Author Topic: Petrucci vocals  (Read 1460 times)

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Offline PMA

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Petrucci vocals
« on: March 25, 2019, 10:34:56 AM »
I was at the SF show on 3/24 which was very good although the venue (The Masonic) seemed too small for DT.  As far as I know, they've never played at this venue on prior tours.  The band was very tight and I only heard James struggle a bit during Barstool Warrior for some of the higher notes.  After that he found his range and he was great for the rest of the night.  There was one other song where the vocal harmonies sounded a bit off so I think they were live and not tracks.

In listening to Petrucci during the harmonies, it sounded like was using a harmonizer to add more depth to his parts.  Can anyone confirm that this is what he's doing now?  Also, if this is how he is handling his harmony parts, has he always used a harmonizer?  If so, I've never noticed it being so apparent as this show.  Seems that some of the harmonies may have been tracks and maybe JP was lip syncing.  I'd just like to better understand how they are doing vocals these days vs. in the past when Portnoy (and JP) would sing with James.

I appreciate any info on this.

Offline bosk1

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Re: Petrucci vocals
« Reply #1 on: March 25, 2019, 12:48:20 PM »
Not sure about the harmonizer.  I have discussed his vocals in the past just to make sure I was giving accurate information, because some have mistakenly accused him of lip synching rather than singing.  I can understand why people might thing that, because they use a backing track that is either mostly or entirely James, and for MOST of the parts where JP sings as well, he likes to be VERY low in the mix.  Here is what I said in another thread:

If you happen to be close enough to him during the show, you can hear him singing.  But they do use backing tracks for the vocals, and JP's live vocals are low in the mix.  That is the reason you are primarily hearing "another James" and the backing track.  JP sings his parts to blend in, not to stand out as another singer.

Interestingly, the backup vocals themselves are fairly low in the mix compared to the other instruments.  You might not notice during the show, but during sound check, James often doesn't sing, so you can really hear the backing track, and it's surprising how low it is in the mix.  But you still hear it, and your mind kind of fills in the gaps.

EDIT:  Oh, by the way, I was at the same show.
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Offline PMA

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Re: Petrucci vocals
« Reply #2 on: March 25, 2019, 04:50:14 PM »
Not sure about the harmonizer.  I have discussed his vocals in the past just to make sure I was giving accurate information, because some have mistakenly accused him of lip synching rather than singing.  I can understand why people might thing that, because they use a backing track that is either mostly or entirely James, and for MOST of the parts where JP sings as well, he likes to be VERY low in the mix.  Here is what I said in another thread:

If you happen to be close enough to him during the show, you can hear him singing.  But they do use backing tracks for the vocals, and JP's live vocals are low in the mix.  That is the reason you are primarily hearing "another James" and the backing track.  JP sings his parts to blend in, not to stand out as another singer.

Interestingly, the backup vocals themselves are fairly low in the mix compared to the other instruments.  You might not notice during the show, but during sound check, James often doesn't sing, so you can really hear the backing track, and it's surprising how low it is in the mix.  But you still hear it, and your mind kind of fills in the gaps.

EDIT:  Oh, by the way, I was at the same show.

Thanks for the reply Bosk.  I was hoping you'd be the one to provide some knowledgeable insight.  At some point when you might be speaking or communicating with Petrucci again, can you ask about using a harmonizer or is it just as you stated?  How did you like the show and James in particular last night?
« Last Edit: March 27, 2019, 12:22:08 PM by PMA »

Offline porcacultor

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Re: Petrucci vocals
« Reply #3 on: March 25, 2019, 05:44:39 PM »
I'm glad this topic surfaced because, even though I'm just watching live videos on youtube and not at the venue proper, I've been thinkin that people who say JP is solely lip-synching have to be exaggerating to some extent. You can definitely hear the guy sing when he does his backup parts.

I think it was in one of the recent videos of ITPOE that I thought "there's no way this is just lip synching, come on!".

Offline silentmac6

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Re: Petrucci vocals
« Reply #4 on: March 26, 2019, 12:14:18 AM »
An even more obvious answer to this one.... Check out the acoustic Silent Man on LALP dvd
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Offline sfam2112

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Re: Petrucci vocals
« Reply #5 on: March 26, 2019, 01:08:33 AM »
My music:
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Offline Dream Team

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Re: Petrucci vocals
« Reply #6 on: March 26, 2019, 05:57:20 PM »
Awake in Japan just popped up on my YouTube feed and when Silent Man came on, I listened for JP’s vocals and they were really good. He doesn’t try to do too much so I wouldn’t mind if he was a little louder.

Offline Another_Won

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Re: Petrucci vocals
« Reply #7 on: March 26, 2019, 06:18:37 PM »
I also found his vocals on the Wither single to be pretty good too.

Offline gzarruk

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Re: Petrucci vocals
« Reply #8 on: March 26, 2019, 09:54:21 PM »
JP is very good as a background vocalist. His voice should definitely be higher in the live shows mix, as it gives more of a live feel to the songs.
It sounds like, "ruk, ruk, ruk, ruk, ruk." Instead of the more pleasing kick drum sound of, "gzarruk, gzarruk, gzarruk, gzarruk."