mixing doubled vocals

Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2008 8:43 pm

Hello, I am recording a song that's has the attitude of Foo Fighters' songs, sort of. The singer has a strong voice but it's 100% clean. There is no growl in his performance. We want to double or triple the main melody to make his vocals sound thicker. Is there any effect that can be added to the vocals to enhance the rock attitude? How should I pan these tracks?

thank you guys!

Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2008 10:09 pm

how refreshing! A vocalist that isn't trying to sound like Eddie Vetter/Scott Stapp trying to sound like Eddie V/Kurt Cobain trying to sound like anything at all...

you should be CELEBRATING that!

lucky you! damn. some bastards get all the luck.

Just hit him with a little compression, a little tape saturation (emulation), a little multi-tap, and put him spanking top of the stack.

dwoz

Posted: Sun Aug 10, 2008 12:34 am

I'd do triples just in case I were to need a third. I would put an extremely short delay on one and mix the effect in with the dry... all of this just on the one vocal track. Then I'd combine it with the other dry vocal track and pan them at 3 and 9 o'clock. Then run the third vocal up the center and see how that sounds (maybe even flip the phase). I don't listen to Foo Fighters, but from the stuff I heard, it sounds like there might be a little stereo flanger on his vocal too... so maybe it's doubles panned wide, with a third with flange up the center?

Or use the BlueLine chorus with all 4 "voices" on one single vocal track, heavy depth and a lot of stereo widening mixed 50/50. Won't sound as organic, but has the same type of sound:

http://www.music-boss.com/freeware_plug-in_blue_line.htm

Posted: Sun Aug 10, 2008 11:26 am

If you double, find a decent predelay to go with any tails you might want to add. Keep it tight as the days of washed out vocal effects has come and gone lo these many years.

Compression will help. If you have access to outboard compression or have the ability to add it to your mix, put the 1176 in the line. You dont have to use much of the compression as you are simply using the circuit for whats it brings to the table.

Another neat trick is to reamp the track and run it out through a guitar amp with some tubes. Or a pre with a lot of attitude. Basically something to warm it up a bit and add the harmonic distortion a really dry but strong track needs to sit in a mix without taking it over.

Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2008 5:01 pm

Thank you so much everybody for such informative comments.

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