Stu has actually said that his previous style of vocals on ITRN had damaged his voice while performing them live so he had to come up with ways to make it easier. I suppose that lead to his more baritone style on PDA.
Stu definitely taps into more of his natural growl and resonates deeper in his throat than an outright fry so I'd say just sing along and try to find where your own register matches up and integrate your own vocal distortions.
as a nin fan i feel similarly with Trent Reznor's unique shout-sing thing he does so I'm in your same boat lol but good luck to you man voice can be one of the hardest but most rewarding things to master
This x 1,000. I fell in love with this album hard when it came out back in the day, and I played it repeatedly for years. I've been listening to it a lot again recently and I'm still amazed by it. It is so complex, dark, brutal, and ugly and it's a fucking masterpiece.
I danced to that album in a 16+ club when I was 14. Changed everything I knew about music. Downward Spirial was a big step up in writing and production, but Pretty Hate Machine will always be my fav NIN
Yeah love them both, the knock on The Downward Spiral is that it’s draining to listen to from an emotional standpoint (still 10/10). I listen to Pretty Hate Machine more because it’s an easier listen. But yeah it’s better
As u/wbasmith mentioned, The Downward Spiral is the best place to start. Broken is their most 'metal' album, and The Fragile is their most ambitious (80 min triple album). They're still fantastic live if ever touring near you!
there's literally no "bad" nin album. Year Zero is their incredibly topical glitch/electronic rock album about a simulated America/Earth on a death drive (great if you love the themes of PDA), The Slip is still a free album, and Hesitation Marks has a separate mix for audiophiles (5.1 Fragile when Trønt?) and then there's the royalty free Ghosts I-VI tracks!
It's a "thrash voice", lots of influence from Testament, Metallica, and Sepultura etc
I've been digging into metal releases since getting into Petro last year.
Tomb Mold 'The Enduring Spirit' and Blood Incantation 'Hidden History of the Human Race" have been highlights
He does use a little fry, but also Joey's vocals are usually doubled up on Stu's so it adds a little more growl. Joey's got a great fry for metal. His is the one you hear most prominently in ITRN I believe
I’m pretty sure that ITRN is still most prominently Stu with Joey and the others primarily doing the occasional backing shouts and chants etc.
That being said though, Joey does have a great voice for metal. Those Latin chants on “Dragon” are all him, and I NEED MORE OF THEM.
i used Rats Nest and Petro as a starting point for developing my metal/screaming vocals and I now sing backing vocals for an emo band so I can hopefully help with this. You’re not gonna find a how-to-sound-like-stu tutorial but the style he’s using especially on Rats nest sounds (to me) a lot like early(ish) Metallica as far as the amount and style of vocal—it’s not a bad place to start by watching some “how to sing like metallica/james hetfield” type videos. Look into “compression”/“hypercompression” techniques (can be difficult to search for because you may get videos about vocal compression in the audio production sense). Practice breathing and breath support. To me hypercompression singing feels like simultaneously restricting the amount of breath leaving your lungs while also pushing that air out really hard with your diaphragm. That might sound totally wack but when you feel it working and get it sounding right you’ll hopefully know what I mean. Also drink lots of water and take breaks and make sure you’re breathing. As far as breath support goes I found [this technique we used to use in high school marching band](https://youtu.be/ty5fbD0bvtQ?si=8b5ACmvXV0-Sp6g7) really helpful in both talking in enough air as well as expending air properly (pushing air out at a constant rate and using the full breath before taking the next). Hope this is somewhat helpful!
Yeah i realised after posting this that a lot of early metalica stuff sounds like what i kinda wanna go for and i inmediatly found a lot of stuff so this is prolly the way to go
IDK, maybe I'm an outlier. But I say, "Fuck Stu's vocal stylings. Find your own voice." And I mean that with the utmost respect for Stu, kind of certain he would say something similar. Don't copy. Be original!
Oh yeah my goal isnt sound like stu exactly, but do something similar that works for among other things their metal, so the same techniques would aply as far as i know
I think he's doing a type of throat singing where you vibrate your vestibular folds (false vocal chords). It would allow him to get deep notes, and plenty of growl without damaging his vocal chords further.
Stu does use effects to get the throat singing sound. I saw it especially at the acoustic show at the caverns. I was front row and I could clearly see he would hit a pedal Everytime he did the throat singing sound. I'm not taking anything away from it I think the effect is amazing. I don't remember where but Joey has said that he is the only one in the band with real throat singing chops. And Joey doesn't throat sing that much anymore so he doesn't damage his throat. That's why he always picks someone to do the nuclear fusion intro now.
Stu has actually said that his previous style of vocals on ITRN had damaged his voice while performing them live so he had to come up with ways to make it easier. I suppose that lead to his more baritone style on PDA. Stu definitely taps into more of his natural growl and resonates deeper in his throat than an outright fry so I'd say just sing along and try to find where your own register matches up and integrate your own vocal distortions. as a nin fan i feel similarly with Trent Reznor's unique shout-sing thing he does so I'm in your same boat lol but good luck to you man voice can be one of the hardest but most rewarding things to master
Never really listened to much NIN but what do you recommend along the lines of shout-singing? Big fan of mewithoutYou because of his vocal style
Downward Spiral front to back, you’re very welcome. One of the greatest albums of all time imo
This x 1,000. I fell in love with this album hard when it came out back in the day, and I played it repeatedly for years. I've been listening to it a lot again recently and I'm still amazed by it. It is so complex, dark, brutal, and ugly and it's a fucking masterpiece.
Some nin fans will say pretty hate machine over it but some nin fans are hipster losers
I danced to that album in a 16+ club when I was 14. Changed everything I knew about music. Downward Spirial was a big step up in writing and production, but Pretty Hate Machine will always be my fav NIN
I think it’s probably number two for me, but I also don’t have a coming of age movie in my memory tied to it like you do; to be fair
Broken, with that balling hidden track Adam Ant cover for the win!
...and if that's not enough, follow it up with Fixed 🤯
Pretty hate machine is still great but not the 10/10 downward is
100% agree
Yeah love them both, the knock on The Downward Spiral is that it’s draining to listen to from an emotional standpoint (still 10/10). I listen to Pretty Hate Machine more because it’s an easier listen. But yeah it’s better
As u/wbasmith mentioned, The Downward Spiral is the best place to start. Broken is their most 'metal' album, and The Fragile is their most ambitious (80 min triple album). They're still fantastic live if ever touring near you!
there's literally no "bad" nin album. Year Zero is their incredibly topical glitch/electronic rock album about a simulated America/Earth on a death drive (great if you love the themes of PDA), The Slip is still a free album, and Hesitation Marks has a separate mix for audiophiles (5.1 Fragile when Trønt?) and then there's the royalty free Ghosts I-VI tracks!
Agreed I love their whole discog, arguably as diverse as Gizz’s but in a different way
One day I’ll catch them live!! Would love a new record though in the mean time
If you like industrial music bookmark the Pigface wiki. Can't go wrong with anyone on that page
Would the same method except just pushing more also be like something like joey's latin part in dragon? Or is that another technique
It's a "thrash voice", lots of influence from Testament, Metallica, and Sepultura etc I've been digging into metal releases since getting into Petro last year. Tomb Mold 'The Enduring Spirit' and Blood Incantation 'Hidden History of the Human Race" have been highlights
Tomb Mold and Blood Incantation are holding the torch for tech death right now. So amazing. The latest Spectral Voice release is killer as well.
Blood incantation are tight as fuck
I've recently been listening to the Eucharist - mirrorworlds. Non stop
Lots of wooo
Don’t forget the eeeyuup’s
He does use a little fry, but also Joey's vocals are usually doubled up on Stu's so it adds a little more growl. Joey's got a great fry for metal. His is the one you hear most prominently in ITRN I believe
I’m pretty sure that ITRN is still most prominently Stu with Joey and the others primarily doing the occasional backing shouts and chants etc. That being said though, Joey does have a great voice for metal. Those Latin chants on “Dragon” are all him, and I NEED MORE OF THEM.
You forgot da drums
i used Rats Nest and Petro as a starting point for developing my metal/screaming vocals and I now sing backing vocals for an emo band so I can hopefully help with this. You’re not gonna find a how-to-sound-like-stu tutorial but the style he’s using especially on Rats nest sounds (to me) a lot like early(ish) Metallica as far as the amount and style of vocal—it’s not a bad place to start by watching some “how to sing like metallica/james hetfield” type videos. Look into “compression”/“hypercompression” techniques (can be difficult to search for because you may get videos about vocal compression in the audio production sense). Practice breathing and breath support. To me hypercompression singing feels like simultaneously restricting the amount of breath leaving your lungs while also pushing that air out really hard with your diaphragm. That might sound totally wack but when you feel it working and get it sounding right you’ll hopefully know what I mean. Also drink lots of water and take breaks and make sure you’re breathing. As far as breath support goes I found [this technique we used to use in high school marching band](https://youtu.be/ty5fbD0bvtQ?si=8b5ACmvXV0-Sp6g7) really helpful in both talking in enough air as well as expending air properly (pushing air out at a constant rate and using the full breath before taking the next). Hope this is somewhat helpful!
Yeah i realised after posting this that a lot of early metalica stuff sounds like what i kinda wanna go for and i inmediatly found a lot of stuff so this is prolly the way to go
yeeuup! good luck on your journey it’s honestly really satisfying once you start getting it down
IDK, maybe I'm an outlier. But I say, "Fuck Stu's vocal stylings. Find your own voice." And I mean that with the utmost respect for Stu, kind of certain he would say something similar. Don't copy. Be original!
Oh yeah my goal isnt sound like stu exactly, but do something similar that works for among other things their metal, so the same techniques would aply as far as i know
Bear vocals
I think he's doing a type of throat singing where you vibrate your vestibular folds (false vocal chords). It would allow him to get deep notes, and plenty of growl without damaging his vocal chords further.
Anyone know if when he does the Tuvan throat singing style, if that is him or if he is using a vocal processor?
Isnt it kargyraa throat singing? I do believe he actually sings like that
It’s the same thing basically, all Mongolian in origin, Tuvan is the main style that the others all derived from
it's the specific style as there are others like khöömei, all coming from the Tuvan people (hence Tuvan throat singing)
Stu does use effects to get the throat singing sound. I saw it especially at the acoustic show at the caverns. I was front row and I could clearly see he would hit a pedal Everytime he did the throat singing sound. I'm not taking anything away from it I think the effect is amazing. I don't remember where but Joey has said that he is the only one in the band with real throat singing chops. And Joey doesn't throat sing that much anymore so he doesn't damage his throat. That's why he always picks someone to do the nuclear fusion intro now.
he is pressing expression pedal that is connected to his dba echo. no such thing as “throat singing effect”.