vocal tips? Got this "Sssss" problem......

[hardlock]

Any you fine singers out there have any help with this?  I just started to attempt to sing not that long ago and then after getting my teeth fixed, found I'd developed a nasty "S" whistle that I don't know how to deal with.  Tried EQ, compression, even singing with a sucker in my mouth with no real effect....

Any ideas?  I'm using a Boss MBR for recording.

Thanks in advance!

[Oldrottenhead]

you can get de-esser software, but what are you singing into is it an external mic or the onboard mic on the mbr,

on the mbr if i am not holding it at the right angle, i get SS's and K's and P's causing problems. i think if you are using an external mic you can get a  shield thingy that prevents that sort of thing.

[Flash Harry]

you need a compressor.  check out the alesis 3630. It does the job.

[Blooby]

Before you shell out, it might be worthwhile to muck about with mic placement if you haven't done so already.

Blooby

[hardlock]

Hi guys, thanks for jumping in.  Yes, using the MBR built-in mic and at almost a 90 degree angle.  Tried other cheapo condenser mics but same deal. 

This S problem is physical, not just a recording issue.  Wife laughs just from me talking to her.  Says I sound like the old pervert on "Family Guy". 

[AndyR]

Aah... until I read your last post, I was about to say "have the mic to one side or other - most of us have more sibilants coming out of one side of our mouths"

... but I don't think it will help

It might reduce it, and using a compressor as a de-esser might help as well. But if it's noticable in your everyday speech, sounds like you might need to "fix it" at source. This might be having the teeth looked at again, or it might be learning to talk differently.

I managed to do the latter in my 20s/30s. I'd always had an odd sound to "ch", "sh", and "dg". Apparently my mum had tried getting me to fix it when I was little (I don't remember). I didn't really care until I started hearing it on recordings. It took me a while, but I figured out I was pronouncing them with the side of my tongue because it hadn't really worked at the front after I got my adult teeth (I have odd teeth!). I spent about a month figuring out how to do it "properly" with my teeth as they were, and eventually I cracked it.

The problem will be tracking down what's causing it. After that, figuring out how to change what you do to stop it might not be so hard. The practice to actually change it might take a while...

(Incidentally, writing this out, made me remember it all - and now I can't say "change" properly )

Having an easy recording device - like the MBR - might help the whole process. I did it with a recording walkman-type cassette player. I'm guessing a speech therapist might speed things up - but I was too much of a tight-wad to look at that option...

[64Guitars]

I don't know anything about it but I did a quick Google search and found a couple of pages that might help:

http://beyondtalk.blogspot.com/2009/10/truly-speaking-how-to-stop-sibilance.html

http://www.voiceoverxtra.com/article.htm?id=lpspo76x

[guitarron]

pop screens during tracking -otherwise a compressor will do the trick-

[Groundy]

I put a sock over the mic of the MBR, it works the same as cover that you put on an ordinary Mic, But make sure its a clean one ..lol....Alex

[jimsz]

Any you fine singers out there have any help with this?  I just started to attempt to sing not that long ago and then after getting my teeth fixed, found I'd developed a nasty "S" whistle that I don't know how to deal with. 

Your dentist should be able to fix that if he's the one who created it. He shouldn't charge you for fixing it either and you'll never have to deal with it again. Might be better than shelling out cash for equipment.