how…
I was wondering if anybody know how the screaming in a lot of emo and metal stuff is done. Do they just pass the vocal through an overdrive for guitar (or are there special ones for vocal?), or what?
I’m assuming they don’t actually do the yelling cause it sounds like if they do they would have no voice in 20 minutes
K.R.
I have some friends in death metal bands and the singer just screams into the mic.
No effects boxes.
I know one person that used to suck those whiped cream bulbs on ctage sometimes cause the nitrous (think that’s whats in them) makes your voice really deep.
Not too healthy though as it deprives your body of oxygen
In the studio they might put effects on (phasers and stuff) but live it’s just screaming and gruff growling 
Luckily, metal songs only last about 5 minutes on average. 
But seriously, if they yell through a distortion effect, it would be obvious that that is what they are doing. Case in point is the Supernaught cover from 10000 Homo DJs. I for one do death vocals all day long, and it just makes my voice deeper than it already is, which is Barry White deep to begin with. Bottle of water, and sufficient mucus build up, and you too can scream like a banshee.
I know one person that used to suck those whiped cream bulbs on stage sometimes cause the nitrous (think that’s whats in them) makes your voice really deep.
Not too healthy though as it deprives your body of oxygen
Hi Rich,
That is not the only danger with that stuff. One can also easily freeze delicate tissues in the mouth, voice box or even the lungs. Many people have died from this.
Compressed/decompressing gasses should never be introduced directly into the mouth. They should be released into a bag, baloon or other container beforehand.
Peace,
MistressSafety
Yeah I wouldn’t recommend anyone do it.
He did it via one of the whip cream dispenser things whether that makes a difference.
Another guy I used to know died when he was inhaling nitrous oxide from a plastic bag… He would fill it up from a big gas cylinder but one day he passed out and inhaled the bag and suffocated.
Very sad and a very intelligent person in all other aspects
is there a “proper” way to do this thing? if there is a way without hurting your throat that would be really, really cool, cuz I seriously doubt I’m going to find a professional voice teacher anywhere who will teach this. I’ve heard a lot of emo singers who switch back and forth between screamning and singing, and when they’re singing, they actually have a really smooth voice. I just couldn’t understand how that is possible. If I scream like that for 30 seconds I wouldn’t be able to sing worth shit after.
K.R.
I don’t think any of the metal singers I know have had any formal training.
They just basically try and imitate teh bands they listen to.
Some people just wouldn’t have the right voice no matter what they tried.
Same way that some people just don’t have the voice for opera.
In more general rock/pop you can have a wide variety of voices and still find your "niche"
There are a few european (mainly) metal bands though that have the more mellow vocals (usually female) at the same time as the extreme music…
I would expect it would take time to build up your throat.
Same as if you were singing at all for the first time you would get a sore throat or diaphragm cause you’re not used to using the muscles
| Quote (KR7 @ Mar. 17 2005,03:10) |
| is there a "proper" way to do this thing? if there is a way without hurting your throat that would be really, really cool, cuz I seriously doubt I'm going to find a professional voice teacher anywhere who will teach this. I've heard a lot of emo singers who switch back and forth between screamning and singing, and when they're singing, they actually have a really smooth voice. I just couldn't understand how that is possible. If I scream like that for 30 seconds I wouldn't be able to sing worth shit after. K.R. |
No. Over the long haul it will ruin your voice. Go ask a doctor who speicializes in this.
I knew a singer that swore by concentrated lemon juice, you know the stuff that comes in the plastic lemon shaped container. Basically it just helped him build up the spit required for hours of screaming.
Practice is the answer to everything in music, stop when (or before) it hurts. Of course years of drinking straight whiskey might help too, but you probably won’t be able to sing “clean” if you take that route
| Quote (KR7 @ Mar. 17 2005,01:28) |
| I was wondering if anybody know how the screaming in a lot of emo and metal stuff is done. Do they just pass the vocal through an overdrive for guitar (or are there special ones for vocal?), or what? I'm assuming they don't actually do the yelling cause it sounds like if they do they would have no voice in 20 minutes K.R. |
Cheap mics that are clipping helps a lot. Oh, and they are screaming as others mentioned.... And they do lose their voices. A lot of guys use distortion and delay so they can growl more than scream and get a similar result. Either way, it ain't good for you.
You have to be able to control it, though I doubt most can.
I was in a band with Jesse James Dupree (of Jackyl and JJD) in the middle 80’s. We were doing radio rock for the most part. He’d sing in a clear voice and sound like a whiny white boy, then he’d do a song like White Wedding and smoke.
We did some demo work and he was using his clear voice and it wasn’t working in my opinion. It sounded wimpy. I asked him if he could sing in that gravely voice without hurting himself and he said he could do all day long because he wasn’t screaming. He didn’t need to force it to sound that way. It was was just a voice inflection to him, and ironically, he said that it was easier to do than trying to stay clear. He did the demos with that voice and they sounded MUCH better for it.
That’s the voice he’s used with Jackyl for the last 15 or more years. He sounds the same (last time I saw him) as he did in 1985.
He doesn’t loose his voice because he has control and knows what he’s doing (not that he hasn’t lost it for other reasons). Blindly screaming is a sure fire way to last a few months at best.
John Lennon couldn’t talk after recording Twist and Shout. He obviously knew what he was doing, so much of it is having a voice in the first place that allows you to be able to sound like you are screaming when you aren’t.
Anyway, they can always go into wrestling when the band breaks up.
do you know anyone who can both scream and sing clean well, or is it one or the other
maybe I’ll have to go the cheap mic route… but I dunno how well that’d work live if I’m switching mics back and forth every 5 seconds, lol
If it’s live work an SM58 should work fine for capturing both screaming and “nice” vocals
I always thought Sebastian Bach did a good job of mixing screaming and singing clean. But he didn’t sing like a death metal singer…
Rich
I’ve recorded several hardcore projects in the vein of Isis, Lamb of God, Converge, etc. In all cases the singers wanted their vocals clean and dry. I used a LDC mic in every case (usually an Oktava 319). We didn’t use any effects on the vocals except a little compression and slight eq to take out a little of the harshness in the presence region (about 5k). No reverb.
Hardcore singing/growling is an art and I’m always impressed when I record these guys. Some have better technique than others but they all wear out pretty quickly in a session. About 2 or 3 songs in one session is all they can usually do. When they play live they don’t play very long sets - maybe 45 minutes at the most. And many of their songs have long instrumental sections where there is no singing. I’ve never been to a show of one of the bigger hardcore bands so I don’t know what the singer does if he has a 90 minute show.
They sing so hard from their diaphram that they get dizzy and winded. I’m good friends with one of the founding members of Himsa and he has come close to fainting on stage several times.
Anyway, in my experience, recording these vocals is like recording any other vocal. A large diaphram condenser sounds the best and a good preamp helps as well.
OK, I was a death metal vocalist, and I will say that if you do it right, you will not ruin your voice. Its a wives tale.
Here’s how I do it.
1) The wind comes from deep in your stomache.
2) Force the air to the back of your throat as if clearing your throat, but do this gently and in a controlled manner. Your throat should be relaxed.
3) Don’t use your voice, just speak using the sound that is produced from the previous step.
That’s the basics of death metal vocals. Don’t expect it to sound great the first time you do it. You may need to make some adjustments in your throat to get it just right.
Death metal vocals are easier on the throat than screaming. I was never very good at screaming, but I can belt out some decent death metal vocals. Below is a link to a song that features my vocals.
The Factory
The Death Vocals are mine, the non-death vocals are my guitarists.
yea I see what you’re saying. I tried it and what you said makes sense. but I guess death metal is kindda different than screaming. I’m talking about like the higher pitch screaming type of emo stuff (like Thursday, Dead poetic). it sounds like you’re trying to yell so hard that your voice breaks, and I think the “uncontrolled” sound is what makes it good. I mean it sounds totally terrible, but it’s good
| Quote (RichLum @ Mar. 17 2005,19:14) |
|
I always thought Sebastian Bach did a good job of mixing screaming and singing clean. But he didn't sing like a death metal singer... Rich |
I know this ain't death/emo either, but I think of guys like Chris Cornell of Audioslave when I think of a screaming/clean vocalist. His voice has changed over the years, and I wonder how long he'll last.
Tony
What I have noticed is that the folk who last a while tend to only scream at the emotional high-points of the song, when they really need the emphasis. This makes it seem that they are screaming more than they really are, which has got to help keep the voice intact!
Interestingly, opera singers have known for centuries that a small amount of alcohol (glass of wine, small beer) opens the voice box, and makes singing easier, while more than a small amount makes proper singing nearly impossible. Not that there is anything so great about being proper ! 
'til next time;
Tony W
really? I’ve always thought alcohol dries up your throat and kills your voice.
hm… now I’ve got more excuse for consuming…