You control your voice with your larynx, mouth and diaphragm. Think of singing as a physical exercise and warm-up as if you were an athlete. Start with some deep breathing exercises and gentle stretches. Then play “motorcycle.” Blow your lips together as if emulating the sound of a motorcycle. This warms up your lips and relaxes the muscles around your mouth. Once fully warmed up, you are more likely to deliver a strong vocal performance.
The power of your voice comes from your diaphragm. If you’ve ever answered the phone in the middle of working-out, you’ll know how hard it is to talk while out of breath. Control your breathing so that you exhale when projecting your voice. Slow your breathing down and take in as much air as your can between lines. Let it out gradually.
The way you stand influences how much power you can deliver. Position your feet so that they are shoulder-width apart, relax your shoulders and push your chest out. This allows you to optimize diaphragm and lung function.
Vocal range is the series of pitches that you can reach most easily. Some people have a high range, some have a low range. If you consistently try to sing out of your range, your voice will sound weak. During warm-up, run through the scales and make a note of which keys you find easiest. This is your vocal range.
Compression is an audio-effect that “squashes” the dynamic range of a recording. By boosting the quiet parts and cutting the loud parts, compression creates the illusion of loudness in an audio recording. This added loudness can make a weak voice sound stronger in the mix.
Reverb is similar to an echo. But rather than repeating the original sound, the reverb effect prolongs the ambiance to create an effect that is comparable to singing in a cave. Add reverb to your voice in the studio to give it a more sustained and ambient sound.
Mixing is the practice of boosting and cutting the various audio components of a recording. Boosting a weak vocal performance will add strength and make it more audible.