Thanks for those who actually had some useful input.
I didn't ask in high end, because I want to see what can be done with minimal equipment. I remember a while back someone doing a mix with only a shure sm-57 that sounded pretty decent. Was it to THAT caliber, no, but I was impressed enough by it.
So, I'm looking to find out what is done to some extent on those recordings, and do what I can. I'll learn no matter what
One thing I was wondering about was on the song "photograph" It sounds to me like they are using a harmonizer. To me it doesn't even sound that "real", but I'm so new to all of this, it's hard for me to tell.
Just looking for ideas to try.