mixing double tracked vox

  • Thread starter Thread starter TelePaul
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TelePaul

TelePaul

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I finally captured two decent vocal takes more or less in perfect sync with each other. Having never done this before I'm at a loss as to how to mix them? Should I add reverb to one or both, compress one or both, pan one of them, have one louder than the other.....your thoughts appreciated.

Except yours, Chessrock.
 
depends what effect you are looking to achieve ...

when I do this, it is usually to "beef" up some vocal passages, or if the vocal sounds, thin, etc. In this case I rarely have both at equal volume ... (unless both tracks are tight). I leave the doubled track up just enough to make it stronger. Kind of a "wow that sounds really nice but I'm not sure why" effect. Always panned in the same place.

I usually compress the 2nd vocal but you probably wouldnt notice the reverb (depending on the level of the doubled track). Then again, you could hard pan both tracks at equal db if thats the sound youre after ....
 
For the song I doubled vocals on, I panned both center and let the mixdown compressor and reverb do their thing (both equally). Volume/Slider on one track was slightly lower. I found when I panned them too far apart it sounded doubled because the two tracks were not exactly the same (close but no cigar). :D
 
I generally eq, compress, and put reverb on one, leave the other dry and mix to taste. It generally works good for me. Some singers like to have the dry track louder, some like the effected track louder. Really all depends on what you want.
 
*Most* of the time you want the dubbled vocal to be a subtle enhancement, and not obvious. To that end, anything you do different to it than to the main vocal will only serve to make it stand seperately from the main vocal, giving away the trick. Any panning should usually be by a few degrees, effects mostly the same, as well as EQ. Level wise, I usually turn it down till it's hard to tell it's there, except when you mute it and then the sound thins out.
Again, this is normally, and sometimes it serves the song, or more often, part of the song, to have it obvious and mixed at a near equal level.
 
Sounds like they've got it spot on - keep em pretty tight together, keep one perhaps lower than the other, effect one of them to taste.

If they are near perfect you could pan them harder, applying the same effects to each so that they sound the same in each ear. I haven't done much with vocal doubling, so beyond previous suggestions I a just thinking of ideas you can try :)
 
Cheers guys, will try processing one and keeping the other dry. Thanks.
 
I had to record a demo of a song I wanna do the other day. But I couldn't do it too loud, so I sung quite softly and close to a mic with the gain fairly warm. Anyhoo, I recorded the guitar on the same mic while I sung, went back and sung it again, just as soft. I ended up panning one vocal far right and put some nice reverb on it, and left the other vocal dead centre with no reverb. I loved the result. It was very atmospheric. Depends on the song. The one I was doing was slow and the eerie reverb/ vocal mix was apt.
 
both of these mixes have doubled vocals. I always keep the double subtle and will automate it to accent certain things. on the chorus it is less subtle. Watch that you don't overdo vocal reverb. These mixes don't have any vocal reverb but rather some layered delays:



 
you have lots of options, try them all and see what you like best.

light doubling (spelling?)
heavy doubling
wide panned
one seriously compressed, one left mostly dynamic

it's all good.
 
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