Karaoke Forums

...simply because they seem to be the only ones who have a feel for what makes a man's voice sound right.

Over and over again, I go to shows where the host is female (and sometimes tenor male). Over and over, I sound lousy. It appears that the channel is set such that 1) I can't hear myself and 2) the natural timbre of my voice is completely washed out.

On the eq channel, this seems mostly to be too-high bass and too-cut midrange. Can any of the real experts explain this phenomenon?

Also, do any women notice the complementary problem, where they don't like how they sound with a male host? When I host, I try and boost lows and tweak mids down when women sing, such that it makes it sound good to me. I sort of have a starting point for a song based on the expected vocal range.

_________________
[color=#ffff55]Mickey J.[/color]
Alas for those who never sing, but die with all their music in them.
-- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

I hear ya.. (In my best basso profundity)

My voice is pretty low down.. unless drunk..and then I can't hear it..

I'm good to go as a baritone, but I think a solid basso profundo is the coolest sounding.

JD, you ever sing any Junior Brown? THAT would be cool...

_________________
"No Contests, No Divas, Just A Good Time!"

" Disc based and loving it..."

Female host here, because I work with my own voice so often, I tend to be able to find the mix quicker with other females of a similar range (mezzo-soprano). I do struggle with males that sing Bass, mainly because the ones that visit my show either cannot sing or use mic technique , so the lower notes tend to get lost in the mix because the singer can go from inaudiable to ear piercingly loud in a matter of milliseconds.

I'm a happy to adjust my mix if anyone asks (after all every ear is different)... but would love an idea of a general settings on my mixing desk if a Bass singer starts.

_________________
'A genius is one who can do anything except make a living'. Joey Adams.

I have a "general setting" that I use for the equalizer and use the mic channel to adjust the singers' microphone depending on their unique requirements. I've seen KJ's use the main EQ to do the same and all that does is change the music along with it...

As a singer, I've also found that if you are having trouble hearing yourself, don't try to listen to both speakers (usually behind you). Instead, ignore one speaker and "key" off of the speaker that you're closest to.

Not a perfect solution, but better than nothing if the KJ doesn't know what they're doing...

As the old saying goes, "It is a poor workman who blames his tools." In my experience the reason that a singer sounds bad is that the singer sounds bad. If the KJ is not much of a audio-engineer you just have to work around it.

_________________
Okay, who took my pants?

Agreed.

When someone asks; "You're gonna make me sound good, right?" I simply tell them that I can do what I can, but I'm not a magician.

I like singing higher pitched songs. One of the best KJs I've had was one who actually didn't know sound all that well. She was just filling in for awhile, an ex-bartender and friend of the KJ who probably had to work other places during that period. She always would crank everything up and also gave me some nice reverb or echo or whatever. It's nice being able to sing a song like Boston's Long Time and not have my voice worn to a frazzle in the middle of the song, you know, right where you have to sing "Yeaaaaaahh!" It's nice being able to control the sound just my distancing the mic from your mouth. I complimented her on her sound.

Good sound can be hard to get. Too bad it doesn't come with the karaoke disc!

The A above middle C is 440 hz. So the top line of the bass clef is at 220hz and the 1st space A then falls at 110 hz.

To be classified as a bass a man must be able to sing down to an F two whole steps jbelow that. I personally can sing down to a D, but there are men who can go much lower including a Russian counterbass who manages to put out a rock solid GG!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WpD2Cspn6g

The rolloff on the SM-58 is at roughly 100 hz.

In other words, once a bass singer gets a tad below the low A, the bass singer's low notes are getting attenuated by the limitations of the microphone. That's why some of the bass singers low notes just disappear. If you were to listen to him sing without the microphone you'd have a better idea of whether or note he was really attempting something out of his range or not.

A condensor microphone might actually be a better choice for certain songs.

So that's why everyone points and laughs..

I must not have been clear in what I wrote.

It isn't that I can't sound good -- I can. I do sound pretty good when mixed properly. I even tend to go back to the shows that make me sound good. When I run my own show, I find it easy to make the low tones stand out and transmit the timbre of my voice. No special microphone is necessary, though better ones do better and in particular I find it difficult to make cheap wireless mics perform.

But when you up the bass and cut the midrange, it makes it all muddy. And it just kind of rumbles. No warmth or highlights at all. Which is what usually makes lower voices attractive.

This is why I have found that KJs who are basses or baritones themselves make me sound good -- because they have an incentive. Frequently, tenors or females don't seem to get it right. Not all, of course, but a whole lot.


In a live setting? I don't think you want an LD condensor, and an SM87 or the like is not necessary.

_________________
[color=#ffff55]Mickey J.[/color]
Alas for those who never sing, but die with all their music in them.
-- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

I find that I run my EQ completely flat on everything. My system sounds great, no EQ is needed.

I have been to some female host shows, and their EQ settings are just crazy.

That's what I said, when you posted your video.....don't remeber anything about your system sounding great, though.....

Mikey, I luv ya man ....but I wish you would rephrase your post's title.....maybe something like Baritone/Bass singing male Kjs seem to mix my voice best.....jr

It's hard to do a Leonard Cohen song most times. Plus I can't hear myself in the monitors and I've got to sing louder and it ends up being not lower.

You are getting diplomatic in your old age....good point.

_________________
[color=#ffff55]Mickey J.[/color]
Alas for those who never sing, but die with all their music in them.
-- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.