In the category of "things I suck at"... I can't sing very well either.

Notwithstanding, and in complete defiance of the terms of my lease, 
today I've been recording my singing with Cubase. Or at least, humming 
just loud enough for a microphone placed mere millimetres from my lips 
to detect that something is happening.

You will be unsurprised to hear that this arrangement does not result in 
high sound quality. In order to make anything audible I had to turn the 
gain way, way up. So there's quite a lot of background hiss. Also, you 
can hear every single breath I take.

Added to that, I have quite a lot voice, and because I'm trying to sing 
quietly I tended to sing quite low notes. The result was quite "grainy" 
in texture.

What *is* quite surprising - to me, at least - is that the whole appears 
to be greater than the sum of its parts. As in, you can listen to each 
of the parts I sung, and hear how the pitch waivers around hopelessly. 
And yet, when you play them all simultaneously, something strange 
happens: it sounds more in-tune than it actually is. It almost sounds 
like I used the computer to auto-tune it or something. (I don't possess 
that program.)

I eventually figured out how to increase the playback volume in Cubase 
to the point where my vocals were actually audible. (The microphone is 
returning a signal at roughly -16 dB, which is easily quieter than the 
backing tracks.) Lots of hiss, but you can now hear me.

A curious problem is that every single line I sang seems to vary in 
volume, seemingly at random. Some of them are louder at the end, some of 
them are louder in the middle. In short, no matter which way you adjust 
the volume, you can't seem to get them all the same volume.

This is where I break out Reaktor and load up a compander. This device, 
I am told, exists to counteract this precise problem. It seems to work 
reasonably well. With a 4-bank compander, the mic hiss is gone, and the 
volume appears to waiver a lot less.

Sadly, a compander does nothing to fix my lack of timing or my wandering 
pitch.

Again: I'm really quite surprised that do-wop harmonies sound anywhere 
near this good with a fool like me singing them.

Post a reply to this message

On Tue, 04 Mar 2014 20:36:14 +0200, Orchid Win7 v1 <voi### [at] devnull> wrote:

> In the category of "things I suck at"... I can't sing very well either.
>
> Notwithstanding, and in complete defiance of the terms of my lease,  
> today I've been recording my singing with Cubase. Or at least, humming  
> just loud enough for a microphone placed mere millimetres from my lips  
> to detect that something is happening.
>
> You will be unsurprised to hear that this arrangement does not result in  
> high sound quality. In order to make anything audible I had to turn the  
> gain way, way up. So there's quite a lot of background hiss. Also, you  
> can hear every single breath I take.
>
> Added to that, I have quite a lot voice, and because I'm trying to sing  
> quietly I tended to sing quite low notes. The result was quite "grainy"  
> in texture.
>
> What *is* quite surprising - to me, at least - is that the whole appears  
> to be greater than the sum of its parts. As in, you can listen to each  
> of the parts I sung, and hear how the pitch waivers around hopelessly.  
> And yet, when you play them all simultaneously, something strange  
> happens: it sounds more in-tune than it actually is. It almost sounds  
> like I used the computer to auto-tune it or something. (I don't possess  
> that program.)
>
> I eventually figured out how to increase the playback volume in Cubase  
> to the point where my vocals were actually audible. (The microphone is  
> returning a signal at roughly -16 dB, which is easily quieter than the  
> backing tracks.) Lots of hiss, but you can now hear me.
>
> A curious problem is that every single line I sang seems to vary in  
> volume, seemingly at random. Some of them are louder at the end, some of  
> them are louder in the middle. In short, no matter which way you adjust  
> the volume, you can't seem to get them all the same volume.
>
> This is where I break out Reaktor and load up a compander. This device,  
> I am told, exists to counteract this precise problem. It seems to work  
> reasonably well. With a 4-bank compander, the mic hiss is gone, and the  
> volume appears to waiver a lot less.
>
> Sadly, a compander does nothing to fix my lack of timing or my wandering  
> pitch.
>
> Again: I'm really quite surprised that do-wop harmonies sound anywhere  
> near this good with a fool like me singing them.

You will probably get a more stable pitch if you sing louder. But if it  
doesn't work you may have a problem with your neighbors ;>

-- 
-Nekar Xenos-

Post a reply to this message

>> Again: I'm really quite surprised that do-wop harmonies sound anywhere
>> near this good with a fool like me singing them.
>
> You will probably get a more stable pitch if you sing louder.

Agreed.

> But if it
> doesn't work you may have a problem with your neighbors ;>

Also agreed. :-S

Since I had the day off work, I was home when (I presume) few other 
people are. At least, nobody came to kick down the door, anyway...

Post a reply to this message

On 04/03/2014 10:19 PM, Orchid Win7 v1 wrote:
>
>> But if it
>> doesn't work you may have a problem with your neighbors ;>
>
> Also agreed. :-S



WTF!
If you are worried about a clause in your lease that says that you 
cannot make any noise. And if it specifically mentions singing. You have 
no worries. It is (IMO) unenforceable.
As long as you don't make continuous loud noise after 10 pm (earlier if 
they have babies). You should not have a problem.

-- 
Regards
     Stephen

I solemnly promise to kick the next angle, I see.

Post a reply to this message

Le 05/03/2014 00:20, Stephen nous fit lire :
> As long as you don't make continuous loud noise after 10 pm (earlier if
> they have babies).

If they have babies, they are the one making more noise.

Unless you use some micro+amplifier, or are a true opera singer (or an
extinct singer from the era before micro came on the scene), your voice
is to be weaker than the one of a baby or a little child.
Strong volume of voice requires long daily practice, something that
adults rarely have, whereas the kids have nothing else to do.

Post a reply to this message

On 05/03/2014 05:33 AM, Le_Forgeron wrote:
> If they have babies, they are the one making more noise.

This.

> Unless you use some micro+amplifier, or are a true opera singer (or an
> extinct singer from the era before micro came on the scene), your voice
> is to be weaker than the one of a baby or a little child.
> Strong volume of voice requires long daily practice, something that
> adults rarely have, whereas the kids have nothing else to do.

This is true. However, it is also true that the walls here are extremely 
thin. I can often hear the people next door talking, and can mostly make 
out the words they're saying, for example.

Post a reply to this message

On 04/03/2014 11:20 PM, Stephen wrote:
> WTF!
> If you are worried about a clause in your lease that says that you
> cannot make any noise. And if it specifically mentions singing. You have
> no worries. It is (IMO) unenforceable.
> As long as you don't make continuous loud noise after 10 pm (earlier if
> they have babies). You should not have a problem.

The lease says I may not play a musical instrument, sing, or operate a 
TV or radio. These are things it specifically mentions.

On the other hand, I'm pretty sure the guy on the left has a TV, so...

Post a reply to this message

Le_Forgeron <jgr### [at] freefr> wrote:
> Le 05/03/2014 00:20, Stephen nous fit lire :
> > As long as you don't make continuous loud noise after 10 pm (earlier if
> > they have babies).
>
> If they have babies, they are the one making more noise.
>

Exactly! The clause is unenforceable.

> Unless you use some micro+amplifier, or are a true opera singer (or an
> extinct singer from the era before micro came on the scene), your voice
> is to be weaker than the one of a baby or a little child.
> Strong volume of voice requires long daily practice, something that
> adults rarely have, whereas the kids have nothing else to do.

Personal experience? :-)

Post a reply to this message

Orchid Win7 v1 <voi### [at] devnull> wrote:
> On 04/03/2014 11:20 PM, Stephen wrote:
> > WTF!
> > If you are worried about a clause in your lease that says that you
> > cannot make any noise. And if it specifically mentions singing. You have
> > no worries. It is (IMO) unenforceable.
> > As long as you don't make continuous loud noise after 10 pm (earlier if
> > they have babies). You should not have a problem.
>
> The lease says I may not play a musical instrument, sing, or operate a
> TV or radio. These are things it specifically mentions.
>

Nor should you believe in the tooth fairy?

Seriously how could anyone expect a court to uphold a lease that forbids singing
or turning on a radio. Even Jails have TVs in the cells. AFAIK.

> On the other hand, I'm pretty sure the guy on the left has a TV, so...

I am sure, from what I have read. That you will be safe if you ignore those
rules. If you behave reasonably what could happen? It is your house after all.

Post a reply to this message

> On 04/03/2014 11:20 PM, Stephen wrote:
>> WTF!
>> If you are worried about a clause in your lease that says that you
>> cannot make any noise. And if it specifically mentions singing. You have
>> no worries. It is (IMO) unenforceable.
>> As long as you don't make continuous loud noise after 10 pm (earlier if
>> they have babies). You should not have a problem.
>
> The lease says I may not play a musical instrument,

So I guess getting a pipe organ in the living room is out of the 
question.  Bummer.

> sing,

Define singing.  "Your honour, I wasn't singing... I was merely 
practicing my Italian."  Is rapping allowed?  Humming?  Tuvan thorat 
singing?

> or operate a TV or radio.

Does it mention MP3 player?  Streaming audio from the PC?  I smell a 
loophole...

-- 
/*Francois Labreque*/#local a=x+y;#local b=x+a;#local c=a+b;#macro P(F//
/*    flabreque    */L)polygon{5,F,F+z,L+z,L,F pigment{rgb 9}}#end union
/*        @        */{P(0,a)P(a,b)P(b,c)P(2*a,2*b)P(2*b,b+c)P(b+c,<2,3>)
/*   gmail.com     */}camera{orthographic location<6,1.25,-6>look_at a }

Post a reply to this message