The Voices Of A.C.E: a thread

just an fyi I’m 100% NOT a professional but I’ve been studying singing technique for some time now and have been in an a cappella as well as other kinds of choirs. my bias will show cause I love a.c.e a lot, but I’m also gonna be Real with y’all. no harm intended!

everyone has different opinions and perspectives of course, but everyone also has room to grow in their skill. Please take this into consideration. love you all!

One thing I admire most about a.c.e is that since predebut they weren’t afraid to sing live with no background vocals. the harmonies and layers have always been purely the boys

as a group, a.c.e have learned to listen to one another well. (note when they look at each other) they know when the sound of one member should be brought forward and their own harmonies should be toned down. their dynamics match with the emotions of the song.

* dynamics meaning how loud or quiet they sing

Personally, I wish a.c.e would add or focus more on lower harmonies. they tend to add an upper harmony to the melody (since donghun usually takes this, it can be tiring/straining so he gets pitchy).

sehyoon, who usually takes the lower harmonies, did not project much predebut/early debut. his harmonies were lost in the sound. I feel now that he’s more confident, and can have more interesting and powerful pieces!

* project meaning voice projection: the strength of the voice so it can be heard clearly and loudly. breath control and technique plays an important role

listen to Sehyoon’s lower harmonies here and try and tell me you don’t want more

each member of a.c.e is a singer. each one of them contributes to the sound, and they blend well together. just watch them breathe in unison.

Park Junhee: Lead Vocalist

junhee has a very unique and distinct sounding voice. he easily stands out from the blend. he is capable of having each word drip with emotion using dynamics and other stylistic skills

one of the things that make his voice so HIM is the nasal quality. usually, vocalists try eliminate nasal because it doesn’t allow resonance. The nasal quality can be due to a high tongue or tight nasal passage (as well as some other reasons)

nasality is corrected in classical training because it can be connected to improper breath crontrol. However many popular singers have a nasally sound (i.e. BoA, Britney Spear)
* resonance: vibrations through the mouth, throat, and nasal passages, create a loud traveling sound

he sounds nasally here but the “stay with me” sounds a bit clearer

his voice in a soft tone is GORGEOUS. his little runs/riffs are fairly clean. this means he is in control of his vocal chords

junhee is rarely pitchy in a softer tone. He can smoothly transition to a soft falsetto. however, when he wants to make a stronger/louder sound (a belt) he lacks resonance and strains

not always tho! here he uses vibrato and projects more! He knows what he’s doing no worries ;)

reminder! He can sing this sitting/recording with normal breath support but dancing while singing these belts can create a lot of strain trying to produce the pitch. I wished tmh was in a lower key :/ (but look how cute)

* strain: you can hear, see, and feel it. the muscle tensing in the throat or tongue while singing. damaging in the long run.

junhee does NOT always strain. He is capable of spinning his air and Ik he’s constantly working on it. Once a song is in his bread and butter range, he makes it HIS

Junhee is Talented. His strength is expressing his emotions through his voice. I just want him to sing in a range comfortable for him. stan talent. stan junhee.

Junhee’s voice as aesthetic pictures that don’t really make sense but somehow do

Lee Donghun: Main Vocalist

THIS BOY?? Donghun?? Talent!! His voice is honey and oozes raw emotion. He’s soulful and thoughtful in each note. He has the ooomf that’s hard to teach: the passion for singing.

since he’s the oldest, he’s had the most time for training and developing his voice. He has had PIPES since the very beginning

however, with great power come great responsibility. sometimes donghun can get too emo in a song and his voice gets whiney. he still has the support and air spin, but his throat gets too tight which leads to strain. (inseong sings the same part without the whine for comparison)

but out of all the members, when donghun does his belts and mixed voice right he does it GORGEOUSLY. he creates a full sound. his vowels are round and he projects while adding the stylistic flairs of emotion throughout

* voices:
chest- feel the vibration while singing in your chest, full sound
head- no more vibrations in the chest, some feel it in their head, still supported, lighter
mixed- various blends of chest and head voice
falsetto- breathy and weaker sound compared to head, soft

y’all let me know if that’s confusing it’s hard to put into words. you just feel it

* vowels: notes are held on the vowels of words. The way one forms the vowel can affect the pitch, resonance, emotion, etc. of the note
ex: usually want an “O” sound rather than “uh”

donghun’s vowels are BEAUTIFUL and this range is perfect perfect perfect for him. his voice sounds so rich and controlled here.

like junhee, in a soft tone he’s rarely pitchy. he has studied the technique. he knows it, and he makes it his. he’s very comfortable here. it’s not hard for him. talent.

donghun has a large range with his falsetto but it’s obviously not his bread and butter. a.c.e utilize his capability to reach the notes, but it obviously makes him tense to always be up there. this can lead to strain.

donghun has the technique: breath support, the vowels, the projection. he just needs to know his limits and maybe focus a bit on control in his upper register. this is already amazing tho...

Donghun’s voice as aesthetic pictures that don’t really make sense but somehow do

Kim Sehyoon: Vocalist

as the main rapper and main dancer of the group, Sehyoon’s vocals are often overlooked or brushed to the side. however, his voice flows in a soft silky manner. he sings delicately and smoothly
(video credit to blex thank youuu)

reminder that waaay back a.c.e had two other rappers so sehyoon probably wasn’t even supposed to fill that role originally. his deep voice adds depth to a.c.e’s harmonies and his mixed voice is so sweet and soothing to listen to (think R&B style)

R&B singing has a nasal sound. It’s a stylistic choice, however a Grrreat singer is able to add or subtract this quality proving themselves to be in full control of their sound. sehyoon isn’t in complete control but he’s definitely been working on it. Proud of him!

(I am not educated on anything rap, so I won’t comment on it. This means all the videos are gonna be short clips sorrrry)

harmonizing to a melody can be really difficult. a.c.e don’t really do complex harmonies. sehyoon often takes the melody an octave lower to add more oomf. it makes the sound more rounded. when he’s confident, it’s really pretty

sehyoon is surrounded by some powerful vocalists. his harmonies sometimes get lost in the sound. this is because he lacks resonance in his lower register. his low notes are really quiet and not completely supported.

he’s gained a lot of confidence in his vocal abilities since predebut/early debut tho. I think sehyoon has only showed us a small portion of what he’s capable of singing.

a tip I would give sehyoon to add more resonance and power to his voice is to lift his soft palate and relax. he sometimes tenses up. when he lets go, the sound flows beautifully

* lift soft palate: if you put your tongue on the roof of your mouth and slide it back towards your throat, it gets softer and squishier. that’s the soft palate. it raises when you yawn! For more resonance and less nasality, it should be lifted when you sing

sehyoon is capable of creating this full sound with decent vowels. i hope a.c.e has more songs that allow his vocal colors to shine now that he’s gaining confidence and knows choice love his voice

his softer tone is very light and pretty. the control in the little riff is good. he gets a little louder when donghun enters so he can be heard. i wish he held the notes a bit longer instead of cutting them off so quickly. I always want to hear more sehyoon lol

Sehyoon’s voice as aesthetic pictures that don’t really make sense but somehow do

Kim Byeongkwan: Lead Vocalist

as another dancer and rapper, people overlook byeongkwan’s vocals too. he is a perfectly well rounded idol. his voice has a stable sound that rarely falters. he sings crisply yet not in an overpowering way

he knows what he has to do to produce the pitch. he preps himself to breathe more (here, he stops moving for a second) he’s very conscious of the next note, and always thinks ahead. very smart.

he knows what he can sing and he’s CONFIDENT about it. there’s no second guessing; he just lets his voice flow. that’s super hard to teach. he’s amazing.

like sehyoon, his R&B style of singing has a nasal quality to it. Sometimes it’s more noticeable than others. He’s not in total control of it, but he’s able to tone it down now (better since predebut)

an important thing to note about byeongkwan is his stamina. the quality of one’s singing while dancing has nothing to do with how well they sing in general. however, bk proves he can do both incredibly well

* breathing: when you’re moving around dancing, you need air. The quickest way to do this is to take short shallow breaths from your chest. If you’re singing, this creates a hallow breathy sound. singers are always taught to sing from the diaphragm.

put your hand on your stomach. breathe in (not moving your shoulders up). your tummy should push out. this is all the supported air a singer should use! breathe out (not moving your shoulders down). the air supply will slowly decrease, and your tummy goes back in.

he doesn’t hold notes very often, but when he’s sitting, he supports his air from the diaphragm more than when he’s dancing. he sings straight more often than not (no vibrato). I think he has the potential to sing powerful ballads if he really wanted to!

he isn’t the most agile in his runs/riffs. he’s rarely pitchy (flat when he pushes a note too much from the throat rather than from the diaphragm —> tension) he has most of the basics down and is working well on conveying emotion through his voice, not just facial expressions

* vocal agility: ability to sing fluidly and consistently without strain (especially runs/riffs) in and between all registers. Not singing note to note to note, but making it all flow with precision.

Byeongkwan’s voice as aesthetic pictures that don’t really make sense but somehow do

Kang Yuchan: Main Vocalist

Yuchan has a uniquely pure voice. It’s very soft and delicate, yet he is able to build up a full sound that tugs at your heart strings. he puts his whole body into every song, connecting deeply to it; telling its story.

his soft effortless sound makes you feel like you’re floating on clouds. the style of using mostly headvoice creates a hallow sound, but he spins his air creating mini vibrato to add more depth. this is what angels in heaven sound like

he has raw emotion in each note he sings. he has really decent control of when to sing straight or add vibrato. to interpret the emotion/meaning of the song into dynamics and other techniques is awesome! such a pretty sound. I’m biased tho :)

Chan’s lower register is very pretty (tho a bit under-developed) I hope he sings down here more often

* a person’s range does NOT determine how good of a singer they are. singing high does not equal singing better (something kpop finds difficult to understand) If someone desperately strains to reach a note, it’s NOT better than not singing it at all. learn to sing healthily!

(something in this audio is edited or layered but...) chan often uses the stylistic choice of pinching off the sound at the end of holding a note. It sounds kinda squeaky. I would like to see if he can turn that on and off. It’s not favored in classical singing

chan also has a R&B nasal sound that he has been able to tone down since early debut. when he’s nervous or uncertain, his voice wavers, and he can be pitchy (due to lack of breath support). he’s improving tho. it’s obvious he has been working hard!

chan has showed us that he can improve as a vocalist. I’m curious to see how much he can learn and how much better he can be!

Yuchan’s voice as aesthetic pictures that don’t really make sense but somehow do

If you got this far into the thread I’m really amazed by you, and I love you. Thank you for reading! If you have any questions about the thread or any video or ANYTHING feel free to dm me!