are okay.
 
Ever since I first quit smoking in 2008, I seem to have lost all ability to really control my voice. I'm not hearing it properly, I'm not feeling it, it's not sitting where it should sit.
 
Even starting to smoke again didn't fix it. Nor did quitting again. I'd been giving it a try every 6 or 8 months, to no avail.
 
But last night I had this song I'd re-built from the archives and I really wanted to just finish it quickly, record the vocals and be done wit it - just for myself. Worst case, if I had no keeper, I thought I'd at least have an opportunity to mess with Pitch Correction in Logic before discarding the whole thing.
 
Well, for whatever reason, it worked. The odd thing is that I have a cold - my first cold in years, actually. I'm never sick but this thing has been with me since the beginning of the week. It did affect my register as my voice seemed to get back down a few notches, closer to where it was before... But whatever the reason is, it was in tune and easier to control...
 
That would make for one odd performer, I guess. "We"re sorry to announce that tonight's performance has been cancelled because I feel fine." :/
 
 

paulo
If we can't hear it, it didn't happen.... ;)

You won't hear that one - it was strictly personal. But hopefully, I'll be able to repeat the performance. :P

In time, we'll all sound alike. 
 
I'm an optimist. 

And again last night. Man, I almost hope that this cold of mine sticks around for a while. :P

A word of caution Krist. Be careful "pushing" vocals when you have a cold or sore throat. You can permanently injure   your vocal chords when they are inflamed. There is a reason alot of singers postpone gigs due to what seems like minor illness.
 
Randy

Thanks, Randy. Most of what I've done so far didn't require much pushing - as a matter of fact, the reason I decided to give it another try is that I felt comfortable and in control in that range for the first time in quite a while.
 
I tried a couple of other songs I'd recorded the music for over the last few years, mostly covers and realized that it's always a good idea to consider vocals and a comfortable key before you get too far in... :/
 
I'm kind of hoping to at least close the books on this  - have those few songs completed, but just for me. I have zero ambition as a singer - all that's unique about my voice are the quirks. Anytime I venture out of the muddy lows, I sound a bit like Lennon, and as much as I liked him, I don't see the point in being a sound-alike.
 
My wife's the singer, anyway. Best case scenario, if I could provide back vocals for her, it'll be an honour. Worst, I can still be musical director, arranger, guitar player. And devoted husband. :P

Why don't you take some singing lessons if you would like to sound better?

kakku
Why don't you take some singing lessons if you would like to sound better?

Because one only has so much time in a life and has to make certain choices - I'd rather pick up a few things and try to be good at those than waste time and energy on things which I know I can only be mediocre at. Might sound weird, but the clock seems to be ticking louder every day, reminding me that I won't have time for this and that. That's just the way life is.
 
Furthermore, having been constantly exposed to real singers for the last few years, I've developed an incredible respect for the art of singing and realized just how much more there was to it than just "singing". I'm NOT singer material.

57Gregy

craigb

Rain
My wife's the singer, anyway. Best case scenario, if I could provide back vocals for her, it'll be an honour. Worst, I can still be musical director, arranger, guitar player. And devoted husband. :P

You left out "cat herder." 

i thought their cats were free-range.

Well, the house is pretty much theirs. :/

soens
A little sinus trouble does wonders for some voices. I don't wanna be really sick just to sound better, just enough to get the lower cords in motion... permanently. Drink hot tea or something soothing while recording helps.
 
As for the accent, try practicing a different accent or impersonating someone else a little bit. I know singers who do this and you'd never know it was them singing. Think Weird Al.

You know, that's something which I just thought of - one of the things that's different now is that I've replaced coffee with tea - exception made of my 2 morning mugs of coffee. But the rest of the day, it is Earl Grey all the way, and herbal tea before bed.