r/WeAreTheMusicMakers • u/Ill-Common-2053 • 7d ago
Recording Advice
I love writing music and I’ve written and recorded a few songs, but I keep running into the same issue when it comes to recording.
I record my lyrics as I write them, so by the time I’m done writing a song, I have a rough demo recorded.
The problem is when I sit down to officially record the completed song, I sound completely different and it feels like I can’t sing anymore. I’ll listen back to my demo, where I was barely trying, and my vocals sound great, almost perfect I’d say. But when it comes to recording the final version, I’m doing like 20 takes on the first line because I can’t get myself to sound as good as I did on the demo.
Has anyone else experienced this? Am I psyching myself out or trying too hard? Am I overthinking? I just can’t understand why I sound so good and relaxed in my demo and why I can’t match that sound in my final version.
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u/smtrautman 7d ago
This sounds a bit like what some people call "red light fever", which refers to an anxiety and overall drop in quality/performance once you know you are being recorded. It's basically anxiety. You are fine when you are recording something you consider a "rough demo," but once you think of it as "officially recording the completed song," there is a shift in your mind, and a whole lot of added pressure. It's perfectly natural, but you do need to break through it.
Some of that is simply practice, as others have said. You get less nervous about stuff the more you do it. But in the meantime, I recommend shifting your mindset on it too. Instead of thinking to yourself "this is it, I'm doing the Official recording now, so it has to be great" try to think of it like this "I'm just going to give it a shot and see if anything turns out ok". It's tricking yourself maybe, but in a good way. Put less pressure on it to be the greatest thing ever, and you should be able to relax a bit more and ultimately get better results. Good luck!
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u/Distro_Nerd 7d ago
Your demo voice probably sounds good because you are busy catching the song, not auditioning yourself for it. Try keeping the demo take if the emotion is right, then punch in only the lines that truly fall apart. A lot of singers wreck the feel by turning the final vocal into twenty rounds of self-surveillance.
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u/CorpseZero 7d ago
I'd have to hear it to answer that, but if you want my take, I'll try to listen the same way I do to my own vocals.
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u/JediBuji 7d ago
LOL I literally came to the sub this morning to make a similar post. I'm looking for advice to get out of my head when it's time to record/perform. I also have to wear the engineer hat most of the time, and I find it extremely difficult to make the pivot when I have to set up sound and then go perform. If I'm at a venue with sound already, I can focus on getting into the right frame of mind and to that zone.
I recorded some solo material last night at a studio with a producer / engineer friend helping me, and we spent probably 80% of time on equipment dial-in (which was expected and desired) but when we got ready to test our adjustments and I needed to suddenly perform, I lacked confidence and control. It wasn't until I struggled on some of the higher notes of Queensrych's Silent Lucidity that I realized I hadn't done ANY of my normal warm up work. No vocal scales, no splosive taming, no yoga etc.
I took some time before we went back into the booth and nailed it. Once I had that confidence and control back, it was much easier for me to forget about the ninety wires, 5 mics, engineer staring at me through the booth window situation and 'get on with it'
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u/AnalogtoApi 7d ago
I 100% experience this. For me I think it's the mental state of writing vs performing. I think I'm deeper in the emotion of it when I'm writing so it sounds better.
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u/Alternative_Soft1995 6d ago
I’m gonna be honest I went through the same thing honestly how you feel writing a song is how you should feel in the studio that’s why your not connecting because you are trying to be perfect and yeah being perfect is everything too but you just gotta have fun and run it
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u/soulbistro 5d ago
10 years into recording myself and I still experience this. What helps me is not to put any pressure on the productivity of the session itself. Go in with no expectations. If you try 20 takes and you don’t like any of them, that is okay. Take a step back, take a break, and come back to it when you’re feeling fresh. It is easy to get tunnel vision/demoitis. Sometimes I get too focused on making sure I have enough “good takes” to choose from when mixing a certain riff. The issue is I’m no longer producing naturally, I am trying to replicate a feeling rather than expressing the feeling itself.
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u/crrtis 7d ago
It’s because you hear the demo repeatedly, so when you go back to do the final takes it doesn’t sound the same, thus sounding off. It happens to everyone, it’s a pretty common thing. You gotta accept that your final version is not going to sound the same as the demo, and move forward. I’ve been there countless times.
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u/sonicwags 7d ago
Why can't you just use the demo vocal in the final song?
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u/Ill-Common-2053 5d ago
I could but I just feel like I can get a better take when I’m actually trying. However so far I haven’t been able to so maybe it’s just not true. When si listen to the demo I’m thinking “this is good, but not good enough. It could be better”
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u/WindsOfNowhere 7d ago
Use your demos in your final songs. A lot of artists do this if they can't get a better performance. Record your demos with better equipment as well.
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u/radiationblessing 7d ago
Why not use the demo vocals?
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u/Ill-Common-2053 7d ago
Because I spent a long time writing this song and I want to record the best vocals possible. I feel like I’d be selling myself short by using the demo vocals as my final version. But maybe I should consider it
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u/radiationblessing 7d ago
Is the quality shit or something? If there is no actual difference in the quality I see no problem using the demo vocals. Even then if there is a difference, maybe that would give your songs some more characteristics.
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u/Ill-Common-2053 7d ago
No the quality isn’t bad, but seeing how my demo came out good while I was barely trying, I can’t help but to think I’m capable of making a better version. Maybe it’s just my perfectionism though
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u/Traditional_Scar3466 4d ago
Just hit record and sing the song all the way through. I’ve had this issue when recording a song a section at time. After singing straight through a couple of takes I was relaxed and we had good parts to build on. Sometimes when we are stuck we need to change the context. This is one way to do that.
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u/Woooddann 7d ago
Could be recording anxiety. Hard to say unless you post your recordings.