# Singing/growling volume



## Berserker (Dec 17, 2011)

Hi guys,

I was just wondering how loud death metal vocals should be performed... do people generally shout as loud as they can or do they let the mic provide the volume and sing at lower levels?

The reason I ask is because I can get my voice sounding pretty good at talking volume, but as soon as I try to get louder it sounds crappy and my throat hurts. This probably means I have bad technique, so any fool proof tips would be great.

I am only looking to record at the moment, not sing live but when I record my quiet vocals and play it back it still sounds quiet when I turn the volume up. Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated.


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## Osorio (Dec 17, 2011)

You should never ever sing to the point that it hurts. If you sing normally and it sounds too low, try to put a little more "space" in your singing: open your mouth more and try to have more control of the air flow. It's important to have "throat-control", as a former teacher would call it. Your mouth may be opened to what you believe is your full aperture, but you haven't gotten you larynx comfortable, relaxed enough to create a good resonance, which may make you sound thin and quiet.

Sorry for being vague, but when I was taking singing lessons, my teacher had the funniest ways of explaining stuff, which I don't think will do you much good (saying things like: "think of your voice horizontally"), you have to get a feel for what works with you and your technique. I'm just offering general singing advice.


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## Tomo009 (Dec 17, 2011)

How are you growling that it hurts and is only speaking volume? 

What I've always done and just sorta assumed was right because I've never had problems that weren't breath related is definitely louder than speaking volume, though not overly, wake up the neighbours loud. Sounds like you might be over-thinking your technique or something, all you should have to do is use your normal voice and then distort it just as you would when shouting/sighing/grunting in disapproval etc.

Also I believe when you record singing vocals you should have the input rather low and for growled vocals, you should run the mic a lot hotter so it distorts just a little but not cracks. I'm not exactly an expert on that though.


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## Berserker (Dec 17, 2011)

My throat doesn't hurt at low volume, just when I try to get louder. I think my technique must be all wrong but when I watch tutorials I just don't seem to be able to get it right.


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## Solodini (Dec 17, 2011)

I've always heard that the noise you make when you vocalise a yawn should be a ghat you aim for, in method. I think that makes sense.


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## Tomo009 (Dec 17, 2011)

Berserker said:


> My throat doesn't hurt at low volume, just when I try to get louder. I think my technique must be all wrong but when I watch tutorials I just don't seem to be able to get it right.



I made the same mistake, it's really hard to actually describe how to growl. I was watching those tutorials and trying to force these "techniques" on myself and it was hurting or just not working very well (I have a terrible video I for some reason uploaded to youtube about 2 years ago with pretty bad technique...).

I only started to get comfortable once I gave up on tutorials and did what felt right to me, you really just do use your normal voice and just distort it, people have different methods of distorting. I've heard yawning (Solodini said), whispering, humming, that frustrated whinging sound etc. Now i just do exactly what feels natural, sounded terrible at first obviously but you keep working on it. Also this way it is MUCH easier to pitch myself, though I'm not great at that because I suck at singing. It also helps with breathing and with getting different sounds, it doesn't take me much effort to get a variety of sounds now, though again, you can't force it, it will be your voice..


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