How do I get this sound for background vocals

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Stubby03

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I love the way certain background vocals sound, and would like to record the way they do it, but am having problems figuring how they do it. The best way I can explain is go to youtube, look for crazy lixx, girls of the 80's. I love the sound when they sing girls of the 80's during the chorus. I know they have harmonies, but cant figure how they are getting that sound. Is it 10 vocal tracks, you know, to get that full sound? Then a certain reverb? Chorus? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 
Don't be lazy, post a link, don't make people search out to find the same song you're talking about - I found one, only find it was instrumental!
 
Im not lazy. I don't know how to do that. Calm down. I know its pretty tough to type a few letters to look for a song. Don't just think someone is lazy, because they have you look up a site yourself. I would do something like that without thinking about it. Not a big deal.
 
Mike, what's with you and new guys lately? You seem to be pissing them off left and right :D
 
It's not about being lazy. It's that if you're asking for help, you should make it easy for them to do so. If you want someone to reference something specific, link to it. Not a difficult concept.

In any regard, to get background vocals like that, you probably have at least 4 singers doing harmonies together, and then that group is (probably) bussed together and compressed. The whole thing is probably doubled for the stereo widening, although in the 80s it might have been sung twice. A light chorus may be on the whole bus to thicken it up.

And since it's the 80s, probably massive reverb.

But it starts with incredible singers doing near perfect harmonies, together.
 
Thanks for the help bongoboy and Brian. I wasn't pissed, I really didn't know how to do this. Had to ask my teenage daughter how to do it. This is a new band, with an 80's sound, which is the kind of music I grew up to, and love. I can sing harmonies to myself, but I wish my bandmates could sing good to help out also. It would give it more variation and warmth. I tend to have a high voice, not much soul to it. I will work on this. Again, thank you.
 
This is a new band? Poison, Stryper, and Skid Row would be proud. Might be that you wind up doing a few parts by yourself. High voice with no soul? Soul comes from the heart, not the notes (although being in key trumps all).;)
 
Lots of layers of unison, occasional harmony, but not enough to make a proper chord. Even when the band all sing, it often best works with just one voice, so it gets thicker and thicker. So much so that voice quality isn't so important as quantity
 
Im gonna work on it till I get it. Lots of info to move forward on it. Lets put in this way, you don't have to take the low eq out of my voice, there are none. lol
 
Stubby03 said:
Im gonna work on it till I get it. Lots of info to move forward on it. Lets put in this way, you don't have to take the low eq out of my voice, there are none. lol
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Then find out what works. Boost, cut, phase, dance naked in the moonlight. Whatever works.:)
 
bongoboy said:
Mike, what's with you and new guys lately? You seem to be pissing them off left and right :D
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No one gets "Home Recording 101" handed to them on a silver platter here! (I certainly didn't!) You read, learn, experiment. Posting a link is not hard (as the OP found out). Google it. Google anything. :cool:


bongoboy said:
Then find out what works. Boost, cut, phase, dance naked in the moonlight. Whatever works.:)
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Exactly, just try things out! Record a bunch of tracks, play with them. Maybe you'll find a unique sound that you really like and isn't just copying someone else.
 
Why would you even want to do that ?....it sounds cool but cant be replicated live ....Its really an example of why that type of music crashed and burned in the early 90's......because it was all fake , over produced ,fluffy garbage with no real substance.
 
it's all about overproduction, and using layering to get that sound, having 4 people gathered around the mic in a big room and the layering that, build it up that way.
 
dreib said:
Why would you even want to do that ?....it sounds cool but cant be replicated live ....Its really an example of why that type of music crashed and burned in the early 90's......because it was all fake , over produced ,fluffy garbage with no real substance.
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And gave way to the totally authentic pop industry with lip syncing and autotune?

The 80s may have layered up on background vocals but those were still real bands, real musicians, playing and singing live. Whether you like the sound or not.
 
Thanks for your input. I always enjoy people that hate the 80's music. Some of my buddies say they hate that crap, like Winger. That's way they sold 1 million records. lol I just like the sound of that type of vocal, on some stuff. Just looking for a little help.
 
Stubby03 said:
Thanks for your input. I always enjoy people that hate the 80's music. Some of my buddies say they hate that crap, like Winger. That's way they sold 1 million records. lol I just like the sound of that type of vocal, on some stuff. Just looking for a little help.
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Selling a million records is one thing, the question for me is, are people still playing the music 20+ years later. "Who Let The Dogs Out" sold I am sure a million. I am pretty sure it doesn't get played that often.

However, if you want that sound, and you can get it, then that is the sound you go for.

If your voice has the range, you can do the four+ voice yourself. Four people are nice, but not always at our disposal, add tracks and sing with it.
 
I agree with rob...fattened-up unison (via compression, reverb etc. as was said) with an occasional third above.
I'll get attacked for this, so don't try this at home, but a vocal harmonizer in the loop is what I'm trying to do on my own, since I can't sing worth squat! But I'm lame. So my results vary.

Anybody had any luck with that?
 
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