Double tracking vocals

[Schaddaddy]

Now I always liked the sound of double tracked vocals. However, I feel like I don't hear it as much as I used to. At least on the radio. I was
Just wondering do u guys still double track your voice? If so how do you pan the two tracks?

 

[mixsit]

Almost never- although fairly old school stuff here too, blues, r n' b.
Sometimes I'll take one of the alt vocal takes and sneak in just under the keeper when it seems like it might be fitting, or to see if they like it. Always just a enough for a hint of the effect', not panned, as a thickener' dead center behind the main.

 

[DM60]

I started out doing a lot of double tracking, got a lot of negative comments, so I dropped them for the most part, now I am doing some, but not as much and only as a effect for verses or phrases. I tried ADT but, either the one I have sucks, or double tracking just sounds better. But it is still an option when I want to use it.

 

[dverno]

I'll usually double track or triple track lead vocals if I want a "vintage" sound (which is common for me - I'm a child of the 60s and 70s). When double tracking, I'll sometimes just pan main and doubled to the same location other times I'll pan a few degrees left and right of center (just enough to create slight separation). For triple tracking, my favorite sound is to use three separate takes as close as I can get them, pan two hard L+R, use the best of the 3 for main -panned center (more or less). I'll usually keep the level of the L+R down to just audible, with little or no reverb. The main will be treated with a small amount of compression (if needed) and possibly a bit of reverb or delay - depending on the flavor of the song. I have some ideas to employ a harmony generator to get usable tracks for double and triple track takes, without having to do so many takes. Sheer laziness on my part, and I don't know if it will work at all. I know about auto double tracking, but it never sounds good to me.

 

[gregoryg]

It depends on the project and really depends on the strength and/or weakness of the singer. And you also need to take into consideration the desires of the client (some welcome the technique and some flat out refuse).

 

[calimoose]

I'll usually double track or triple track lead vocals if I want a "vintage" sound (which is common for me - I'm a child of the 60s and 70s). When double tracking, I'll sometimes just pan main and doubled to the same location other times I'll pan a few degrees left and right of center (just enough to create slight separation). For triple tracking, my favorite sound is to use three separate takes as close as I can get them, pan two hard L+R, use the best of the 3 for main -panned center (more or less). I'll usually keep the level of the L+R down to just audible, with little or no reverb. The main will be treated with a small amount of compression (if needed) and possibly a bit of reverb or delay - depending on the flavor of the song. I have some ideas to employ a harmony generator to get usable tracks for double and triple track takes, without having to do so many takes. Sheer laziness on my part, and I don't know if it will work at all. I know about auto double tracking, but it never sounds good to me.

I'd be curious to hear how that sounds. I've heard of people (when triple tracking) panning hard left, right and dead center, but I'd like to hear how the subtlety of the L and R tracks being barely audible and practically dry would play off against the main w/ the compression/verb

 

[Supercreep]

Doubling vocals has a distinct sound. Parallel processing and panning can be used to regulate the effect to varying degrees. Resist the urge to care about what other people think and use what makes you happy.

 

[RAMI]

I almost always double track. Some of the best vocalists in the world double tracked their vocals regularly, from John Lennon to Robert Plant to pretty much everyone. (That's 2 separate sentences. I'm not trying mention Lennon, Plant and me in the same breath. )

But even when you don't think you hear it, there's a good chance that it was done. It's done way more than people think.

The reason people find it doesn't work for them is that either they're not able to duplicate their own performances well enough...or they mix them wrong. I find that putting the second vocal track about 9db lower than the main one works for me. I often have them both the same volume for choruses or parts where I want that sound.

 

[JDOD]

Layne Stayley double tracked his voice a lot and it sounded great.

 

[mjbphotos]

I almost always double track. Some of the best vocalists in the world double tracked their vocals regularly, from John Lennon to Robert Plant to pretty much everyone. (That's 2 separate sentences. I'm not trying mention Lennon, Plant and me in the same breath. )

But even when you don't think you hear it, there's a good chance that it was done. It's done way more than people think.

The reason people find it doesn't work for them is that either they're not able to duplicate their own performances well enough...or they mix them wrong. I find that putting the second vocal track about 9db lower than the main one works for me. I often have them both the same volume for choruses or parts where I want that sound.

I do that too. I may not use the doubled track at all, depends on the song. But as I'm recording the lead vocal multiple times anyway, its always an option.
I've even tried some unusual things like panning two doubled (tripled?) tracks hard left and right (leaving the original track centered, then adding a short delayed side channel panned to the opposite side for each of the droubled tracks. I think I had the volume too low to reallly get a good effect.

 

[Farview]

I like to have people double track the vocals, even when I don't end up using much of it. Of course, it doesn't work with the singers that can't sing anything the same way twice.

Depending on the genre you are doing, the trend nowadays is to have the vocals really dry, so obvious double tracking will sound strange in that context. You will also notice that most of the examples people are giving you of 'the best vocalists in the world do it' are at least 20 years old, reaching back to 50 years out of date.

If you are doing your own music, just do what you need to to get the sound you want. If you are doing this for other people, you need to make it sound like they want it to.

 

[RAMI]

most of the examples people are giving you of 'the best vocalists in the world do it' are at least 20 years old, reaching back to 50 years out of date.

That's only because I couldn't think of any good singers from the last 20 years.

It's still done now. I know Curt Cobain doubled his vocals kind of against his will, but still did it. I've noticed it on Nickelback tunes, when they happen to come on the radio in my car. Rap uses doubled vocals all the time, too. So we don't need to go back 50 years.

It might not be done with Cookie Monster vocals that seem to be all the rage in speed metal, but who the hell cares what they do, it sounds comical no matter how many or few tracks they use.

 

[Farview]

That's only because I couldn't think of any good singers from the last 20 years.

It's still done now. I know Curt Cobain doubled his vocals kind of against his will, but still did it. I've noticed it on Nickelback tunes, when they happen to come on the radio in my car. Rap uses doubled vocals all the time, too. So we don't need to go back 50 years.

It might not be done with Cookie Monster vocals that seem to be all the rage in speed metal, but who the hell cares what they do, it sounds comical no matter how many or few tracks they use.

I wasn't attacking your post, I was pointing out that as time has gone on, double tracking has gotten less in fashion.

Kurt Cobain has been dead for 20 years. Most of the time, Nickleback puts harmonies behind the main vocal, not unison doubles, but I guess they do sometimes. Maybe that's why everyone hates them...

It's still done in pop (which is where I put Nickelback, Halestorm, shinedown, etc...), rap, anywhere you want something to sound 'produced'. There are a lot of places where that is a bad word and the desired thing is to be as raw as possible.

 

[RAMI]

I wasn't attacking your post, I was pointing out that as time has gone on, double tracking has gotten less in fashion.

Kurt Cobain has been dead for 20 years. Most of the time, Nickleback puts harmonies behind the main vocal, not unison doubles, but I guess they do sometimes. Maybe that's why everyone hates them...

It's still done in pop (which is where I put Nickelback, Halestorm, shinedown, etc...), rap, anywhere you want something to sound 'produced'. There are a lot of places where that is a bad word and the desired thing is to be as raw as possible.

I didn't take it as an attack. I've been here long enough to know that's not how you are.

But you did reference my post directly with

You will also notice that most of the examples people are giving you of 'the best vocalists in the world do it' are at least 20 years old, reaching back to 50 years out of date.

....so I did take it that you disagreed with my statement, which is totally cool. Problem is, like I said, I can't think of any good examples of good singers from the last 20 years. Unfortunately, I had to reference Nickelback, to my eternal shame, because its the only band I could think of that isn't rap and tries to be rock, though I find them worse than pop.

I just think that doubling vocals still happens quite a bit, but is probably mixed to not sound so obvious because of the reason you stated, people are generally going for a more raw sound these days.

It basically comes down to exactly what you said:

If you are doing your own music, just do what you need to to get the sound you want. If you are doing this for other people, you need to make it sound like they want it to.

 

[Farview]

The only thing you said that I actually disagree with is your reference to Lennon as one of the best singers... I just never liked any of his solo stuff at all.

 

[RAMI]

The only thing you said that I actually disagree with is your reference to Lennon as one of the best singers... I just never liked any of his solo stuff at all.

I both agree and disagree with that. I don't like much of his solo stuff, if any. Some of it is just plain horrendous. But I do think he's a great singer.

 

[Farview]

Since I'm a metal head, I need something slightly more aggressive. I can't deal with Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, or anyone else that mumbles like Springsteen.

 

[RAMI]

Since I'm a metal head, I need something slightly more aggressive. I can't deal with Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, or anyone else that mumbles like Springsteen.

I can't stand Springsteen. Not to get too off-topic from this thread (probably too late), but Lennon had some rasp and bite to his voice, un-like the other guys you mentioned. It's all a matter of preference and I'm not trying to convince you to like him. But, just for the sake of discussion, I find John Lennon was a lot more aggressive vocally than any of those guys you mentioned. He tears it up on "Dizzy Miss Lizzy", for example.

 

[miroslav]

I can't stand Springsteen. Not to get too off-topic from this thread (probably too late), but Lennon had some rasp and bite to his voice, un-like the other guys you mentioned.

I may have mentioned this in previous Springsteen/Lennon related posts....

Back when Lennon was shot, I was living in Central Jersey, basically Sprinsteen ground zero.
There was graffiti showing up saying things like "God, please give us back Lennon and take Springsteen instead".

No lie....that's how tedious "The Boss" had become at that point. Lots of Jersey people were sick of him.
I always liked some of his real early stuff, and we even did a couple of his tunes in one of my bands....but then it was like Springsteen overload, and in Jersey it was horrible.
Yes...he mumbles something awful.

Speaking of double tracking and Lennon...I've also mentioned this in a previous thread...
...the Waves ADT plug is absolutely fantastic for getting that classic sound, and you don't have to do any double tracking, the ADT plug does what the original rig did for Lennon and the Beatles.
Also...it's not just your copy/delay thing...it does real time variations of several things (or you can also do it manually).
Not the same thing as a sung two-track vocal...but it has it's own sound and appeal.

 

[RAMI]

HA! I played in a cover band that was more or less a Springsteen tribute band, just because the keyboard player happened to play sax, too. Actually, there was a song I enjoyed playing which was "Rosalita", just because it was a song you had to LEARN. There were so many changes in it that it made it almost interesting to play drums to. Other than that, I'm mentally scarred for life from that whole "Stringsteen" Experience.

When was the ADT invented? Did Lennon always use it or did he actually double his vocals by singing twice before it was invented?