recording Backing Vocals, not easy...

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BajoElSol

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Hey folks. I could really do with some good advice on how to record backing vocals, and mixing them. I can't seem to find that pure colour that I hear on my favorite productions,

Thanks
 
Could you name some examples of what sound you are trying to acheive?
 
aaah yes the ever elusive pure color! In order to acheive pure color you need something that will make your recording warm, got it! warm. not cloudy or muddy or tinny or even brittle but warm. analog is warm. digital can sound tizzy or icy not smooth, warm or even full or organic. pure color is not easy my friend, not easy at all. Sometimes when trying to acheive pure color it can turn tubby real fast, sometimes some red or orange will slip in there distracting from the blue and green overtones. When the blue and green mix with a hairy or earthy sound it can spiral into fuzzy and murky terrtiory real fast. If that happens then add a little crispness to the sound, sometimes even a little edge to the sound with the white and yellow dial. This will bring you back into pure color.
 
When you start to hear the blue and green, ease up on the brass! You might want to overdo it, but a judicious hand works wonders.....
 
sweetnubs said:
aaah yes the ever elusive pure color! In order to acheive pure color you need something that will make your recording warm, got it! warm. not cloudy or muddy or tinny or even brittle but warm. analog is warm. digital can sound tizzy or icy not smooth, warm or even full or organic. pure color is not easy my friend, not easy at all. Sometimes when trying to acheive pure color it can turn tubby real fast, sometimes some red or orange will slip in there distracting from the blue and green overtones. When the blue and green mix with a hairy or earthy sound it can spiral into fuzzy and murky terrtiory real fast. If that happens then add a little crispness to the sound, sometimes even a little edge to the sound with the white and yellow dial. This will bring you back into pure color.
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Thanks, basically it's all about using your ear I guess, and experiment untill my ass hurts! :)
 
Skills are very important, but what kind of gear are you using? If you're trying to achieve something you hear in your favorite productions (I'm assuming professionally recorded), gear is going to come into play - BUT you'll need the skill to mix your project.

As you stated, experiment and see what happens.
 
I have always wondered how to get a back up vocal sound in most of the female R&B/hip-hop tunes on the radio/TV today.

I don't know how to describe it in a sound engineer's term, but I can generally describe it as smooth, angelic and bright.

You know, the backing vocal sounds like on Destiny's Child's, Mariah Carey's or any other modern female singers.

Before all the bashing and taste opinions occur - no, I am not an R&B fan. I DO listen to all kinds of music though, from death to country, rock to R&B, classical to electronic, and everything else, because I think, if anything, it's just a good way to study the various kinds of sounds and mixes found in MUSIC generally.

Besides, it's good to actually know about as many kinds of music as possible, be it technically or artistically. It helps you mix with all kinds of people and keeps conversations going everywhere. At the very least, you don't feel excluded because when a certain group of people talk about music genre "X", you just say "I'm sorry, I know nothing about that kind of music" and sit quietly in the corner while other people are having a good conversation. Pretty embarrassing, if you ask me. I do admit that I don't know it all too deeply, which is why I'm not ashamed to ask for knowledge here. I love to learn new things.

Unlike a lot of people, I don't actually "prefer" a style of music. I just love to listen to good music. What genre that good music is actually in is not my concern. If it sounds good to me, and I like it, they'll stick inside my head, period.

Ahem sorry, I got carried away. I'm not so experienced yet, which is the point of this post. It is beyond me how those (backing vocal) sounds are achieved. I've never actually recorded any singers of that style yet, so I've never had the chance to experiment (no, it never works with my own sucky voice XD).

I've read about those super-expensive harmonizer rack units. Could that be the tool that was used for the sound I'm describing?

Cheers. :)

- Nash
 
I have always wondered how to get a back up vocal sound in most of the female R&B/hip-hop tunes on the radio/TV today.
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Never tried it myself, but I would guess cutting the lows, cutting somewhere in 4-6kHz to keep from stepping on the lead, a tight, clean compressor, and perfect harmonies would get pretty close.
 
4-6 khz is generally considered the mid-range but I guess all scales are relative. Yep that's how great backing vocals are done, cut at 4-6khz, a clean compressor and that's all you need. Of course if you have never actually done it this is sound advice (sorry for the pun) and should be listened to! The path to pure color is revealed!
 
A couple of things worth trying are use a different mic for the backing vocals and add a little extra reverb or delay. A different mic will help keep the voices seperate and distinct and the reverb/delay creates the audio illusion of distance and depth.
 
And here I was thinking that getting GOOD BACKUP SINGERS was the way to do it. I was sure wrong.
 
Different mic, and I like to stand a little further away or over to the left or right from the mic. Also, as said earlier taking off some of the low end from backing vocals will help seperate the lead and backing tracks. The lead vocal will have more presence (sound meatier) and will help prevent the tracks eq's from blending into each other and becoming muddy. Also, panning the backing vocals left and right and leaving the lead vocal in the middle. I also add some reverb afterwards too.
evt
 
NashBackslash said:
I have always wondered how to get a back up vocal sound in most of the female R&B/hip-hop tunes on the radio/TV today.

I don't know how to describe it in a sound engineer's term, but I can generally describe it as smooth, angelic and bright.

You know, the backing vocal sounds like on Destiny's Child's, Mariah Carey's or any other modern female singers.
Click to expand...

Here's a good thread. Check out shan's posts.

All I know is, those pop R'n'B guys tend to have Avalon Pre's and use at least 40 tracks just for the BVs, with all sorts of bussing techniques going on.

Just don't ask me how.


the tortoise
 
As was already stated, cut lows to keep it seperate from the lead vocals. Adding a slight reverb or multi-tap (16ms/tap) will add a bit of feather to it and a bit of warmth. If your singer can sing harmonies that will be help you out a lot: gospel and bluegrass or country singers would work out great.
 
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