Comments for VoiceCouncil Magazine

Comment on The Latest Mics for Vocalists -NEWS RELEASE by Chris

Chris — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 09:30:00 +0000

I completely agree… I reviewed one for VoiceCouncil a while back and was so impressed replaced most of my 58s with D5s. For the price it’s hard to beat.

Comment on Review: Sennheiser’s freePORT Wireless Mic by Vrateshraikar

Vrateshraikar — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 09:00:00 +0000

guys, i have purchased freeport, but for live shows its lacking in its durability ,it gets crake when said loud i m very disappoint by taking & suggest you to not to take it plz……….

Comment on Pop Shields and Women’s Tights by Anthony

Anthony — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 04:47:00 +0000

Yep…I get it!
Please email attach me one of your mic pencils. I hope it’s XP and USB compatible tho’ !
While you’re at it , when is the WM HAT going to be in your webshop?
So much for the humour……….now the tears!

About 35 years ago at a garage sale I got a Ribbon Mic a bit like the RCA44. Fellow Technicians who were not Musos like me told me it was the best thing on earth for fidelity recording. I tried it with my tape recorder and it worked in a fashion but not as well as the dynamic one I got from my workplace which was the Sony Service Centre then. It looked big and bulky and porting it around was a bit of nuisance. As the dynamic did the job I wanted and I was clearing out the place…I chucked it in the garbage Bin!!!!!

Don’t say anything Wes…………..just don’t say anything!

Comment on Justin Timberlake’s Mic Chain by seo

seo — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:28:00 +0000

gives me a different pleasure to watch justin timberlike. I love the music of both the personality of both. I really thank you very much for the super-video.

Comment on The Latest Mics for Vocalists -NEWS RELEASE by sing60s

sing60s — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:15:00 +0000

akg d5 takes some beating for quality and price i,ve used sm58 for years and its been great but this d5 beats it in my opinion

Comment on The Latest Mics for Vocalists -NEWS RELEASE by Chris

Chris — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:48:00 +0000

With so many new products being released it was impossible to cover everything I’m afraid. The new Line 6 XD-V Series mentioned does include a couple of wireless headset mics (the HD-V70HS and HD-V30HS) that you might want to check out.

Comment on The Latest Mics for Vocalists -NEWS RELEASE by Andygreatrix

Andygreatrix — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 13:16:00 +0000

How come there are no headset microphones (Preferably wireless)mentioned?

Comment on Take Control of Your Environment by MisterTim

MisterTim — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 04:03:00 +0000

Martin, there are many, many environmental factors I did not mention, but smoke-related, that’s a big one. I have such a violent reaction to smoke (can’t sing a lick!) that I keep myself out of any and all places where I might have to face that. Not all singers have that option, but I like the way you plead your case.

Don’t even get me started on singers who smoke…Related is fragrances: I have an allergic reaction to perfume and cologne, so I specify on my rider that all environs be fragrance-free.

Comment on Vocal Play by Bill

Bill — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 04:00:00 +0000

Best thing I have heard in months, and inspiring

Comment on Vocal Play by MisterTim

MisterTim — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 03:56:00 +0000

Scat, baby, scat!

Comment on Nia Fisher – I Wish You Love by Niafisher

Niafisher — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 17:36:00 +0000

Thank you so much Brian, it is so interesting and valuable to receive feedback on how others hear you….much appreciated!….Nia.

Comment on Nia Fisher – I Wish You Love by Brian K. Stevenson

Brian K. Stevenson — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 16:57:00 +0000

Hello Nia,

Beautiful Setting. I feel that the ambience of one’s creative space is truly important. Your piano skills are very nice. I enjoy the way you’ve relaxed into this song…doesn’t feel forced at all. You do get a lil’ pitchy when you let your vocal notes trail. Work on singing from your belly vs. your nasal mask and you’ll lend a special, angelic, quality to your voice without sounding strained. Thanks for the upload; I look forward to more!

Namaste,
Brian Stevenson
http://www.ujiya.com

Comment on Gary Teed – When You Say Nothing At All cover by Brian K. Stevenson

Brian K. Stevenson — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 16:49:00 +0000

Hiya Gary,

First off, what a kick arse pad you’ve got there to create in! You’ve got an easy breezy way about you. I’d like to see that come through in your playing…relax a lil’ n’ you’re golden! I enjoy the husky, real, nature of your voice…takes me back to the days of Stan Rodgers. You picked a good tune and style for your playing and voice. Thanks for sharing.

Namaste,
Brian Stevenson
http://www.ujiya.com

Comment on Amee van kuyk – Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Demons by Brian K. Stevenson

Brian K. Stevenson — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 16:40:00 +0000

Hiya’ Amee,

Very intitmate setting…using the reverb in the room…not too shabby. If you moved the mic closer it would sound a lil’ less tinny – food for thought. You’ve got the image, skills, and uniqueness to face the challenges of the music industry. I’ve not heard this song before – so, if it’s an original = bravo zulu! You sound a bit like Drew, from the latest season of X Factor – you should audition!

Namaste,
Brian Stevenson
http://www.ujiya.com

Comment on Pat Fultz – Pretty Woman cover by Brian K. Stevenson

Brian K. Stevenson — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 16:35:00 +0000

Hiya Pat,

Nice setup! Sounds good and you look comfortable playing. Just a thought…since you’ve got such great gear, how about jacking into your mixer to create some track separation? You’re definitely fun and on key and Roy’s a tall order to cover! I think we could hear you better if things were mixed better…backing track’s a lil’ brash. All in all, very fun and enjoyable!

Namaste,
Brian Stevenson
http://www.ujiya.com

Comment on Meghan – Rolling in the Deep cover by Brian K. Stevenson

Brian K. Stevenson — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 16:28:00 +0000

Ok Meghan,

You’re just awesome! Such great voice control and voice dynamic for being so young. I do hope that you keep going with this…you need a lil’ training, but Wow, what a great stock singing voice. It does my heart good to hear someone so young singing so well with such emotion. You’re very good my friend!

Namaste,
Brian Stevenson
http://www.ujiya.com

Comment on Gary Teed – When You Say Nothing At All cover by Anonymous

Anonymous — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 02:45:00 +0000

I’ve got kidney disease too–5 1/2 years on dialysis, 3 years w/ transplant–so I sympathize. Your voice has awesome tone, but the rhythm of your guitar playing is too mechanical. Try starting slow, building up, or just mixing it up somehow–slow, fast, slow etc. It’s OK to improvise with covers. Put your own stamp on it!

Comment on Steamer Johanson – Hey Little Girl by Steamerjohanson

Steamerjohanson — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 04:35:00 +0000

Thank you very much, the song is a little unconventional, and I wasn’t sure how it would be recieved

Comment on Steamer Johanson – Hey Little Girl by Steamerjohanson

Steamerjohanson — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 04:30:00 +0000

Thanks for the advice, I will try a mic and maybe not so close to the camera

Comment on Vocal Play by Jessica Nabb

Jessica Nabb — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:54:00 +0000

Mr Tim, I think I love you! After watching you put your money where your mouth is I didn’t think I could possibly love you more, but then I watched you play a crap song on the crap-a-zoo and, well, I’m in love! Thanks for an awesome post, I’m off to scat to every song in the shopping mall :-)

Comment on Hell, Damnation and Vocal Technique – Chuck Billy of Testament by kenn l

kenn l — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:03:00 +0000

Thanks for the info, Great Music! I’m an old head that came thru the 60s and I love the energy and attitude of your band and of your vocal work. I think it’s important for the up and coming young singers to realize how important correct vocal habits can be to in protecting their throat and voice. A good teacher will show them how to breath correctly and how to warm up so they can sing night after night with little damage. Invest in a good mic and practice practice practice. Lots of water and rest and just taking good care of your overall health is so important. Keep on Stompin. Peace, -Kenn Lynn

Comment on Why Singers Need Water by LindaB

LindaB — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:49:00 +0000

We can’t hear this kind of information too often. Thank you.

Comment on The Latest Mics for Vocalists -NEWS RELEASE by Tina Arnold

Tina Arnold — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 10:40:00 +0000

Great artical, lots of good information for us now that we are looking into buying new equipment for our stage.
Thanks.

Comment on Review: Masterwriter’s Lyric Writing Software by Fastplans

Fastplans — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 19:49:00 +0000

It’s just not worth it!

Let me list some negatives.1. cost = $199 even with a discount you are paying way too much, for the value you receive.2. limited to 2 installs. this is a real pain. if your computer crashes you will have to call the support even if you have your cd’s3. awkward to use.

I purchased mine in 07 and I used it off and on (mostly not). I just called support and i have to buy an upgrade to load. (“because they dont support this version anymore”). I didnt get my moneys worth the first time, so im not going down that road again.

FREE ALTERNATIVES
Free Rhyming dictionaryhttp://www.rhymezone.comhttp://www.rhymer.com

Free writing lyrics and chords
(this is far better than what Writer gives you. you can put your chords with the lyrics and the chords move above the line of words. you can also transpose the whole song to a different key. very useful)http://praisebase.comStore your chord charts, lyrics, midi and MP3

Free Drumshttp://www.threechords.com/hammerhead/download.shtml

Free Recordinghttp://audacity.sourceforge.net/

spend your money on the things you need – NOT THIS!

Comment on Too Much Mucous by Anthony

Anthony — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 01:36:00 +0000

There is nothing like learning something really useful from the bona-fide experience of others is there?
But I don’t expect anyone to just take my word for what I found and beneficially experienced from either, in this wide and sometimes wicked world.

So for those of you who wish to investigate this further…here is the link.

http://www.earthclinic.com/Remedies/hydrogen_peroxide_inhalation.html

Never mind about Happy New Year!
I wish all of you a long and happy, Viscous-Mucous-Free future !

Anthony

Comment on Too Much Mucous by Anthony

Anthony — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 01:30:00 +0000

I note with some chagrin that avoiding spicey foods has been recommended. For some people this may suit their digestion and preference or reactive allergic tendency when consuming such foods.
However, I always have found that after eating a moderately spicey curry or even stronger, that it has a dramatic effect and improves my ability to EXPECTORATE VISCOUS MUCOUS.

Viscous mucous?……….You are hearing this from “Mr.Mucous”, I kid you not !

Comment on Songwriter’s Block? by Guest

Guest — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 01:09:00 +0000

bobcat I hadnt written in a while. Then I started writting for an audio/drama company with drama writers,a title and a story line. it seemed easy enough, but it wasnt my story.Sometimes, it was athought, a name and astory about two guys from west bum screw,who were twenty eight,never been laid and were on a singles cruise.Stories like that freaked me out for a while.It had to be done in two weeks,and the pressure was on.I bitched and moaned for a while.lot of rewrites.I got them done,and they made me stronger.Now Im back at the same place, so Ill try your method. THANKS

Comment on Too Much Mucous by Anthony

Anthony — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:40:00 +0000

I had been trying to find a remedy for my producing tenacious mucous day and night for the past 60 months. I took pills and potions and inhalers, had scans to check my swallowing problem and difficulty clearing my throat, and a Specialist look down my throat with his FibreOptic Gizmo up my nose, who charged me $150 to tell me what I already knew about my having Hay Fever. My doctor dithered about being reactive rather than proactive with treatment.
So there I was…….still with same dilemma. Then I just happened to stumble across a website where simple treatments for common ailments were readily and freely available.
Shock and suprise……….it was advocated that inhaling 4 or 5 puffs of a 3% Hydrogen Peroxide Solution mist a couple of times daily would help battling Lung and mucous problems and that daily drinking a cup of diluted Apple Cider Vinegar would be beneficial as an overall sort of tonic.

“What a crock!” I at first thought………how could what I thought that ladies use to bleach their hair be in any way efficacious or beneficial?

Well…well……well…..Surpise! Surprise!

I took up on the advice to try it out and……

Within a few days and for the very first time in a few years, I felt the mucous becoming less and less in quantity……..I persisted and two weeks later, I no longer have that awful choking mucous I found so hard to expel and cope with and I can sing again!
My mucous is now almost loveable……. I know my body has to produce it so I get it………but boy can I breathe and sleep better, not choke easily, and am feeling so good that I have re-started the musical career I put on hold for thirty five years.

Comment on VoiceCouncil’s Guide to Free Recording Software by Anthony

Anthony — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 20:48:00 +0000

I use Audacity and it does a great job overall for a freebie, so critiqueing its limitations is I guess in some ways an unfair thing to do. However I would sum it up thus:-
For the “At-home-studio” Muso a very useful programme to use to accept Analogue audio from another source and work with to produce a mixed track result.
The more the tracks, the decidely lower the quality of the final mix. I have achieved four-voice over-dubbs which it handles quite well…in fact it does so, far better than my overstretched vocal chords !
If you commence a recording which you then wish to abandon and delete, I have found it best to close and re-start the programme each time because using the Pause button prior to pressing the Record Button and then re-pressing it to start the recording only works in the first instance of each recording.

How could I possibly complain though? Audcacity enabled me to produce my first two CD tracks which I then used Windows Media Player to burn as Mp3 files to CD’s as gifts for the family. I learned a great deal from the experience and this is what makes using it so worthwhile.
Now I am going on to working with a professional Sound Engineer who is using Pro-tools to produce what I am hoping will be a really top-quality Audio outcome of my compositions.

Anthony

Comment on Take Control of Your Environment by Martin DeBourge

Martin DeBourge — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:19:00 +0000

Excellent article.
One thing I am surprised you didn’t mention: band members who smoke.
I’ve noticed this can also be problematic when rehearsals are being held at the smoker’s residence. Controlling this environment doesn’t always go over well.

Usually, I’m able to plead my case if I liken it unto a guitarist being asked to work his fingers in sub zero temps.