Learn to listen to yourself

As I try to do as often as possible, I’ve watched a few gigs of late. It’s actually harder said than done when you promote shows and have your own to play as a band also. When watching other acts play I try my best to observe how they perform and how they behave on stage. I always pay special attention to what requests they make from the sound guy hoping to maybe pickup a few tricks to help my own stage mix.

The one common request I often hear is “Can I get more vocal through the fold back?” It seems to be the common bane of many a vocalist! For those of you who have not performed on stage, hearing yourself sing on stage (when there are massive amps and a drum kit blaring behind you) is a monumental challenge!

Whilst there is a professional solution to this problem, it is a rather expensive choice for the budding band. “In-ear monitors” are basically little radio devices that are worn by the singer / player which receive a transmission that is then output into earphones for the performing artiste. They give you near perfect monitoring allowing you to hear yourself sing and therefore stay in perfect pitch, especially if the earplugs are moulded and isolate sound. Also, you can request as much of the band as you wish to hear in your mix (channels permitting!). However, with a starting price of AU$1200, they are outside the reach of most aspiring musicians.

The good vocalists I have seen always seem to manage to stay in pitch, mostly regardless of the stage mix they are receiving back from the monitors. I have found that the more stage experience I acquire, the better I have become at this. I think it is partially muscle memory in the sense that you ‘learn to sing’ your songs not only from the pitch and melody of the lyrics, but also from the muscle movements required to achieve that melody.

However, more important I have found, is learning the skill of listening to yourself! It may sound strange, but slowly I have become better at using my own ears to isolate my vocals from the rest of the stage mix through the fold backs. You have to listen very carefully and focus on that range of frequencies in the signal that make up your voice! Give it a try next time you are on stage!

- Nigel Nobody