Does my vocalist suck?

[chris_nairn]

Originally Posted by Blisshead

+1, or $0.04 total.

+1 more, for a total of $.08. Some of it is ok but he is rather hit and miss. I hope he takes criticism well or you and the others are going to have a hard time getting what you need from him. Good luck.

[Afrokid]

off topic but Arisen has a sick bassline kudos

[NKUSigEp]

Originally Posted by Mark Wilson

Call me ignorant, but he sounds like every other screaming/death metal singer I've ever heard.

You're ignorant...sounds nothing like death metal. However, you are partially correct. He does kinda sound like every other screamer in this new post-hardcore emo/screamo whatever you call it stuff, just WAY off key when he's straining to get to that point.

If y'all can't hear it, give it another listen and pay attention to where the instruments are, then check where he is. Sorry if I'm trashing the dude, especially if he's cool. Then I'll really feel like a *ick. And I know I can't do it any better, that's why I play bass. But if that's his job and he's not doing it, get him some help or move on.

A producer's gonna listen to the first 30 seconds of your material and make a decision from there if he wants to listen to the rest of the song. If he hears a singer that's off-key then guess what. He hits the suck-button and moves on with life.

[Zappstorius]

Originally Posted by Blisshead

+1, or $0.04 total.

Uhhh, 1 cent plus 2 cents equal 3 cents right?

[j-bass-kreep]

I like the guitar playing , lose the singer.

[chris_nairn]

Originally Posted by Zappstorius

Uhhh, 1 cent plus 2 cents equal 3 cents right?

nope not in this case

[zombywoof5050]

Originally Posted by chris_nairn

nope not in this case

Well if each of them put in $0.02, why'd you get to put in $0.04?

[chaosMK]

Wow, you guys kick ass. Had I known that a topic about my singer sucking would get people to listen to the music...

I like to think of this as data for my hypothesis. I guess he really does need some push in the right direction to do better than he did on the album. Thanks for raising the issue of the production too.

He's a cool guy all in all. He just calls singing along to the same Tool/Maynard songs all day practicing when the rest of us spend hours/years on real technique.

"Sounds like an emo version of Bruce Dickinson." That's poetry! I didnt realize our singer was emo. Emo Maynard maybe.

As for the bass tone, I am mainly using the Sansamp to get a slap sound that cuts through. The Bass 400 beefs up the low mids and mids. I have the pull switch on the preamp channel pulled to get the extra crispiness in Arisen. The 400 tone by itself is what I use at the end of The Cleansing.

[Josh Ryan]

Originally Posted by Zappstorius

Uhhh, 1 cent plus 2 cents equal 3 cents right?

+1, or, another .02, which would equal .04

Don't they teach ******* math in school anymore?

think of each two cents as a unit of one, then add two units of one (the plus one part) together. If you've followed along correctly, you get four cents.

[IconBasser]

yes. yes he does.

[b3zsgirl]

Okay, I have over 20 years as a vocalist, bass is more of my sideline. Your vocalist does not suck wholesale, and they lyrics are not really a problem from what I can hear.

There are a few pitch problems, but he can carry a tune and stay pretty well with it. I hear someone who could be a good vocalist, but is singing unsupported from his throat. A few voice lessons (and they would not even need to be expensive ones) could fix this. The keys may also be giving him some trouble. I think he is forcing his voice into an uncomfortable key. I would not know if it needed to be higher or lower until one fixes the support problem. I would suspect higher would help him from what I can hear. You have to think about that when you are putting together tunes. Is what you are doing going to work with his voice. All singers have that one key that just f***Ks up their tone because they are switching between falsetto and their chest tone.

How did you do this recording? Was it done live style, all in, or did you layer the tracks? The pitch issues could be a mix problem. If he can't hear his vocal well enough, then pitch problems will occur. An inexpensive in ear monitor may fix this.

Speaking from experience, no one likes the lead singer or dealing with the lead singer because they often have attitudes. However, on the other side it is harder than it looks/sounds to be a lead vocalist. If he is a good friend, you want him around, and he contributes, then treat him to some voice lessons which will extend the use of his voice, and get the ear monitor. If not, you may just want to cut him loose and let him find something that works better for his voice, and someone that works better for his sound.

[Lower-Than-Low]

Originally Posted by Daytona955i

I'll quote myself to add this after listening to a few more tracks...

Definitely dig your bass tone, did you mic you 400+ or is that the sansamp or did you use something else?

More about the singer... He's inconsistant, doesn't have that wide of a range, and the production quality of his vocals doesn't seem to be the same as the rest of the band in the recording.

If you really like him or would have a hard time finding a new singer, I'd suggest some vocal lessons or training as well as listening to some good influences or getting some help with flow.

I couldnt agree more, Music is totally awesome, singer needs to practice, and your tone is flippin sweet. Cuts thru great.

[MarkMyWordsXx]

hes not a glaring weakness, if hes not great tell him to make it up in the live show

[Booneman]

Originally Posted by Mark Wilson

Call me ignorant, but he sounds like every other screaming/death metal singer I've ever heard.

Agreed!

[Matt Till]

Vocals are generic, but not awful.


God, does your guitarist like artificial harmonics at all? Reminds me of Prong actually.

[agreatheight]

He's got room to grow, that's for sure. His singing is mediocre at this point, and his screams are generic. If you are patient, stick with him and get him some real training, he does sound like he has some raw talent. If you are impatient, cut him now.

Good luck.

[watspan]

off topic, but I thought it was the drummer who was really missing the boat errr... beat. but, this is not my style of music anyways so what do I know!

[MarchingPig]

The puking-style singing on the cleansing needs to stop....
I won´t say he´s bad, he just needs a bit help and just..... get better....