[chris carter]

Originally Posted by deeper

What are your theories on compressing and submixing background vocals? My questions which follow are in particular regarding background vocals like "la-la's" and "oohs and ahhs" moreso than simple parallel harmonies:

I think a major factor here is r&b style vox vs. rock style vox. I tend to take somewhat different approaches depending on which. Since you mention "la-la" and "ooh ahh" I'll roll with the more r&b and pop/r&b type vocals.

1. Do you use a different compressor to make the backing vocals sound different than the lead? More compression on Bvox, or less than the lead?

Generally, yes. Often, I tend to use light (or more often than not, only the tracking compression) and then group backup vocals and compress them as a group. The compression I'll use on the group is entirely independent of what settings I might use for the lead.

2. Do you use different EQ on the backing vocals? Do you roll off highs and lows to keep them from competing with the lead?

The first vocal I EQ is generally the lead vocal and I use that as a starting point for all the other vocal tracks (in pop and r&b tunes it's not uncommon for me to have 80 or 100 tracks of vocals... it can get tedious...). I'll start with that on backups most of the time and then tweak from there. The most common difference I'll do EQ-wise is adjust the HPF followed by subtle tweaks in other bands for cutting power. Of course, if I'm goign for an effect, then all bets are off. That said, I consider the compression on backups a bigger issue than the EQ for most records I work on. The same EQ compressed different ways can make it sound like different EQ.

3. Do you use the same reverb/delay settings on the Bvox that you use on the lead? Do you try to make Bvox and lead vocals sound like they were recorded in the same space, or do you prefer to separate the Bvox with different reverb selections to make them sound way further back or in a totally different space?

I almost never use the same reverb and delay settings on backup vox that I use in lead vocals. Actually, I rarely use reverb on backups. On a mix where I have a dozen fx sends for vocal tracks, maybe one or two are reverbs and the rest are typically delays.

4. And, perhaps most important, if you have 3 backing vocalists, do you usually have them sing doubles? Triples? Even more?

I do what's necessary. One of the most common things I say during tracking is "double it". I remember on one session we turned it into a joke by recording me saying it into a little toy recorder thing and I'd just hit that button. In r&b and pop MOST (but not all) backup vocals get doubled or more. Sometimes I will triple a part. Sometimes I will quadruple a part. One of the hardest things for newer producers is knowing when something should be doubled (or more) or not and you really have to think about the texture in the mix. It's not so much a question of "how many voices do I want this to sound like" as it is "what texture do I want this to have". I consider a block of chorus as ONE voice no matter how many doubles or harmony parts there are - the difference is the texture. When I mix outside records from other producers it is common to run into situaitons where a part that really should have been doubled wasn't and then it sticks out like a sore thumb in the mix and I have to find a work-around... that always sucks.