Backing vocal technique

fcs101

fcs101

Axe-Master
Here's a little cool something for all of you home recording enthusiasts. It's funny, but I had never paid that much attention to the fullness of the backing vocals in the songs mentioned. It's amazing what they recreate just using two singers in the vid though:

 
fcs101 said:
Here's a little cool something for all of you home recording enthusiasts. It's funny, but I had never paid that much attention to the fullness of the backing vocals in the songs mentioned. It's amazing what they recreate just using two singers in the vid though:

Click to expand...


I’m anxious to check this out when I get home tonight. Background vocals are still my biggest weakness in my songs. I usually end up just compressing and EQ’ing the shit out of them to get them to sit right.
 
Gang vocals for the win!!! :)

The best bands I have been in have all had great vocals, with multiple singers, and everyone
capable of singing harmony. I was grilled and drilled so hard in my early 20s that I would
sometimes want to quit at rehearsals. It felt merciless. Playing to pitch on guitar is SOOOO
different (and far easier with frets!) than singing to pitch with your voice. In my experience, some
people never gain that ability. It takes a lot of work.

I had an embarrassing episode where we did a gig and we all had mics and sang backgrounds to
support the vocals, but the soundguy muted my mic at the board because I was sucking so bad. Yup.
It was painful when he told me that, but it made me work my ass off on my vocals.

Great harmonies whether live or in the studio are so pleasing to the ear. That'll never change. :)
 
RevDrucifer said:
I’m anxious to check this out when I get home tonight. Background vocals are still my biggest weakness in my songs. I usually end up just compressing and EQ’ing the shit out of them to get them to sit right.
Click to expand...

Isn't that an inherent challenge when you are just one voice that tends to cancel itself out
versus different voices singing harmony or unison that may complement one another??
 
la noise said:
Isn't that an inherent challenge when you are just one voice that tends to cancel itself out
versus different voices singing harmony or unison that may complement one another??
Click to expand...

It certainly can be and has, so I’ll do my best to use different voices, pinch my nose, whatever it takes to get some separation going on. Mike Patton is a HUGE influence and I try to take his approach of using whatever sounding voice the song calls for instead of just sticking with my regular singing voice. I mean, listen to the stuff he throws in his music with the background vocals; dude’s doing 50’s-style backup vocals and it’s just him but sounds like a barbershop quarter or somethin.

Essentially, I do my best to give myself multiple personality disorder while tracking. :D
 
Great information. With a DAW and virtually unlimited tracks, this is a cool method anyone can use. I watched a video on the vocal tracking for “I’m Not In Love” by 10cc and it was a real master class in taking vocal backgrounds to another level.
 
RevDrucifer said:
It certainly can be and has, so I’ll do my best to use different voices, pinch my nose, whatever it takes to get some separation going on. Mike Patton is a HUGE influence and I try to take his approach of using whatever sounding voice the song calls for instead of just sticking with my regular singing voice. I mean, listen to the stuff he throws in his music with the background vocals; dude’s doing 50’s-style backup vocals and it’s just him but sounds like a barbershop quarter or somethin.

Essentially, I do my best to give myself multiple personality disorder while tracking. :D
Click to expand...

Haha! That's super smart. Have to change the tonality somehow. :)

Good luck with all those selves., too I hope they continue to work together and mostly get along. :D
 
RevDrucifer said:
It certainly can be and has, so I’ll do my best to use different voices, pinch my nose, whatever it takes to get some separation going on. Mike Patton is a HUGE influence and I try to take his approach of using whatever sounding voice the song calls for instead of just sticking with my regular singing voice. I mean, listen to the stuff he throws in his music with the background vocals; dude’s doing 50’s-style backup vocals and it’s just him but sounds like a barbershop quarter or somethin.

Essentially, I do my best to give myself multiple personality disorder while tracking. :D
Click to expand...
I need to do more experimentation with different sounds when I do mupltiple overdubs and harmonies. I did a few harmony parts on one of my songs today, basically the lead is kind of a power rock Dio type sound, and I did two high harmony parts as clean and clear as I could, two middle but lower harmony parts with just a touch of grit, but cleaner than the main part, and then one lower part pretty clean as well. I'm really still working on that, and will probably add more layers for the chorus section, so I may have to try that nose pinching thing and see how it sounds. LOL
 
Another neat trick when stacking background vocals is when doubling each section of soprano, alto, tenor, and bass is for the section to use a different mic for each doubled part. It helps give a subtle definition when panning all the parts in the stereo soundstage without needing to resort to EQ.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom