Hi! I have a few questions...

[Cerdiar]

Hi, this is my first time posting on the forums after playing this for awhile, but I'm not really any good with this (I never joined a choir class or had singing lessons), so there was a few things I was wondering...

-Can the record option on the game help me determine my vocal range (the place where I can test out if my microphone works)? I've just tested starting at medium and then going low, then going high as far as I could, so I wonder if those results are my range, or maybe I should try something else more reliable to test it out (and if so, where should I go)?

-Is it normal for my voice to sound vastly different in a recording? It sounds perfectly fine to me, but it seems to be higher in a recording, so going high for me sounds super squeaky (and really bad). That also means my low voice doesn't sound that low either.

-Is there a way can reduce mic feedback while I'm playing? I think feedback is the "wavy" kind of sound I hear when I play, it sometimes distorts my voice and is annoying; I've tried lowering volume, but it doesn't really fix the problem, as it only makes those sounds quieter, but not completely go away...

-Finally, anyone know where I can find some singing lessons or tips for me? I'm sure much of the problem with me is just that I haven't had much experience, so any videos or such will be much appreciated!

Any help at all would be awesome!

[PsychicWalnut]

Wow... that's a tall order of requests there.   Let's see if I can offer any help.

-As for your vocal range, it's a very difficult thing to determine.  It can change with time of day or even the temperature of the room.  You may even notice that your low range can increase when you get a cold.  I don't know of any real way to test your range other than singing and measuring as you did.

-Oh yes.  Your voice will often sound VERY different in a recording.  The most common reason for a recording that sounds 'off' is due to the recording frequency used. Try to keep your recording frequency at 44,100 Hz or higher for best results.   In addition, stay away from any 'Mic Boost' options.  I myself find that assigning my recording input channel as 'Line In' instead of 'Microphone' increases clarity by a significant margin.

Another cause of poor-sounding recordings is due to clipping.  I've seen this happen from two causes.

First, if you use low-end or small microphones, they will have small diaphragms which can easily be overwhelmed when you sing loudly or to close to the microphone.  This causes the recording to sound like static during those intense bursts.

Second is the recording level you are using.  This is the volume control of sorts for the sound that is coming into your system.  On a Windows based system, this would be on the Recording tab of your Sound control panel.  You want to set this as high as possible without producing any noticeable clipping.

For testing the effect of clipping, I would recommend you use a free audio editing program called 'Audacity'.  Just be sure to go to the menu at the top and select 'view' then 'show clipping'.  It will mark clipped areas in red, so you can see  what is happening.  Press the record button, then sing into the mic.  Adjust your settings as needed.

Note:  Recording Level and Playback Level are different.  You want to have the recording level as high and clear as possible.  The playback level is usually controlled in your sound card software.  This will give you the option to control the volume that your microphone is echo'd from your speakers.  There will almost always be an option to mute this if you still want to record but not hear yourself.

- As for singing lessons, I'm sure there's tons of them online.  Maybe even some as YouTube videos.  But the best advice I can give is... just sing and have fun with it.  The more you actually sing, the more it becomes second nature.  The less you think about it, the more natural and beautiful it sounds.

[Cerdiar]

Okay, thanks very much for your help!

I have Audacity now, and it defaults with a Project rate of 44100 Hz, so I'll try recording at that (and at higher numbers) and see what happens. In the game, I've turned Mic Boost off, but I don't know where to find "Line In" for an input channel. If the input channel is found in the "record" options and under the Sound Card (where it says "Input"), then the only options I have are "Default" and "Master Volume," with Channels 1 and 2 on. This is for the integrated recording software on my computer, though, not my microphone. I have time to check out if I'll see "Line In" tomorrow under the Microphone. If that's not where the recording input channel is supposed to be, though, could you point me there?

I've found the recording level too (in the Record Tab of Sound Control, just like you said!), so it looks like all I need to do is test out in Audacity and look for clipping! I'll make another post tomorrow about the results. Thanks for your time!

Edit: Okay, I don't know if double posting is bad, so I'll just update from my previous post.

Basically, everything works like a charm now! I set the microphone level to 100, and also changed the number of active sound devices (only my microphone is active now, and I don't hear any more feedback, so I'm guessing the other devices I left on before were causing that), plus testing Audacity for clipping-basically, I just have to make sure the mic isn't too close to me, and I should be fine! Thanks for your awesome help!