I am an absolute beginner in singing and I honestly never liked the way i sound when speaking neither but for some reason i seem to sound way more bland when i am trying to sing most stuff. And I realized that i had no problem with recording something at least tolerable to work with when i tried to sing my favorite songs but for the rest of the stuff i am trying to record (including my own lyrics that i written for my own compositions) it just sounds boring. I mean its not necessarily awful or exceptionally cringy but it just sounds boring.

I could really use some techniques or exercises to atleast patch it up a little if not completely. I really would like to get a teacher or a tutor for it but i am kinda too shy to take that way unless i have to

Thanks in advance

 

Well, I always go old school- double-track! Or even triple track. And don't tune it (unless it's really bad). Let the stacking do its magic. Hey, it worked for Ozzy.

 

There are three things happening:

1. People naturally do not like the sound of their own voice because they are not used to how their voice actually sounds. When we speak, our voice resonates internally, so that on top of the sound you project through the air is what you are used to hearing. So, recording yourself externally will sound bad to you at first.

2. This is a problem I have had with a lot of amateur singers that jump into an original project and they do not get it and struggle, even if they may seem vocally adept. When you sing covers and whatnot, the artist/songwriter has already laid the foundation for you in terms of the delivery of emotion and performance, the "pocket" (rhythm and space) where the vocals sit, and subtle, nuanced intonations and interesting melodies. Doing an original song, you are crafting all of these things yourself, so if you are not experienced, it's gonna come across as flat and missing substance, hence why you find your own compositions boring. This takes time and I suggest to keep at it, writing, and finding yourself. You're already off to a good start.

3. You don't have enough vocal training. Without knowing you or how you sound, I can't recommend any advice, which is more the reason to get a teacher if you can afford it. No need to be shy about it, being confident in yourself is important, especially when it comes to singing. But if you want some techniques to set you off in the right direction, to a beginner, I would suggest prioritizing vocal control and range first, and focusing on developing good technique, not putting all the strain on your neck, learning to breathe and sing with your diaphragm. Practice good tone and learn to incorporate vibrato later on, and this can be a way to make things sound natural and less "boring". Think of a violin, why do you think vibrato makes it sound so expressive and intimate ? Of course, it should be done in good taste. But really, get a GOOD vocal coach if you want to get your foundation right and are serious about singing.

 

Do all that, then double-track it.

 

99% of the acapellas I hear fall into the 'boring' bracket.

My process is,

Triple Track:

1) Track 1 Dry with just EQ (Sibilance removal, de-esssing, etc)

2) Track 2 = as track 1 with EQ, but played at between 0.04 and 0.08 milliseconds behind (used for effect only, so should be barely audible)

3) Track 3= EQ and a combination of Distortion, Saturation, Compression, Delay and reverb as needed. Combine levels with the first 2.

I also like using a fair amount of gated delay side chained from track 3 on a return channel.

 

keep doing it! the best way to learn to like how you sound is to do it until you like it. experiment with how you sing as well as processing. think of singing as acting, dont be afraid to get into character, or try different characters, use your voice creatively.

Process using the basics like eq, compression etc, but dont be afraid to reach for something weird too (infiltrator, baby audio transit etc). As others have mentioned stack those vocals! Depending on the singer and type of song, i will sometimes stack up to 10 vocals, usually its around 3-5 though. Carefully aligned and pitch corrected as needed. Good luck on your new adventure!

 

Look into iZotope Nectar, iZotope Vocalsynth & Waves OVox

 

Your first post.. Hello and welcome to AS.

I'll assume that your pitch isn't bad as you're not complaining about that. It sounds from your 'boring' description that what you are lacking is expression. In an attempt to get the most accurate pitch you're inadvertently smoothing out the expressive qualities. No amount of multi-tracking is going to change that. Follow that through to its ultimate conclusion and you'll do a good impression of a classical choir, which, however musical, won't be what you're looking for. Think of expression as exaggeration, the way an actor, poet, or comedian would deliver lines for a particular character they're conveying. The voice needs to convey passion for the listener to connect with (including yourself), which isn't entirely about pitch and melody.

As an example, think of how the following two lines would be delivered in the real world, complete with body language and exaggerated by an actors performance.

"Oh baby please don't leave me, you're my everything"

"Yeah babe, you try to leave and I'll fucking end you".

The difference in those lines is obviously a stark contrast and if delivered in the wrong manner it would completely destroy the context of the situation and fail to evoke the intended response.

Don't be afraid to laugh at how extreme you can get with expression and have fun. Many vocalists have gained huge success from expression alone without being remotely good singers.

Something I also come across on a regular basis are singers delivering lines in a very rhythmically uniform manner. It could be that you're choosing to sing very straight notes that fall flat on the beat, repeating the same groove throughout, which will make any melody intrinsically dull. Syncopation and phrasing is the answer to that. Experiment with off beat timings, stretching words, gaps, crescendos etc. Think percussively, like a beatboxer and integrate that into your performance (not the fake drum sounds of course, just the groove attributes). Rappers are worth looking at in this regard as they are adept at manipulating problematic lines into polyrhythms to fit the metre.

One final point. Is your music boring? Are you using very formulaic chord changes such as the ubiquitous I-V-vi-IV (C-G-Am-F) etc in a rhythmically constrained way? Whilst many great songs have been written around these type of sequences there are more often than not additional 7ths, suspensions and other alterations thrown in to elaborate and expand the harmonic structure. Once again the same timing principles as pertains to the vocal delivery apply. If you find that your songs are looking like chords that fall squarely into bars or subdivisions then look at shifting the changes off the beat.

 

Both Haze and Executioner gave very sound advice, but on the topic of your own music somehow being blander than your favorite covers I'd like to add that amplitude in the vocal lines (the agility and movement between higher and lower parts) are an important factor there. Usually singers sound good when they're at somewhere between 80% and 90% of their power and range, so you ll want to be in that area most of the time. Creating vocal lines that challenge your voice without overexerting and have enough amplitude and dynamics to remain interesting will go a long way towards feeling better about your singing.

 

Thanks to y'all for your priceless advices. Tips i got from you guys helped me massively but I also realized that my voice was actually not chronically boring at all once I added my classical and electric guitar tracks in the DAW, which was my ultimate goal since the beginning. To sing some homemade gibberish and play a few silly chords with maybe a solo on it.

I am going to elaborate it for those who got enough patience though. First of all, acting like i was being casted for a high school drama actually fixed like 60% of my problem. I just can't help but laughing at how easily it solved a huge part of my problem

And thanks a bunch for introducing me to the double tracking too. You are all gods among men for suggesting me to double track my vocals, because i honestly could not even imagine the difference it could make at all until I tried to incorporate it to my records.

My double tracked vocals sound a little delayed though, which gives a slightly odd vibe to my vocals since it kinda sounds like two people with identical voices trying to mimick each other. But I am pretty sure that's because i still couldn't figure out how to properly double track something, because its still a game changer even when its done in the crappiest way possible.

 

I think I know what you mean... I actually feel like my voice is also bland and I never have enjoyed hearing it, and I did a solo project where I really wanted to sing my own stuff. I wound up just kind of going for it and singing way over the top, like a imitation of David Bowie doing an imitation of Anthony Newley On one hand it was ridiculous but I actually wound up really liking the results; at least it was interesting so that's the way I sing now

 

Voice is an emotional thing, it express our feelings and moods, if it seems boring to you it is probably because it doesn't express any of your real feelings. Try to work about your self-esteem and confidence, acting could work for someone other needs to find different ways.

 

Last edited: Sep 30, 2023

Yes, I have 3 tips.
1.practice
2.practice
3.practice

Nothing like fixing it from the source. It will aslo build up your confidence.

 

I learned how to sing by watching Bob Dylan concerts.

 

Overdo the dramatics, you'd be surprised what you can get away with!

I'd just add that there's no need to double track nowadays, you can get plug-ins that do it for you. This started with John Lennon's dislike of double tracking his vocals, which led to the use of a tape machine to do ADT: "automatic double tracking". The current VSTs use a similar process: they modulate the frequency and timing of the vocal signal to sound like a second take. Of course it's not as authentic as the real thing but it's much easier to do. I use the Toneboosters Voicepitcher 4 but there are others, including free VSTs.

 

I respectfully disagree. Don't be lazy. Your dedication will be rewarded. Automatic doubling isn't the same (although it can be a nice effect).

 

im just going to be ..... and say Practice sinnging more

 

Serious answer... Don't neglect to learn and practice scales, they'll give you pro-singer options.

 

Nope, there is a need, and we even triple-track harmonies, especially in big pop productions. A good example would be in thin performances, perhaps, a falsetto one. Double tracking thickens the sound. Even if we slap autotune, and make it as tight as possible, slight differences in timing and tone create a bigger, thicker sound that's natural. You're also stacking the "performance" which adds to the main vocal as well.

Doubling is optional, but, no plugin has gotten the true effect of double tracking, and it definitely falls apart the less you rely on stereo imaging.