How to record backwards vocals?

  • Thread starter Thread starter washingtonbc
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washingtonbc

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Anyone have an idea how to do this? I have a spooky tune that I want to put backwards speech in. I am recording on a Yamaha aw16g. I also have a two track reel to reel.

BC
 
There should be some tool in the Yamaha to reverse files. Somewhere in the menu there should be an invert phase and reverse command. Did you check the manual? If not you could try to record the vocals to a track of tape while recording a mix reference to another track. Then record the tape back to computer using the mix reference to align the vocals while cutting the file up. It would be time consuming but probably doable. The other option is you can cue up the tape and fly the vocals in on the fly. Rediculously hard but also possible.

Yet another way would be to burn a CD of the mix, transfer to a computer and use and multitrack editor to reverse the mix file and sing to the backwards mix. Then you reverse the audio file, burn it off and line it up in the DAW. OR....you could practice singing it backwards and record it straight.

No easy answer here, unless your DAW let's you do it.

This all depends on what type of backwards you want. Do you want the vocal to be each word backwards but the vocal being linear or do you want the whole thing sung back to front backwards as well?

ANSWERS, I NEED ANSWERS!

And some more coffee.
 
Hi washingtonbc,
I've actually done that in the past using a sampler. Roland sp808, and i have an older sampler that also does it but only has a little bit of sampling time it's an older sampler... akai s20. I think most samplers probably have that function. Or even software samplers I'm sure have a lot of options for manipulating tracks.

If you're interested in checking it out, the song called evibe (vibe) is the song that I reversed my vocals on.
http://www.getunderground.com/underground/music/gallery.cfm?Album_ID=45

Well good luck!
evt
 
Try to record it on the reel to reel and flipping the tape around. I used to do that with my cassettes on my 4-track. It's a bit easier to do with a reel to reel. doing it on a cassette meant taking it apart.
 
Record it on the real to real, and then flip the tape, and record it into the DAW. Edit and move in the DAW until you have the effect you are after.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 
Or for a fun effect, record on the reel-to-reel, then play it back by hand-winding it backwards. Start slow, and vary your speed. Or do it by hitting rewind for a nice reverse that gets faster and faster. Fade it out, loop it, add tons of reverb, and see what happens....

Note: you may have to hold down play to hear while rewinding on some open reels....
 
Record the vocal as a .wav file and use the stock Windows sound recorder. That has a reverse option under the effects menu.
 
That's a great suggestion reshp1...I was going to add that SONAR has the ability as well.

How large a file are we talking? If you can't get it worked out, I would be willing to do it for you.
 
Already done.

Thanks for your suggestions. I found a way to do it on my AW16G.

The AW16G is an amazing machine!

BC
 
Hey, how did you do it on the AW16G? I own one and I when I read your question I was thinking that there wasn't any way to do it.

-Phil
 
Copy and Paste

If it's like my Zoom you can copy a track and when you paste it you have a choice of how you want to paste it. One of the choices is to reverse it.
 
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