I've been practicing singing as usual, but I just recorded another song to see what you guys think. I'm not sure if i solved any of the problems that I had before, so that is why I'm back. Please be truthful, even if it is brutal. I need to know how to improve.
Grapevine Fires by Death Cab for Cutie
Not bad at all. Solid notes, in tune, (except for one minor exception in the harmony) pretty good breath control, nice phrasing.
What is hurting you in this particular recording is your recording technique. You are too close to the mic and believe it or not that affects your singing. Either that or you are recording where you are afraid the neighbors, siblings, parents will hear. Use my rule of six and six. Back away from the mic six inches and sing like you are singing to someone six feet in front of you. That will free your breathing and your voice. Don't sing to the mic, that's like stopping your golf swing when you hit the ball and not following through, sing through the mic. Oh and stand up. You were sitting down weren't you?
When you do that, you will eliminate a lot of the pops you hear and get you more strength in your voice.
This same stuff doesn't apply as much when you are singing live, so if it helps pretend you are singing live.
Alright. I'm glad to see that I have breath control now, because I can't tell the difference. I don't pay too much attention to my breathing. I also tried out a vocal harmony, which hopefully didn't hurt your ears too much, but as a Queen fan, I had to try it.
The thing with the mic is, I'm using a crappy $50 karaoke mic, so I sung closer to be safe. I will try you advice though. And did I sound strained at all? I've been practicing getting my higher notes recently. So I was basically singing at the top of my range the whole time (my highest note is D4 without going to falsetto).
And thanks for the feedback. I'm pleased that I'm improving, even though I still hate my voice :P .
Edit:
Oh yeah, and yes, I was sitting down.
I agree with Nick, good stuff! I think you have more work to do on the production side than on the vocal side. First, though I know we're living through a recession, get thyself a better mic! You owe your voice a better mic. A small investment in gear will pay off enormously if you can possibly swing it. A Shure SM57 can be had new for $100, and used for less than that. The SM57 is primarily a mic for live performance, and is not itself a spectacular recording mic, but if money is an issue it will do, and it will certainly sound a lot better than the mic you're using.
Then add a touch of reverb to your track--to the guitar and to the vocals.
Do you mean an SM58? 57's are usually reserved for use with instruments, although they have very similar internals.
