Even Flow Vocal

[JD01]

OK, this might seem a bit embarrassing. I've only managed one line so far - its fucking difficult. Its probably one of the most well known vocals off the early 90s and it only occurred to me today that it starts with a bloody tri-tone which makes it tricky to sing... for me anyway.

So far - Hi pass, very hard compression, 10:1 with about 10-15db of gain reduction - probably the hardest I've ever used a compressor.
Then it goes into a "tube saturation" plugin - the Camel Crusher. Then I EQ it - a hi-pass, small 400hz dip, 2.5k boost. Followed by a bit of delay, actually a bit more delay than I'd normally use and a send to reverb. Probably a bit more delay and a bit more reverb than I'd normally use.

Verse Vocal Level.mp3

While this isn't that bad - I can't help thinking that it sounds a bit small/weak... more saturation maybe? EQ tweaks? Fancy reverb? (at the moment its just sent to a vocal ambiance impulse). It might just be that I'm a 42 year old crap singer trying to do Vedder who was just reaching his peak.

Its gonna take me ages to get this right - than single line took me about 10 takes.
Fuck knows how I'm going to do the chorus. That F# note at the start is the highest sustained note I've ever hit.

[rayc]

You did well one until concrete.

[Armistice]

Sounds not bad, but that is a shitload of compression! And Eddie Vedder is Eddie Vedder - only so much we mortals can do to sound like him. Guy has muscles on his voice. But then he's a short little guy, so swings/roundabouts.

Think I'd scare the neighbours if I attempted a Pearl Jam cover.

[Greg_L]

Vedder's voice is unique and powerful. Let's be real - that's why we know who they are because the rest of the band is just mediocre buttrock. His voice is the moneymaker. So knowing that it's extremely difficult to do it any justice.

In that little sound clip you are hunting for that first note. You ramp up to it and maybe go a little sharp. It sounds like you're singing up in your throat and nose and it sounds weaker and thinner than Vedder's more weighty guttural style. I'd not worry about all the processing junk until you can actually sing it.

[Armistice]

Now wondering what I'd sound like trying to do Eddie Vedder...

[JD01]

Now wondering what I'd sound like trying to do Eddie Vedder...

Don't wonder. Give it a crack.

[JD01]

Vedder's voice is unique and powerful. Let's be real - that's why we know who they are because the rest of the band is just mediocre buttrock. His voice is the moneymaker. So knowing that it's extremely difficult to do it any justice.

In that little sound clip you are hunting for that first note. You ramp up to it and maybe go a little sharp. It sounds like you're singing up in your throat and nose and it sounds weaker and thinner than Vedder's more weighty guttural style. I'd not worry about all the processing junk until you can actually sing it.

Yeah, I think I'm sliding up to it and hunting for it a bit. Generic amateur hour.

[Armistice]

Now wondering what I'd sound like trying to do Eddie Vedder...

Don't wonder. Give it a crack.

I can't hit that first note in any Vedder-esque way. I can hit it, but it sounds pretty awful and whiny.

[JD01]

Don't wonder. Give it a crack.

I can't hit that first note in any Vedder-esque way. I can hit it, but it sounds pretty awful and whiny.

Me neither. I can't make myself just come straight in on it, I always seem to slur and slide my way up there. Its basically a bit too high for me which is the real problem

[Armistice]

I can't hit that first note in any Vedder-esque way. I can hit it, but it sounds pretty awful and whiny.

Me neither. I can't make myself just come straight in on it, I always seem to slur and slide my way up there. Its basically a bit too high for me which is the real problem

I don't think Vedder goes straight to it either.

I'm guessing the guitar riffing doesn't lend itself to being played in a low key? Down a tone and you'd probably be fine.

[JD01]

Me neither. I can't make myself just come straight in on it, I always seem to slur and slide my way up there. Its basically a bit too high for me which is the real problem

I don't think Vedder goes straight to it either.

I'm guessing the guitar riffing doesn't lend itself to being played in a low key? Down a tone and you'd probably be fine.

That would mean downtuning the lead guitar one whole step and the rhythm guitar down to Open C. Getting very slack by that point.

I've seen vedder fuck it up live heaps of times but that's fine, it's live. He nails it on the album.

[vomitHatSteve]

Downtuning makes everything better!

[Greg_L]

Almost everything I do is a half-step down. Standard intervals, just everything one half step down.

[WhiskeyJack]

JD, that's some lofty goals. What you have here isn't perfect but it's also isn't god awful. Keep practicing man you could get there. I don't think you'll get to a point where you are going to give Vedder a run for his money but i think you could bang out a good cover of it man. Keep on top of it. I am sure there's some exercises out there you could make use of to do it. I 2nd Greg in just forgetting the processing and mixing and nit picking the vocal track. Get the actual performance down and the rest will fall into place. You already know you aren't going to like what you hear without your voodoo processing, so focus on the performance first, icing and faff last.

Almost everything I do is a half-step down. Standard intervals, just everything one half step down.

I would never have guessed that. Interesting.

[Greg_L]

I would never have guessed that. Interesting.

I just like the way it sounds. It makes singing ever so slightly easier, but not much. It's more about the sound of the guitars. Dropping a half step gives big open chords a little more...something. It's a little more rock and roll sounding.

[WhiskeyJack]

I would never have guessed that. Interesting.

I just like the way it sounds. It makes singing ever so slightly easier, but not much. It's more about the sound of the guitars. Dropping a half step gives big open chords a little more...something. It's a little more rock and roll sounding.

Cool I'll have to try it. I had an original song started (still unfinished and no vox of course) a year or so ago that I just had in standard tuning and was all open chords and hammering on and off strings. It sounded cool enough as is. But i then tried something I heard Mike Ness prattle on about one time how he likes to capo the first fret as he said it tightened up and focused full open chords. He wasn't wrong. that was the missing ingredient. I'm curious what that same riff could sound like if i tuned half a stepdown? Might be a fun exercise sometime.

[JD01]

I just like the way it sounds. It makes singing ever so slightly easier, but not much. It's more about the sound of the guitars. Dropping a half step gives big open chords a little more...something. It's a little more rock and roll sounding.

Cool I'll have to try it. I had an original song started (still unfinished and no vox of course) a year or so ago that I just had in standard tuning and was all open chords and hammering on and off strings. It sounded cool enough as is. But i then tried something I heard Mike Ness prattle on about one time how he likes to capo the first fret as he said it tightened up and focused full open chords. He wasn't wrong. that was the missing ingredient. I'm curious what that same riff could sound like if i tuned half a stepdown? Might be a fun exercise sometime.

That would be an interesting exercise, record a riff/sequence in standard tuning. Then record it in Eb but with a capo on the first fret and see if it sounds remotely different.

[WhiskeyJack]

Cool I'll have to try it. I had an original song started (still unfinished and no vox of course) a year or so ago that I just had in standard tuning and was all open chords and hammering on and off strings. It sounded cool enough as is. But i then tried something I heard Mike Ness prattle on about one time how he likes to capo the first fret as he said it tightened up and focused full open chords. He wasn't wrong. that was the missing ingredient. I'm curious what that same riff could sound like if i tuned half a stepdown? Might be a fun exercise sometime.

That would be an interesting exercise, record a riff/sequence in standard tuning. Then record it in Eb but with a capo on the first fret and see if it sounds remotely different.

I think it will make a difference. an artist i listen to does this quite a bit but with different capo positions. It can be another thread some other time when i have time to dig into finding the video and so as not to hijack this thread. Sorry JD.

[Lt. Bob]

but that's fine, it's live. He nails it on the album.

lol ...... live is where you find out how good they actually are ..... studio work means nothing ...... look at how many of us manage to seem like we're good just using our home studios

That's why I like live ...... no fakery or 2nd takes .... you're good or you suck

If someone sucks live then they suck

[Greg_L]

Cool I'll have to try it. I had an original song started (still unfinished and no vox of course) a year or so ago that I just had in standard tuning and was all open chords and hammering on and off strings. It sounded cool enough as is. But i then tried something I heard Mike Ness prattle on about one time how he likes to capo the first fret as he said it tightened up and focused full open chords. He wasn't wrong. that was the missing ingredient. I'm curious what that same riff could sound like if i tuned half a stepdown? Might be a fun exercise sometime.

I think Social D downtunes and capos, so no idea wtf they're shooting for there. Can't argue with their tones though.