Axl Voice

[runlikehell]

With rumours of a new tour, I was thinking with technology today can’t Axl put some effects onto his voice so it doesn’t sound so Mickey Mouse. Like he still can hit most of the notes but his voice has lost power and rasp. 
 

I don’t know much about music. But I see apps that help correct your voice. I know Axl wants to be authentic, however he still be singing, just have some effects like guitars do. He used effects on omg and the general. 

What are your guys thoughts., ps. I wish he grow his hair longer too. lol. 
 

 

[Axl_morris]

We don't want AI Axl

[jamillos]

I'm with ya on the long hair, but as for the rest, just no. I don't want augmented reality and artificial shit, like in a sci-fi movie (unless it's the three-titted hooker from TR). It's the real deal or bust. 

[evilfacelessturtle]

It doesn't have to be AI, he could use a simple distortion pedal just like you would on a guitar. Just don't overdo it like on The General or OMG. A light distortion would really help IMO.

[Karice]

I suggested on this forum that maybe current/recent Older Axl could lip sync to his old ,(younger) more powerful , stronger,, vocals at a Guns N' Roses Show since a LOT of Fans criticize the current/recent"Mickey Mouse," voice and I got ragged and dragged so hard! ☢️

Edited November 28 by Karice

[WhazUp]

I would rather have a human not-in-his-prime Axl than an Axl that isn't fully Axl

[El Guapo]

Nah

[beardedranga]

he could at the very least grow a beard again

[mustaine]

I prefer his actual voice, just keep it authentic. I want my live music to be flawed, what you see is what you get - that’s part of the magic. Just enjoy it for what it is - singing off key, wrong notes being played and whatever else happens.

I’ve seen GN’R ten times live and Axl has been great or pretty good for the most part (to various degrees). Being there live is just different from watching on Youtube, he doesn’t sound the same as he did in 2006 and I can live with that. Just seeing Axl, Slash and Duff together on stage makes me smile and I just take the rest like it is. He’ll never sound like younger Axl again and I’m fine with that.

Just enjoy your favorite band while you can, one day they’ll be gone along with all the other older bands that don’t take all the shortcuts and you’ll struggle to find any authentic live music again.

Edited November 28 by mustaine

[Barlog]

11 minutes ago, beardedranga said:

he could at the very least grow a beard again

beard? tha mustache needs to make a comback imo

[Cosmo]

Agree on the mustache/beard. Not that it matters, though. He did look a look cooler with the mustache, hats, etc..

 

As for voice effects, I agree on using vox fx pedals. Especially during choruses, to boost his voice. Reverb, octave, a little fuzz, etc... There's absolutely nothing wrong with that. In fact, I wish more artists used them, tbh.

[DoMw94]

8 hours ago, Karice said:

I suggested on this forum that maybe current/recent Older Axl could lip sync to his old ,(younger) more powerful , stronger,, vocals at a Guns N' Roses Show since a LOT of Fans criticize the current/recent"Mickey Mouse," voice and I got ragged and dragged so hard! ☢️

Rock fans want the real deal, warts 'n' all. If we were satisfied with lip-synching, we'd buy Taylor Swift tickets instead.

Bad but real is infinitely better than good but fake.

Axl sings the way he does to preserve what's left of his voice. Personally, I'm okay with it. I'd rather this than have a totally destroyed voice and him retired.

[allwaystired]

9 hours ago, Karice said:

I suggested on this forum that maybe current/recent Older Axl could lip sync to his old ,(younger) more powerful , stronger,, vocals at a Guns N' Roses Show since a LOT of Fans criticize the current/recent"Mickey Mouse," voice and I got ragged and dragged so hard! ☢️

Surely you're not surprised that people don't want to see people mime their way through concerts? 

 

[Zeppelin]

Not sure why anyone would want any kind of AI at concerts. Completely destroys the entire point of going to see someone/a group in person.

[chorrada]

I used to be absolutely against any kind of technology that makes a voice sound better than it actually is during a concert. Like I'd prefer to cringe during a show due to the vocal performance, as I often did durig my last GnR shows. A few weeks ago I saw a band whose singer I was expecting to sound bad due to his age and singing style, but then totally blew me away. Later I saw a comment on Youtube that said that the voice was digitally altered, which you supposedly could even see due looking at some mixing devices (?) at the side of the stage. Maybe that comment was bullshit, I don't know, but there I realised that I actually had a lot more fun having the singer sound decent (still singing live though!), the voice being altered or not. So as for me, he should go ahead. So what if there is some kind of enhancing effect on the voice. Might even be the only possibility that I go spend that much money on them again. Either that or change the singing style.

[Dean]

They dabbled with FX on his voice during the 2010 run on Rocket Queen alone I believe? Puerto Rico springs to mind. I don't think Axl will ever entertain the thought of implementing any sort of pitch correction in a live setting, especially when he's called out others over the years for not performing live. I think going by what he's said in the little interviews he's done since 2011, he takes a great deal of pride in his ability to do what he does and we've heard from the camp how regimented he is with his warm ups/downs, so those issues he had back in '2022 must have really hit him hard. I'd rather hear all the flaws of a live performance than anything that helps mask them artificially. 

[AxlRoseCDII]

I’m not sure what can be done. “Love to Love to Love You” was heavily modified vocals and still didn’t really sound anything like Axl and had hints of Mickey. In fact, I would’ve actually liked it a lot more without the processing and him just embracing the falsetto full on. To me that was kind of the point I accepted we’d never hear classic Axl again, studio or live.

[DTV88]

Nah, I still prefer a real Axl to anything augmented. He should just alter the register he uses to sing some of the songs. I mean, if your voice absolutely cannot hit two of the octaves or whatever you call it that he used to, then change it up. I definitely don’t want to see Axl go the Frankie Valli route. 

[Gordon Comstock]

I've seen some singers use effects throughout a show and always thought it was lame. A song, or a chorus here or there, that's fine, but Axl would need more than that...

The better option is to re-structure the setlist, utilize Duff and Melissa, and take longer breaks between shows. Why couldn't there be a slot in the setlist for an Axl/Duff duet? Raw Power would be cool, or So Fine, even Dust N Bones or You Ain't The First. He could duet with Melissa on Shackler's or Locomotive.

At this point nobody should be expecting decent performances of Jungle, November Rain, etc but Axl could definitely still improve the shows without AI or effects. Also, bring back the pyro lol.

[runlikehell]

I see both, sides of the argument, I seen them on the last tour and I say 70% of the song sounded decent live. But songs like jungle, ycbm, sweet child. Were hard to listen too. And the amount you pay for tickets,  it get hard to justify the cost over the product. 
 

And everyone here are hard core fans. But most people at a show are not, only go for the hits. And if the product is lacking they might stop going. 
 

I think it be wise to tweak his voice using effects. Not Ai, but some distortion in my opinion: just on some of the songs he has trouble with: 

[axlvai]

If he can put some UYI Tour vocals... i dont care the playback.

[gunsnchalupas]

They need to have ensemble vocals, because his voice is too thin and exposed. Ideally, they'd bring in a third guitar player who could also handle lead vocals. If you look at the later NuGNR lineups, there are some songs where multiple members sang a lot of the lyrics but they were low in the mix. You can find at least one show on Youtube where the backing vocals are higher in the mix. Axl still needs to be upfront because as bad as he is now, that's what people want, but when there are 3-4 people singing the songs with him it covers for how thin his voice is. 

They will probably just use a backing track and have him sing over it. 

I'm sure in the next few years we will have some sort of AI assist for live singing. I understand that live vocals can already be processed, but I mean something where Axl could sound like Mickey Mouse, but the vocals that come out sound like prime Axl. I think people would be more accepting of something like that than backing tracks, because with AI live performance it would simply be assisted and you would still get whatever the unique input is that the vocalist wants. 

[DoMw94]

36 minutes ago, gunsnchalupas said:

They need to have ensemble vocals, because his voice is too thin and exposed. Ideally, they'd bring in a third guitar player who could also handle lead vocals. If you look at the later NuGNR lineups, there are some songs where multiple members sang a lot of the lyrics but they were low in the mix. You can find at least one show on Youtube where the backing vocals are higher in the mix. Axl still needs to be upfront because as bad as he is now, that's what people want, but when there are 3-4 people singing the songs with him it covers for how thin his voice is. 

They will probably just use a backing track and have him sing over it. 

I'm sure in the next few years we will have some sort of AI assist for live singing. I understand that live vocals can already be processed, but I mean something where Axl could sound like Mickey Mouse, but the vocals that come out sound like prime Axl. I think people would be more accepting of something like that than backing tracks, because with AI live performance it would simply be assisted and you would still get whatever the unique input is that the vocalist wants. 

They have Melissa who can do that. Use her more. Have Melissa and Duff higher in the mix to pad things out.

An obvious example is Slither. If Duff was higher in the mix, Axl's high notes wouldn't be as jarring there, it'd be a decent harmony.

[ZoSoRose]

Honestly, if he’s still singing and it’s some sort of effect that filters it to enhance it, I’d say go for it

[vloors]

Next is a hologram of 1990s axl performing on stage 😂