Karaoke Forums

Sure Chuck....whatever you say  :wink:

My Sierra Mist says otherwise though  LMAO

Obey the bubbles...the bubbles are your friends  :shock:

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[glow=violet] **Sing like nobody's listening...live like there's no tomorrow**[/glow]

Be one with the bubble...

I am the walrus bubble, koo koo ka choo

 :rotflmao:

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[glow=violet] **Sing like nobody's listening...live like there's no tomorrow**[/glow]

It is dangerous to just agree with me Sin.

Pulling away from the mic on louder notes is pretty common.  Singers do that in concert and on television all the time.

Personally I've had good results using a compressor.  Unless you over-compress there is not a noticeable difference in the sound quality.  If the compressor is set up correctly in the first place in can be a very effective tool.  The main issue is to determine how much compression is needed and then to not use more than you need.

The quality of the mic is also a factor.  Less expensive mics are subject to three things that drive singers nuts; 1) they contain little or no circuitry to control the "pop" that occur when you sing words that start with "P" or "B"; 2) they are prone to distortion especially when you sing loud; and 3) they have a much narrower frequency response than higher quality mics so your vocals can end up sounding dead because the highs and lows at the extreme end of the spectrum aren't coming through.

I recommend buying the best mic you can afford.  The Shure SM58 set the standard for vocal mics a long time ago and is still the choice of a lot of singers.  You can buy it these days for about $99.  It is a low impedence mic however so you also need to get an adapter that will convert the signal to high impedence or it won't work with your computer.

You would be surprised at how much difference a quality mic can make when you are recording or performing.

Larry

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"Life is too short for diet soda and lite beer"

Thanks Larry!!!!  

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[glow=violet] **Sing like nobody's listening...live like there's no tomorrow**[/glow]

I was thinking about this all night and I do believe that the size of the microphone really does matter. I hope I didn't alienate anyone with that statement.

Mic sizes does matter (heh, heh) but quality is important too.

I have the same volume problem, and I pull back, too. I like to keep my high notes in my mezzo voce instead of kicking up into my wafer-thin head voice and sometimes I gotta push a little. And Michael is right...my teacher phrased it a little different, tho...he said to approach high notes from "above" instaed of reaching "up" for them. Even when this doesn't help my voice, it impoves my confidence as to whether I am gonna hit 'em or not immeasurably.

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[glow=darkorchid]Musica delenit bestiam feram[/glow]

Chuck,

I think size doesn't matter only if you have nothing to compare it to (whatever "it" happens to be).  

Geez, all this philosophical talk on a Monday morning before a Tuesday holiday is getting me down!

And I'm happy to say that you didn't alienate me.  That happened long ago in a crop circle in Nebraska.  As I recall they had peculiarly shaped heads and claimed to be from France.


Larry

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"Life is too short for diet soda and lite beer"

I hope they offered you some beer and scrambled eggs like the family on TV did.

Naw.  But they did check my parts.  After they checked my boot size (13D) one of the females (at least I think it was a female) nodded knowingly and they cut me loose.

Now I wish I hadn't told that story.  I feel compelled to buy a mobile  home, have all my teeth but two pulled and have intimate relations with my girl cousins.

Larry

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"Life is too short for diet soda and lite beer"

GiGi says she likes the way I hold a mic. I don't know what that means but if it makes her happy...

Mic choice can eliminate very much of the problem. But because the average mic used by the average home recordist, are over sensitive with no electronics as said earlier. Vocal technic is the starting place. And compression, although invaluable at times, will not get rid of the distortion at the mic end. I try not to use compression unless there is no way around it. Just comes from being a studio tech. The cleaner the sound source, the easier it is to mix with. I'm still pretty new to digital recording, but have found it's even more important to have a cleaner sound source. But barring mic quality and technic, compression cleans it up pretty much also. My problem is that my ears are so sensitive to high freq. noises, that I can hear the noises that compression makes, Most can't, as it is very high freq, and very low freq. out of the average hearing rang. Unfortunately, a silent dog whistle can put me flat on my back. It's a curse. .  :banghead:  :banghead:

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"Real life doesn't start untill the music plays." LSK.

My autistic brother in law has the same problem, he gets annoyed at sounds most people can't hear. (he can also see frame rates in movies) ...oops off topic  LOL

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Te audire no possum. Musa sapientum fixa est in aure. (I can't hear you. I have a banana in my ear.)

"Echo",

You're right.  Nothing will get rid of distortion.  I was really just talking about smoothing out some of the volume spikes—but not enough so that there are no dynamics at all.

I've been playing rock & roll for most of the last 40 years so my hearing is not as sensitive to certain frequencies as it once was.  I know what you mean about the dog whistle though.  A wolf whistle sometimes has that effect on a lady.  If it's the right lady and she's in the mood.

Larry

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"Life is too short for diet soda and lite beer"

Hey Sinn... I'm too lazy to look back and quote you.. but have you tried an external sound card? It might help! You plug your mic into that.. it works great and they are not all that expensive.

I just got a Shure SM58 and I'm verrry excited woo!  :dancin:

EDIT:OK... I went back and quoted ya... I'm backassword today..

I know size matters and a lot of us make do with what we have on hand.

The other night I was at a karaoke show and the mic stand went limp during my song. That was so embarrassing. The jock looked at me like it was my fault. The guys in the audience commisserated but the women laughed. It was a sad day. Oh, poor me.

Chuck,

You are in bad shape buddy.  But don't worry . . . it happens to everybody now and then.  

If you are looking for a cure, be careful.  I knew a guy who was really thinning on top and he was having performance problems too.  He took Viagra and Rogaine at the same time.  All it did was to make his hair stand on end.

Larry

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"Life is too short for diet soda and lite beer"

I thought of viagra but someday it might be considered a performance enhancing drug in karaoke. I would like to be able to say I never did that. I just want to retain some self respect.