The Singers' Hub - Topic: Fine China (Chris Brown) http://thesingershub.com/forum/singing/fine-china-chris-brown/ Simple:Press Version 5.7.1 Sexy Beast on Fine China (Chris Brown) http://thesingershub.com/forum/singing/fine-china-chris-brown/#p1254 Singing http://thesingershub.com/forum/singing/fine-china-chris-brown/#p1254 "LOL @ the "sexy beast" bits"

Yeah I wanted to add some delay as well like: sexy beast beast beast... But couldn't get the settings on it right.

"The only thing I did notice right away is that think increasing the vocal weight sabotaged you a bit especially for a song like this that IMO doesn't really need it. But also it sounded like the extra effort you added did not benefit the sound. However I'm sure you could practice adding vocal weight with a teacher who can target that specifically and they'd help get it happening correctly in your voice. On your own you just seem to be approaching it incorrectly, that's my hunch. I wish I could tell you how to do it differently but being a naturally bigger voice I don't have much first hand experience trying to add weight to my singing. I tend to think more in terms of adding intensity anyways, maybe that little term-swap might help you approach it more organically."

I do think I'm approaching it correctly but yeah it could probably be better I guess. Feels easy but strong. I think I'm reaching my maximum intensity in places. Don't think I can add more weight - if I want to sing heavier I would need to switch vocal cords with someone else...

]]> Wed, 11 Feb 2015 02:19:21 -0500 OwenKorzec on Fine China (Chris Brown) http://thesingershub.com/forum/singing/fine-china-chris-brown/#p1250 Singing http://thesingershub.com/forum/singing/fine-china-chris-brown/#p1250 Second take is a little bit better at following Phil's points but I could tell you were thinking about things analytically and as a result you kinda lost the emotional convincingness of your voice to my ears, so ultimately I personally enjoyed your first take more. However this kind of analytical practice you're doing that's showing up in the 2nd take is really good for developing because it helps you make real technical changes quickly so you should definitely continue on it with this song for now. And then later on once all these technical changes are happening, you will notice it sounds right, has more dynamics, body connection, effects, etc. but still doesn't FEEL right listening back - at that point you go on to practice putting the technique to the back of your mind and just singing it like you mean it, and then maybe you compromise the SOUND a bit again and then it's a game of balancing the technique and the emotion and eventually you get them to click together. And you keep building like this in layers. You probably knew all of that already though LOL i'm just rambling.

I will let the others comment on further technical tweaks as they can all sing better than me Smile

The only thing I did notice right away is that think increasing the vocal weight sabotaged you a bit especially for a song like this that IMO doesn't really need it. But also it sounded like the extra effort you added did not benefit the sound. However I'm sure you could practice adding vocal weight with a teacher who can target that specifically and they'd help get it happening correctly in your voice. On your own you just seem to be approaching it incorrectly, that's my hunch. I wish I could tell you how to do it differently but being a naturally bigger voice I don't have much first hand experience trying to add weight to my singing. I tend to think more in terms of adding intensity anyways, maybe that little term-swap might help you approach it more organically.

LOL @ the "sexy beast" bits

]]> Tue, 10 Feb 2015 13:37:51 -0500 Sexy Beast on Fine China (Chris Brown) http://thesingershub.com/forum/singing/fine-china-chris-brown/#p1248 Singing http://thesingershub.com/forum/singing/fine-china-chris-brown/#p1248 Hey Owen have you listened to the new take I think it's better?

]]> Tue, 10 Feb 2015 13:18:10 -0500 OwenKorzec on Fine China (Chris Brown) http://thesingershub.com/forum/singing/fine-china-chris-brown/#p1247 Singing http://thesingershub.com/forum/singing/fine-china-chris-brown/#p1247 What Phil means about dynamics is WITHIN phrases. I remember I initially used to think about dynamics more as like verse softer chorus louder etc. as musicians are trained to think that way since that's how sheet music dynamics are usually presented. but that doesn't make enough impact. You need to have micro-dynamics (within phrases) as well as macro-dynamics (the changes from verse to chorus, etc). For most styles at least, definitely a song like this.

I've been working on the micro-dynamics they are REALLY F%*$^(N HARD lol

Btw, although may be biased because I'm just becoming obsessed with him lately, I think Jeff Buckley is a great example of most of the things Phil mentioned you to put more thought into. It's also really helpful to listen to live versions of his songs

]]> Tue, 10 Feb 2015 12:52:44 -0500 Sexy Beast on Fine China (Chris Brown) http://thesingershub.com/forum/singing/fine-china-chris-brown/#p1240 Singing http://thesingershub.com/forum/singing/fine-china-chris-brown/#p1240 Just posted a new take :)

]]> Tue, 10 Feb 2015 06:04:39 -0500 Sexy Beast on Fine China (Chris Brown) http://thesingershub.com/forum/singing/fine-china-chris-brown/#p1234 Singing http://thesingershub.com/forum/singing/fine-china-chris-brown/#p1234 Thanks for listening Phil!

About intensity and dynamics you might be right I don't know... I added a compressor to the vocals and I'm pretty sure it messed up some of that. I sang the pre-chorus and chorus pretty loud compared to the beginning (more of an easy medium volume) but you can't really hear that on the recording... actually when I listen back to it it sounds weird because it doesn't accurately portray the way I was singing it. I honestly think my mixing skills play a big part in this.

What exactly do you mean when you say my rythm is stiff?

Yezzir I will try add some more color and effects.

Might post an other take today... let's see Wink

Btw: where's your cover of "After The Love"? I'd love to hear it!

]]> Tue, 10 Feb 2015 02:15:11 -0500 Phil Moufarrege on Fine China (Chris Brown) http://thesingershub.com/forum/singing/fine-china-chris-brown/#p1233 Singing http://thesingershub.com/forum/singing/fine-china-chris-brown/#p1233 Hi Sexy Beast,
Nice job. I think the things that will help you are the following:
- working on MOVING the notes dynamically. You sing in one intensity from start to finish and don't add any movement to it.
- your rhythm is very stiff, you need to sing from the BODY more.
- singing from you body more will also help you add more vocal weight into the sound which I think you need to get going. It's nice to start off with that light mix but I think it needs to grow from there and move.
- VOCAL FX. where are your cries, growls, gasps, snaps etc. get your emotions in there more and let it come out through the music!!! Add breathiness in some places, add fry in some places, add grit in other places, swells etc!
What will help you also is opening up to bigger vowels in certain areas instead of singing the whole thing with that covered sound.

I hope this helps. Post another take! I wanna see you lose control more and get out of the safe zone, at the moment you're tip toeing around your voice. By the way you never responded to my email when you emailed me a few months back.

]]> Tue, 10 Feb 2015 01:32:20 -0500 TommyTheHat on Fine China (Chris Brown) http://thesingershub.com/forum/singing/fine-china-chris-brown/#p1229 Singing http://thesingershub.com/forum/singing/fine-china-chris-brown/#p1229

Sexy Beast said

Didn't know my diction was so bad... shit...

Well, it could be my ears...lol

]]> Mon, 09 Feb 2015 15:21:29 -0500 Sexy Beast on Fine China (Chris Brown) http://thesingershub.com/forum/singing/fine-china-chris-brown/#p1227 Singing http://thesingershub.com/forum/singing/fine-china-chris-brown/#p1227 Thanks Tommy :) English is my 3rd language if you really wanna know... Didn't know my diction was so bad... shit...

Owen, thanks for the tips!

]]> Mon, 09 Feb 2015 15:08:06 -0500 OwenKorzec on Fine China (Chris Brown) http://thesingershub.com/forum/singing/fine-china-chris-brown/#p1225 Singing http://thesingershub.com/forum/singing/fine-china-chris-brown/#p1225 Great first try!

I found there's an a capella track, might be cool to study if you want to pick up some of the mixing aspects they did as they did mix these vocals extremely well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoMfZW

It is pretty advanced mixing though. I can tell you all about if you want but I would recommend starting basic - my first recommendation would just be to add compression at the start of your chain (I posted a thread earlier about how to adjust settings) and then add on a stereo reverb as you did but pick a medium length preset (between 1-2 sec is pretty standard if it shows you the time) rather than the short one you chose (which is fine, but less common and effective). A well tweaked compressor followed by a well tweaked medium size/length stereo reverb (make sure you use a stereo track) is, in my view, "home base" for any vocal mixing.

]]> Mon, 09 Feb 2015 14:10:58 -0500 TommyTheHat on Fine China (Chris Brown) http://thesingershub.com/forum/singing/fine-china-chris-brown/#p1223 Singing http://thesingershub.com/forum/singing/fine-china-chris-brown/#p1223 Can't mix? lol....I am the king of non mixing...recording illiterate. I don't know crap about recording and really don't care. I am a live singer. Come hear me live and if you like it great, if not so be it. But "live" is all me. Recording is me "fixed." Screw that!!! I just want to sing and be a singer. Not a recorder or sing and then fix what I don't like. I just want to be me...raw. Laugh
When I record it's dry. I don't know shit about it so I just hit record and when I'm done I hit save. That's it!

I thought you sounded great and actually I thought the recording sounded fine. Better than mine...ha ha. As I stated in another post and now I think I may be right....accent! I am guessing English isn't your first language. I think your singing is really good. I just can't understand most of the words...lol. No biggie. A bit of an accent. But great stuff man. The singing is real good.

]]> Mon, 09 Feb 2015 13:18:58 -0500 Sexy Beast on Fine China (Chris Brown) http://thesingershub.com/forum/singing/fine-china-chris-brown/#p1222 Singing http://thesingershub.com/forum/singing/fine-china-chris-brown/#p1222 Should work now!

]]> Mon, 09 Feb 2015 13:01:08 -0500 TommyTheHat on Fine China (Chris Brown) http://thesingershub.com/forum/singing/fine-china-chris-brown/#p1221 Singing http://thesingershub.com/forum/singing/fine-china-chris-brown/#p1221 The link doesn't work

]]> Mon, 09 Feb 2015 12:53:42 -0500 Sexy Beast on Fine China (Chris Brown) http://thesingershub.com/forum/singing/fine-china-chris-brown/#p1220 Singing http://thesingershub.com/forum/singing/fine-china-chris-brown/#p1220 Just made a new recording :) I think it's better what do you guys think?

https://app.box.com/s/snp2n22y25gkcnujqjgv4emvzf915pv5

]]> Mon, 09 Feb 2015 12:35:47 -0500