Need some background singers on the chorus!!

[Mike H]

I need some basic guidance. I have the male lead vocals tracked and that sounds great. I'd like (but don't have) some background singers to come in on the chorus. What techniques might I try to create some "background" vocals during the chorus?

My preference is that it doesn't sound like multiple tracks of the same lead vocalist..............although that would still probably sound better than the lead vocalist alone on the chorus. But first choice would be to create the impression that there are indeed a couple of separate male background vocalists. Like you hear on a ton of country songs, although this doesn't happen to be a country song.

I have a couple of harmonizers (H3000, DSP7000) if that would be the best option.

I know it is pretty basic, but just something I haven't done before.

Thanks,
Mike

[Rufuss Sewell]

If you have a progam like melodyne you could track all of the background vocals separately, then use the formant function in Melodyne to make them each sound slightly different. You can also tune them without the glitches of autotune.

OR you can send the track to my girlfriend and I. We are both great vocalists with an excellent sense of harmony. She sounds like Mariah Carey, I kind of sound like Lou Graham from Foreigner meets Jeff Buckley. The vocal chain would include 4 tracks of each part recorded with:

mics:
Blue Bottle Tube mic
Neumann U87
AKG C414

Pre/EQ
My 32 channel Daking console

Comp:
Original 60's LA-2A serial#310

Converter: Apogee Rosetta 800

Into any file format you like. I have Pro Tools HD 7 and Logic 7.

The price would be $50 each per song. So $100. It's satisfaction guaranteed. We'll send you a rough mix and if you don't like it, forget about it. I can send you some examples too.

Let me know!

[seaneldon]

nothing better than a different set of singers with different mics and different preamps...

[Mike H]

Absolutely no argument that first choice is some good background singers, no question. I understand that. Just trying to learn what I might be able to do in a hurry, so I can play with it and see how it can sound.

[AlexLakis]

In a big hurry? Record a vocal.

Duplicate. Delay. Pan. Reverb. Repeat.

[Mike H]

Alex,
I'm already using delays/pan/reverbs on the lead vocal. This gives me a bigger sound, but not multiple vocals. How does having an identical duplicate track do that? How is that different from using a delay on the main track? Just trying to understand better exactly what you are doing.

Also, is there a way the harmonizers can be utilized to enhance this?

Thanks,
Mike

[AlexLakis]

Take two vocal takes. Pan one hard left, then another hard right. Then duplicate each individual take twice. Put one 15ms or so earlier than the original, and one 15ms or so later than the original. Do this with each one. You'll end up with 6 individual vocal tracks that will be tight with one another (since it's the same take, afterall.) Is that enough for ya? Dunno what effect you're going for here exactly, if you're looking to duplicate the sound of a church choir, only a church choir is gonna do that for ya. If you're just looking for some chorus vocals on rock or pop, this should work fine for you.

[Rufuss Sewell]

I presume you want harmonies. For that it's probably best to record new tracks. A double recording is always preferable to a copied track. A copy really isn't different from a delay, except than you have more control over it.

[superburtm]

Originally Posted by Rufuss Sewell

If you have a progam like melodyne you could track all of the background vocals separately, then use the formant function in Melodyne to make them each sound slightly different. You can also tune them without the glitches of autotune.

OR you can send the track to my girlfriend and I. We are both great vocalists with an excellent sense of harmony. She sounds like Mariah Carey, I kind of sound like Lou Graham from Foreigner meets Jeff Buckley. The vocal chain would include 4 tracks of each part recorded with:

mics:
Blue Bottle Tube mic
Neumann U87
AKG C414

Pre/EQ
My 32 channel Daking console

Comp:
Original 60's LA-2A serial#310

Converter: Apogee Rosetta 800

Into any file format you like. I have Pro Tools HD 7 and Logic 7.

The price would be $50 each per song. So $100. It's satisfaction guaranteed. We'll send you a rough mix and if you don't like it, forget about it. I can send you some examples too.

Let me know!

Dang your one talented couple! Jeff Buckley and M. Carey..bold words

[Rufuss Sewell]

Hey, I'm also a sales rep... what can I say?

Obviously we don't sound exactly like those two, and I'm not convinced there's anyone that can do what those two can do... but for $100 we're about as close as you're gunna get.

Budget Divas!

[AlexLakis]

Hey, Rufuss, do you do laundry as well? I'll pay ya $10...

[Rufuss Sewell]

Alex, you obviously haven't been paying attention to the "New Product Alert" forum...

You could just copy your clothes onto another track... throw the new UA Maytag emulator on there and pan it left. Make a second copy but slow down the spin cycle and pan it right. No detergent necessary and very little work.

In the end you still stink, but at least you're wearing three sets of clothes!

[Mike H]

Any more suggestions for me to try?
Nobody using harmonizers for this purpose?
Something else?

Thanks,
Mike

[Drumsound]

Originally Posted by Rufuss Sewell

Budget Divas!

You should start an online service. There are drummers doing it all over. Good BVs are hard to find.

[Rufuss Sewell]

Sorry to hijack your thread Mike.

Download the demo of Melodyne and give it a shot. It will do what you want with great result. You have individual control over each note for timing, amplitude, pitch and formant. You can literally create subtle differences in each word, create very realistic harmonies with the drag of a mouse, and do drastic things like change the sex of the lead vocalist without turning him into a chipmunk.

Download it and follow the tutorial. It's a bit complex at first, but the interface is very intuitive. With enough time spent you can get very convincing results.

[AlexLakis]

Originally Posted by Rufuss Sewell

Alex, you obviously haven't been paying attention to the "New Product Alert" forum...

You could just copy your clothes onto another track... throw the new UA Maytag emulator on there and pan it left. Make a second copy but slow down the spin cycle and pan it right. No detergent necessary and very little work.

In the end you still stink, but at least you're wearing three sets of clothes!

That could come in handy during the winter, I'll keep that in mind! It's getting really warm here on the east coast, tho, the past three days have been beautiful!

Melodyne rules. Much better than Autotune, in my opinion. If you're looking to pitch shift, give it a try. It might work out for ya, but there really is no good substitute for actual backing harmonies.