Stormy, 1967

[Rene Asologuitar]

Stormy, by Dennis Yost and the Classics IV, 1967

The band, founded by Dennis Yost, is known mainly for the hits "Spooky," "Stormy," and "Traces," released 1967 to 1969, which have become cover standards. I love these songs, truly classics from the sixties.

Stormy weather for a lot of people around the world.

Pray for Peace in Ukraine!


https://youtu.be/0MevOuzNhZE

[GregB]

Hi Rene

 

VERY enjoyable (hadn't heard this song before!).

 

Great guitar chords/sound and well sung with great EQ on the voice.  Structured well with steady build.

 

FIVE STARS!  

 

Greg

[Rene Asologuitar]

9 hours ago, GregB said:

Hi Rene

 

VERY enjoyable (hadn't heard this song before!).

 

Great guitar chords/sound and well sung with great EQ on the voice.  Structured well with steady build.

 

FIVE STARS!  

 

Greg

 

Hi Greg,

I wanted to ask you for your excellent ear.

I am using a new set-up on this recording.

I am using a new DAW, UAD Volt 2/76, and I also have Bose ToneMatch mixer.

I am hearing a "digital" sound out of my recording.

To me, the voice sound is very digital.

I just wanted your feedback art the "digital sound' of the vocals.

Respectfully,

Rene

[GregB]

Hi Rene

 

I'm an enthusiastic amateur ... so keep your expectations in check.  Yes, I DID hear some artefacts in the vocals but had assumed that was a 'sound' you has chosen!

 

It could be input clipping, crushing by excessive compression, level summing through any plugin chain, or purely a mismatch/fault with the external boxes), so you need to do some testing-by-omission. 

 

I'm not familiar with the Bose ToneMatch or the Volt, so I can't offer specifics for those.  NOTE. If just one guitar (mic/DI) and one mic for the vocal, I don't see why you'd have mixer before the AC/DC unit (2-channel Volt).  I think that most people mix in the DAW so and external mixer adds perhaps unnecessary complexity?  

 

My suggestion is to approach everything logically and test each element in the chain working backwards from the existing recording in the DAW.   Hopefully the guitar and vocal have been kept separate and are therefore two tracks in the DAW?  If so, mute the guitar, BYPASS all plugins (including on the master track), loop a problematic section, and listen to the vocal.  If the problem is still there, then it exists in the input pathway. Recording must never be too hot ... digital data has huge flexibility for increasing volume without distortion.   If recording levels are OK, then you need to test your boxes, settings, the individual channels (e.g. swap channels), and also the mic.  Personally, I'd remove the mixer completely from the chain.

 

If the problem has disappeared, then the issue is somewhere with the DAW processing.  Again with guitar muted, loop a section and isolate/test (bypass) the plugins on the vocal track and the master track.  Check the bounce settings are set at max quality (YouTube ALSO processes audio quality).  If the vocal sounds OK, unmute the guitar ... the problem may be with summing the vocal/guitar.

 

I often fail to explain myself clearly, so you're welcome to message me if you want to continue the discussion.  'Seeing' the setup and watching meters can help.

 

Good luck.  DAWs can be a nightmare and I applaud your courage to have changed your previous setup.

 

PS. Professionals like Clay and VoiceEx could probably identify the issue straight away.

 

Cheers,

Greg

[Rene Asologuitar]

Thank you so much.

I have a lot to learn.

[john]

Hey Rene

 

You struggle a little in your falsetto and upper range. For different reasons. You seem to rein in your upper register. Some work on those areas would help. Apart from that perhaps dropping it a semitone or two might be less of a stretch. You have some great bass tones in your voice.

 

Do you ever practice songs without playing the instrument? Try prerecording your guitar as a backing track to practice with. Then record the result and use your ear to work on vocal nuance and pick the versions that really work. You want to pick the lines that show of your voice to it’s best as well the tune. Then practice that vocal on it’s own with your backing track, and finally recombine.
 

Then perform! It’s amazing how many singer songwriters practice guitar in isolation but never do the same for their voice.

[Rene Asologuitar]

On 3/19/2022 at 5:50 PM, john said:

Hey Rene

 

You struggle a little in your falsetto and upper range. For different reasons. You seem to rein in your upper register. Some work on those areas would help. Apart from that perhaps dropping it a semitone or two might be less of a stretch. You have some great bass tones in your voice.

 

Do you ever practice songs without playing the instrument? Try prerecording your guitar as a backing track to practice with. Then record the result and use your ear to work on vocal nuance and pick the versions that really work. You want to pick the lines that show of your voice to it’s best as well the tune. Then practice that vocal on it’s own with your backing track, and finally recombine.
 

Then perform! It’s amazing how many singer songwriters practice guitar in isolation but never do the same for their voice.

 

Hi John,

You are absolutely correct.

I am struggling on the falsetto, and I used to get away with it a few years back, but vocal chords are not that stretchy anymore.

I have a guitar that I have tuned down 1 semitone, and I used that more now.  I am also pretty good at transposing chords, if I need to go down by2 semitones.  

Sometimes, I get in hurry, and impatient, would let a song recorded go out in the web, when, actually its not 100 percent.

I used to record my guitar, and actually record my vocals after, this is pure audio only recording.  But when I switched to "live" video+ audio recording, I was not able to really mess with vocals and instruments individually.

And most times, I let my sub-standard video recordings go out the web.

I am glad to hear your comments, which is actually pushing my to get my standards on a higher level.  Thanks.

I really do appreciate all your support and inspiration.

Respectfully,

Rene

 

 

[john]

A few quick questions:

 

Do you practice vocals, without playing the guitar at the same time?

Do you use vocal practice exercises?

Do you have a vocal warm up routine, and do you use it?

Do you make sure to keep yourself properly hydrated?

 

All of these things affect your vocal cords and how they are being used.

[Rene Asologuitar]

22 hours ago, john said:

A few quick questions:

 

Do you practice vocals, without playing the guitar at the same time?

Do you use vocal practice exercises?

Do you have a vocal warm up routine, and do you use it?

Do you make sure to keep yourself properly hydrated?

 

All of these things affect your vocal cords and how they are being used.

Here's my answers:

- I practice singing/vocal, and I always play the guitar at the same time.

- I do not have any vocal practice exercise, at all.

- No vocal warm-up routine at all, no warm-up, just coffee and practice singing the songs that we sing for church a few minutes before we sing.

- I am making sure that I am hydrated.  I do drink a lot of water, when I am not traveling.

 

You are absolutely right about these actions, for a good singer.

In fact, my daughter had rented an AirBnB in CA, for a few months ago, and the owners are opera singers.  We hear them both do their vocal exercises, everyday, and they are really good singers.  They have full control of their vocal system, very well.

I am far from that level of vocal mastery.

 

You really are a master in this field, and I really appreciate all your recommendations, they are well received and much appreciated.  

Thank you for all these.  You are a very good coach and mentor!!!

Rene