What's Wrong with the Vocals (on My Latest Release)?

[@danjeans2024]

Love this one, My favourite of yours to date. Thanks for all your great vids!

[@jasonelambeth]

It’s wild how having kids changes things. I quit making music for about fives years and when I came back to it, I too found myself singing quieter. For the same reasons, I was usually recording at night or during naptime. It also made me write shorter songs just so I could get through a take without interruption. 😂

[@karsinokuuni3208]

I really enjoy the quiet, almost whispered vocals. They have a very intimate and relaxing quality to them. I think they also worked really well with the lofi sound of the early voice memo version you showed here.

[@JordanSeal]

Thanks! And someday, I’ll figure out how to make a full recording/arrangement sound like one of those reference demos… there’s something there that I really love.

[@karsinokuuni3208]

@@JordanSeal looking forward to it ✨

[@ianmargolycz]

I'm digging the softer vocal takes. I've done that alternating line thing a few times. Sometimes you gotta just try something. 😅 As for vocal styles, I definitely sang way louder in my teens (and probably not for the best). As I grew older and started living in apartments or shared living spaces I definitely started to quiet down my approach. I eventually got better at singing which helped but I do regret not learning how to project more. I think when I sing live I let things out a little more but when I record I have a tendency to hold back a bit, for better or worse. Sometimes you just do things out of necessity.

[@elliotttadanier5971]

I do think the more whispery delivery works better for this song. My music is almost entirely instrumental but sometimes I need to trick myself into playing something softer, so I will crank up the gain on the mic which forces me to play gently or it will clip and sound awful. I find the energy and approach to matter a lot when it comes to drums. I know there are all kinds of drum programming solutions, but if I want big rock drums I need to hit real drums hard to get in the right headspace to capture a performance that feels appropriately bombastic and aggressive. And some other person out there will insist they can do exactly the same thing in Steven Slate drums or whatever, and while that may be true from their perception I just personally can’t get as stoked about a midi controller. And I do think there’s something real about the way doing something physically demanding increases your heart rate and blood flow vs. plonking it out on a keyboard.

[@JasonCarrara]

You need to blend both singing styles. Think of it less in terms of volume and more like how much emotion comes through each note to find a good balance. If that makes any sense.

[@RobertGrayMusic]

It sounds to me as if you have a lot of tension when you are singing, and this is even more apparent when you sing quietly. Most people try and sing too high for their natural voice. Have you tried detuning your guitar and singing the songs at a lower pitch? That really helped me when I finally recognised that I was singing outside my natural range. Anyway, I really like your songs and your videos. I totally resonate with your philosophy! Keep up the great work.

[@JordanSeal]

Thanks for your comment... and I'm sure I do have a lot of tension when I sing 😂 Someday I'll really learn to sing... but until then, you're right, I'm probably pushing too high. I actually just detuned all of my guitars (to D or C# standard tunings), and it does make singing much easier. I should probably keep them there, but something always pushes me back to standard... I don't know what. And thank you for your kind feedback!