[MartynRich]

Ok, so who suffers this and how do they deal with it?

I have been seeing some serious delays in finishing songs because of red light syndrome, almost always down to recording vocals. I have tried to reason with myself, do warm-up exercises, laugh out loud because I know I can take as many tries as I like and I´ve even sung naked (ok, not really).

But whenever I press ´R´ to record, the butterflies start and it sounds nothing like it does when I rehearse it. I´m sure many of you can relate to this in some way or another.

Any suggestions??

[Boydie]

This is purely a psychological issue - and (IMHO) a bit of a hangover from the "tape" and "studio hire" days when time was money

I would try to reset your perception and accept that in the digital age,mwhere you can record at home, you can record as many takes as you like - no extra costs, no extra pressure, no problem

The obvious answer is to simply just record everything - even your warm ups and rehearsals

[Neil C]

Martyn,

Q - how do you know 'that 't sounds nothing like it does when I rehearse' - are you recording them as well, or is it in your mind that they're better?

The more practice then generally the better I get. I find the first line/first verse are the most difficult as it often has less backing than later ones where I've got into the song more , so sometimes I sing the first verse over the second verse and cut and paste..
 
Neil

[MartynRich]

I know because I´ve been doing it so long...I can feel the delivery, produce better vibrato and am generally more relaxed. I also record jams on the phone where my voice is a lot better sounding than on the DAW.

I liked that suggestion about singing the first verse over the second, never thought of it before. Nice one.

[Viscount Cramer & His Orchestra]

Knockout idea Neil....now why didn't I think of that? I'm always unhappy with the vocal entry/first line.

[Neil C]

Martyn,
It sounds like you need to find a way of merging rehearsing and your recording process then.
 
Neil

[Boydie]

Another good trick if you are a little unsure about your vocal or want to add some "intensity" is to actually "layer" your vocal during the recording process

Ie: rather than recording a take and then deleting/muting it before recording the next one...

...try leaving the existing takes so that you can hear them as you sing the next ones

This will do 3 things:

1 - the previous takes act as a "guide vocal" so you have something to follow

2 - the vocal of your take is less "exposed" so you will feel less self conscious as you sing

3 - you will find that you may even "sing out" more as you try to compete with the existing vocal recordings

I tend to use this trick when I want a more "rock", live or energetic  type vocal

[tone]

Not sure if this helps, but I find that I record much better vocal takes when I'm also playing the song on my piano/ guitar. As soon as I start multi-tracking, something gets lost. If you have a 2 channel or more interface I'd say it's well worth a try. If you get a good vocal take, you can always repair the guitar/ piano later (pro tip: I record the midi when I'm doing piano, so I can 'mend' any bum notes without re-recording)

[tina m]

when im recording I find putting headphones on gives me the jitters ...its like as soon as I put them on I tense up becos I know  they mean 'you am now going to record' so I have to use speakers instead ....i know your not supposed to but I seem to get away with it
I also try to press the record button without looking  & tell myself  'I think you mustve missed it .. so no pressure this will just be another practice!' 

[tone]

Funny you should mention it Tina, but headphones are a big part of the deal for me too - I hate singing with them on. My pitching goes all to cock as soon as my voice is coming back at me through phones. Another reason why I tend to record vocals with my instrument.

But it's not 'wrong' - it's just different. I know there are big recording artists who record vocals without headphones. If it works for you, don't think twice

[adamfarr]

I am gradually pulling myself up the vocal ladder and I have found it helps to practice: (i) a lot, so I will try to do daily runthroughs e.g. in the week leading up to a Saturday tracking session; and (ii) in as similar circumstances as possible as the tracking (so with phones on, with or without instrument, with [good, low latency] input monitoring on) so I know how it will feel on the day.

And recording vocals last of all seems to work best for me - I find singing over the full "band" a real pleasure and gets me into the track much more than just singing over scratch guitar etc.

I'm sure it will not last - probably just a process you'll work through naturally and find the little things that work for you...

[MartynRich]

Lots and lots to relate to here along with some very good suggestions. I will maybe have a go at recording without headphones first, at very low volume. As Tina said, I know you are not supposed to, but I don't think hearing myself through headphones helps. I will also try double-tracking my voice...

[CaliaMoko]

I get red light syndrome all the time. Sometimes it gets better as I relax while I'm recording. But then, for some reason, sometimes it gets worse!

If it's giving me too much trouble, I record in short pieces. I can often get a few short phrases out well, so as soon as I feel things going awry, I'll stop recording, listen to what I've done and punch in when I get to where I need to start the next bit.

At least that's how I would like to do it. I haven't figured out how to punch in with Reaper yet, so I actually start a new track and record the next bit on that, then move it up to the track I'm working on. It's probably time for me to learn how to punch in....

Vicki

[Paulski]

For me, it's hearing my vocals in the headphones that messes with my brain.
So I don't monitor my vocals that way. I simply remove one side of the headset from my "better" ear.
That way I hear my voice acoustically in one ear, and the backing track (with no vocals) in the other ear while I'm singing into the mic.
Won't be for everyone but works for me
Paul

[tboswell]

It does occasionally occur to me that I am singing to myself and all the world can hear is my caterwauling at the top of my voice.

But I generally put it aside and get on with it. I generally know within 5 minutes if I am up for some singing or not.
It then takes around 20 takes for me to get something I like and I spend a lot of time picking and choosing between those 20. It is a painful process but it is worth it, I hope.