Typical pitch variation

Question: Can anyone provide me with some info on how much variation around a particular note is considered “normal”?

The wave displays as being centered on the note that I’m attempting to sing (so that’s good), but the peaks and valleys stray from that line more than I would have predicted (edging on being both flat and sharp). I’m wondering if this is typical.
Thanks guys

BJ

Windows 10 requires MIDI Synth

Update – we now have a new version of Sing & See that doesn’t have the MIDI opening problem on Windows 10. On the Sing&See menu go to “Help” and then “Check for updates” to download the updated version for your system.

Update 2 – one person still had problems – it appears that some audio software may disable the inbuilt Windows MIDI Synth. The best alternative in this case (or if you want to experiment with changing the sound fonts used in your in-built Synth) is to download and install the VirtualMIDISynth program from the coolsoft website below.  There’s a donation button on the site to help the developer of that software.

Download VirtualMIDISynth from http://coolsoft.altervista.org/en/virtualmidisynth

On the webpage there are some “SoundFonts” that contain the actual MIDI synth sounds for each key. Any of these should work, however one of the smaller ones is TimGM6mb.

Some of the other sound fonts (e.g. the FluidR3_GM which is also good) require you to also download and install a decompression program called sfArk.

By the way, you might want to copy the extracted sound font file (e.g. TimGM6mb.sf2 or FluidR3_GM.SF2) to somewhere safer than the Downloads folder.

Then, install virtualmidisynth and run the Coolsoft VirtualMIDISynth Configurator program.  You need to add a sound font file, so select the one you just saved above:

virtualmidisynth-configure

 

Click on Apply, restart Sing&See, and, hopefully, Sing&See will now play notes!

VirtualMIDISynth has other cool features such as the ability to add more than one sound font and choose which one you want to use at any time.

2015 Nail Every Note Vocalist Scholarship

Adrienne Osborn, voice coach in Denver, is giving away a year of voice lessons to one lucky person anywhere in the world. I’ve added a copy of Sing & See to the package, and it also includes resources from Tom Jackson Productions in Nashville, Leanne Regalla of Make Creativity Pay, Ariel Hyatt of CyberPR, John Oszajca of Music Marketing Manifesto, Performance High Vocal Training Studio, music business consultant Katey Laurel, and career consultant Justin Leighton Long.

Total value over $5,000. Applications due June 30.

See http://bit.ly/2015NENScholarship for details.

The 2015 "Nail Every Note" Vocalist Scholarship

The 2015 “Nail Every Note” Vocalist Scholarship

Using Sing&See in Harmonica Playing

Singandsee is not just for singers! It is the perfect for harmonica players as well!

Without getting to involved in the technical aspects of harmonica playing (yes it can be quite technical) most harmonicas are 10 hole diatonic instruments – seven pitches. However, to play Blues requires ‘bending’ (altering the pitch) of notes and, for a beginner, this can be a real challenge but with Singandsee you can practice (and practice and practice) and see when you have it just right – not to mention playing it back and listening to the ‘cool blues’ that you are playing!!!

But wait there’s more; a diatonic harmonica can be played as a chromatic instrument as well (this is very advanced). Chromatic meaning 12 pitches each a semi apart – this requires advanced techniques, and a lots of practice. Once again with the Singandsee you can see the notes on screen and, equally important, use the playback for aural training and confirming when you have the scale and/or song just right.

Glen
Gold Coast
Australia

Karmyn Tyler Cobb – NY

“I have used Sing and See for quite sometime in my studio and I find it one of the best tools for teaching voice. I work with all types of voices: beginner to advanced vocalists as well as professional speakers. For the beginning singer, it is hands down the best way for them to “see” when they are not matching pitch. When they do “see” it becomes easier for them to understand adjustments that I give to improve phonation. It can be even more useful if a teacher learns how to read spectrograms (i.e. Scott McCoy, DMA with NATS.) Then you can help a vocalist see when their tone is breathy, thin, pushed or irregular. Every vocal teacher needs this in their studio!”

Karmyn Tyler Cobb – KT Vocal Studio

Problem updating to Yosemite

Problem

>> I just installed Yosemite OS X on my Macbook Pro and can’t open Sing and See.

Answer

When upgrading to Mac OS X 10.10 (Yosemite) it is necessary to reinstall XQuartz. Download the latest installer from http://xquartz.macosforge.org and install. You may need to log out and log in again.

 

New website launched

We’ve just made the new website live. So if you notice any problems, please let us know!

Reinstalling Sing&See

Question

I upgraded my computer and need to reinstall Sing and See. As I was trying to activate I received a message that I have already activated it.

Please help.

Kristen

Answer

The Sing&See registration system tracks when the software is installed. Upgrading your computer may mean that the system determines that the software is running on another computer. Currently the registration system allows the software to be re-installed twice before it gives a message that it has already been installed on too many machines.  Please contact us to re-enable your registration code so that you can get it on your new computer.

Lesson 5 – Volume control and review

level-meterSo far in these lessons we’ve covered the basics of using the program, and gone through some pitch and singing exercises. Today we’re going to look at keeping consistent volume while changing notes.

  • Keeping your pitch while maintaining an even volume
  • Singing intervals and triads while maintaining an even volume
  • Look at your progress! – Opening and replaying saved files

 

Get ready to sing!

Make sure your mic’s plugged in, Sing & See has been loaded, and get ready to sing. Try some warm up exercises such as these.

 

Keeping your volume steady

The Level Meter display shows how loud you are singing. To see this just take note of the green bar to the right, which lights up when you sing.

The actual loudness of the voice will depend on your mic, how far it is away from your mouth, and how much amplification is given by your recording device – and of course how loud you are singing. The pitch algorithm works best when the volume is between 2 and 9.5, so for the purposes of this exercise we’ll try to keep it steadily around 7.

When singers use a mic while singing, it helps their performance if they are able to maintain a relatively even volume. Large fluctuations in volume can make it hard for the sound technician to get a good mix, as your voice may ‘jump out’ too much or become buried under the instruments.

Keeping this in mind, the aim of this lesson is to maintain a steady volume of around 7, while doing the exercises from the past 4 sessions.

 

Keeping a well leveled pitch

The first step today is copying the exercise of Page 2 while keeping a consistent volume. If your pitch is already improving, this might be an extra little challenge. Try holding a steady note at a steady volume.

Now try another note on the scale at the same volume. You could switch between octaves – sing an A3 and a A4 and see how closely you can match the volume. You might find at first that the higher volume than the lower ones, and it might take some practice to get them at similar levels.

Steady intervals and triads

  1. Play two notes, let’s say a C and an E, and using the techniques from a couple of lessons ago, picture the notes and then sing them. As you’ve practiced this before, you should be able to do it relatively steadily. Now try to do this same exercise while keeping the volume at about 7.It’s harder – but with practice it can be done. If you find it too hard, try doing the exercise at a slower speed, and breathing between the notes. If you manage to get it right a few times in a row, your muscle memory will kick in, and you will soon be able to do it at different speeds.
  2. Try doing the same exercise with triads. Again, it may be harder as you move through the notes to hit the correct note and maintain a steady volume, but this will train the strength and agility of your voice.

 

Review

If you’ve been saving your work, now is a good time to open your first files. Click on the “Open” button or select “File”->”Open” in the menu. In the File Open dialog box, select the file from the your singing on day 1.

open file dialog

 

Click Open and the file will be loaded into Sing & See.  You need to press on the “Play” button for it to be played back. This will also display the pitch line.

 

 

Have a look at your singing from day 1 – you should be able to hear that your voice is steadier and that you’re more on pitch. Continual practice will see even more success!

 

Happy singing!

 

 

Lesson 3 – Some finer features of using Sing & See

In this lesson you will learn about the some more options you can change in Sing & See and some simple exercises to check your ability to sing intervals.

  • More detailed instructions on operation – how to change the recording duration
  • Singing intervals

Read the rest of this entry »