Vocal Recording Tricks

[TheHound]

Sometimes I duplicate vocal tracks and I will move one slightly forward a few milliseconds and the other back. I also to slight pitch shifts on the tracks with one slightly sharp and the other slightly flat. The change is subtle but very positive IMO. It fattens the vocals without it sounding like there is chorus on them.

I also use pre-delay on the reverb sometimes.

What are you guys doing with vocals?

[Ian Craig]

Anything that works on the track that I'm working on. That's my only plan

[TheHound]

Anything that works on the track that I'm working on. That's my only plan

That's often my approach. Sadly, my singing is not what it once was. I need to sing more and get my chops back.

[Ian Craig]

That's often my approach. Sadly, my singing is not what it once was. I need to sing more and get my chops back.

I recorded this at the weekend, it has vocals, not too many words but is over 10 minutes long (it's an early version)
I recorded the vocals with a condenser microphone with phantom power switched on the focusrite scarlet 18|8 v1,
then pre-cleaned in iZotope RX6 i.e manually removed breath sounds and used spectral denoising (though that wasn't really necessary).
I used McDSP ML4000 I think for a bit of compression/limiting/maximisation,
then re-imported it to Mixcraft.
I chopped it up a bit into 2 tracks in a sub-mix,
with FX
(1) MUnison (to multiply the vocals),
(2) MSpectralDelay (having just spent around a day creating presets for it) &
(3) Abstract Chamber (Reverb). Simple really
https://iancraig1.bandcamp.com/track/li ... -version-1
I had to fix the link there, sorry

[Mark Bliss]

Fixed it while I typed my reply.......

[Ian Craig]

Fixed it while I typed my reply.......

Yeah, I forgot, but not for long

[Mark Bliss]

That's NEVER happened to me.....

[mixyguy2]

Sometimes I duplicate vocal tracks and I will move one slightly forward a few milliseconds and the other back. I also to slight pitch shifts on the tracks with one slightly sharp and the other slightly flat.

aka doubling. One way to do it anyway; most would say just record the same thing twice and try to sound the same, but not quite. Regardless, I would add panning each hard L and R.

Chorus is also a common effect though I've never had much use for it personally.

Pitch corrections are another, for ex. with Melodyne (which comes with the top-end version of MC).

I'm sure there are 100 more tips and tricks you can find online, but the last one I'd leave with is only do as much as is necessary, and you may need a LOT less than you think. Don't think you ALWAYS have to do any of the above, or anything else for that matter. Trust your ears. If it sounds best dry, then let it be.

[TheHound]

Sometimes I duplicate vocal tracks and I will move one slightly forward a few milliseconds and the other back. I also to slight pitch shifts on the tracks with one slightly sharp and the other slightly flat.

aka doubling. One way to do it anyway; most would say just record the same thing twice and try to sound the same, but not quite. Regardless, I would add panning each hard L and R.

Chorus is also a common effect though I've never had much use for it personally.

Pitch corrections are another, for ex. with Melodyne (which comes with the top-end version of MC).

I'm sure there are 100 more tips and tricks you can find online, but the last one I'd leave with is only do as much as is necessary, and you may need a LOT less than you think. Don't think you ALWAYS have to do any of the above, or anything else for that matter. Trust your ears. If it sounds best dry, then let it be.

Lennon and Freddy Mercury doubled by re-singing the track but it's tricky for me. Sometimes it works. I gotta try hard panning. I do pan duplicated track an I also do it with Classic EQ with one side equalized slightly differently.

If I want a delay repeat on some words but not others, I put delay on one vocal track and I use automation to boost that section of the track. i like delay as I'm stuck in the 80's.

I've never pitch corrected in the auto tune sense. I have made one vocal track slightly sharp or slightly flat. Kinda like how a piano tuner expands the octave or how some people tune a 12 string.

I have sworn I will never use auto tune or a harmonizer on a recording but that could change. I have thought about using one live but sparingly.

I'm working on a simple diddy now and the vocals are dry except for a little reverb in the master channel and I think I'm liking it so far. When I first started mixing I tended to use too much effects. I'm also going easier on the compression and limiter.

I trust my ears but there are times I wish I had other people listening while I mix. Sometimes I get locked into one instrument and I don't hear the whole mix in context. Sometimes to many cooks can spoil the soup and sometimes two heads are better than one.

[aj113]

What are you guys doing with vocals?

I work with the vocalist to sing as in tune, and as in time as they are capable of.

In terms of processing, the one technique that always delivers is high-passing to within an inch of its life.

I have sworn I will never use auto tune or a harmonizer on a recording ...

Really? Why is that?

[mixyguy2]

I won't say absolutely no way ever on auto tune stuff, but that's my intent. I'd rather just sing it right.

[tjdover]

I never have a vocal that is always perfectly in tune, so I use the built-in Melodyne to fix only those things I need and leave the rest alone!

[mixyguy2]

I think there can be actually great value in being just slightly "out of tune."

[FancyGoose]

I'm not an expert by any means, but I correct pitch and transitions in vocals with Melodyne, add quite a bit of compression, a touch of reverb, then I round that up with the FSQ1964 Transiant Vitaliser plug-in with the warm tubes preset as a foundation, and work from there.

Pretty satisfying results.

[TheHound]

What are you guys doing with vocals?

I work with the vocalist to sing as in tune, and as in time as they are capable of.

In terms of processing, the one technique that always delivers is high-passing to within an inch of its life.

I have sworn I will never use auto tune or a harmonizer on a recording ...

Really? Why is that?

I'm a purist snob and that's why I won't use a harmonizer or auto tune. I think harmonizers sound fake and I like the nuances of another voice. I would use a harmonizer on single note instruments live and maybe very very sparingly on live vocals.

As to pitch, I would simply re-sing the track. If a singer can't hold pitch then they should not sing until they can. Also if the aren't holding pitch they aren't singing correctly or have Bobby Brown syndrome.