Suddenly Feel Tone Deaf...

[cutaia]

I recorded some vocals last night, and for some reason this morning some of them sound off to me.  Transposing some of the lines half a step makes it sound right to me, but then a little later it seems wrong again.

 

I don't know what's happening.  This ever happen to anyone?  Do I just need to let my ears rest?

[Rudi]

I have had a similar experience. I dont think you are going tone deaf.

There may be something in your recording that your ears are 'tuning' to. Something at odds with the vocal and possibly with other instruments in the mix?

 

I assume there are other instruments in the mix. It should be easier to find if its just one guitar (or piano) on its own.

Check the bass sounds. They tend to work subliminally. Dont discount any percussion sounds either.

If you have several instruments, try switching them in or out.

 

If you were going tone deaf. you probably wouldnt notice anything wrong.

 

Good luck

[The S]

Yeah, that was what I was thinking too, are all other instruments in tune? 

 

S

[cutaia]

I just went through and checked all the instruments by themselves and in various combinations without the vocals and it all seems fine there.  (I know what you mean about bass being a little weird sometimes, though.  I've definitely had that one happen to me.)

 

And most the vocals seem fine, too.  But every now and then I just hear one or two lines that make me go, "Wait a second...is that off?"

 

It's weird.  Gonna just give myself the rest of the day off and see if I can suss out which vocals need to be fixed after a good night's sleep.  lol

Edited July 27, 2015 by cutaia

[The S]

Sometimes you sing a note which isn't in that chord, could it be something like that? For example the note you're singing makes it a, lets say a major 11th chord and you're not supporting that note with the correct chord. If you're then off just slightly in the vocals it can sound weird quickly. Just throwing that out there. Post it if you want additional help. I'm sure people here would find the reason and solve it for you.

 

Good luck!

 

Cheers,

 

S

[cutaia]

Yeah, I think that's exactly what I'm gonna do soon...is post it over on the critique board. Some of the folks here have much better ears than I for stuff like this.

Thanks all.

[cutaia]

I figured it out!

 

It truly was me just totally screwing up a few lines by a half step.  No idea why I did that during recording, but whatevs.  For anyone who finds this thread in the future, this was how I figured it out where I messed up:

 

I just played the vocal melody on a piano so that I could then compare that version to my vocals, and once I had it down to just those two tracks, it suddenly became super easy to figure out which lines were off.

 

Thanks for the help guys.