Vocal Harmonies?

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fractured

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Hey guys,

I was wondering how everyone mixes their vocal harmonies?

Ive been listening to a lot of pop music, destinys child, christina agulera etc and they have the fattest vocal harmonies out there. I wanted to know if anyone on this forum has had experience mixing vocals like this, and how I might go about 'copying' their techniques.

Nick // Fractured
www.faithisfractured.com
www.myspace.com/fractured
 
Yup..i make harmonies using Melodyne. killer software, i'm telling you.
 
".... and how I might go about 'copying' their techniques."

That says it all right there.

sorry man, not trying to be judgemental but i don't like the cheating approach to vocals or recording for that matter, at all. it seems so fake, and copying it is exactly what your doing. it robs any creativity and dignity from the recording process, but thats just my opinion

just take some time and find good solid singers for whatever type of production your trying to achieve... but if you must use that bullshit, have fun copying
 
Actually, I believe that learning and emulating (copying if you will) what has gone on before and hoe others do what they do is how one learns one's craft.

It's not theft if you emulate techniques and it's not cheating.

QUOTE=random effect]".... and how I might go about 'copying' their techniques."

That says it all right there.

sorry man, not trying to be judgemental but i don't like the cheating approach to vocals or recording for that matter, at all. it seems so fake, and copying it is exactly what your doing. it robs any creativity and dignity from the recording process, but thats just my opinion

just take some time and find good solid singers for whatever type of production your trying to achieve... but if you must use that bullshit, have fun copying[/QUOTE]
 
yea when you're actually learning a craft that applies, but not when you hit a button that says "g maj seven" and call it a day
 
random effect said:
yea when you're actually learning a craft that applies, but not when you hit a button that says "g maj seven" and call it a day
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Hey, if you have a button that mixes your vocal harmonies like the pros do, let me in on it......... :)
 
do you know what melodyne is? it's software that creates harmonies to your voice without you actually singing them. it's just not my way of doing things you know? not trying to step on anybody for using it but shit man... sing the part
 
random effect said:
sing the part
Click to expand...

aye & if you want to fatten up the sound sing the same part twice or even 3 times

I recently did a 3 part harmony section that used 9 vocal tracks to the 3 parts

4 voices on part 1, 3 voices on part 2 & two voices on part 3

if you track them up like that making sure that T's & S's land in the same place, you'll get parts that are slightly coming in & out of tune to each other & the perceived result is a thickening of the sound...............

Steely Dan's gaucho album & indeed the title track has the most beautiful harmonies I've ever heard..........still striving

I've learnt a lot by reading old production breakdowns & applying their techniques (copying if you will) & show me a musician who hasn't stolen or copied anything from anybody
 
slidey said:
show me a musician who hasn't stolen or copied anything from anybody
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Three chords, twelve bars, and lyrics about how the world sucks either because the singer is an idiot, his girl is an idiot, or everybody else is an idiot but him and his girl. Not a whole lot of original material left in that well after 50 years! :cool:

G.
 
SouthSIDE Glen said:
Three chords, twelve bars, and lyrics about how the world sucks either because the singer is an idiot, his girl is an idiot, or everybody else is an idiot but him and his girl. Not a whole lot of original material left in that well after 50 years! :cool:

G.
Click to expand...

C, Am, F & G springs to mind as well

my ol' man wrote a blues

I got the blues this mornin' my woman came back to me...............

I wonder if James Burton had a go at Albert Lee & Mr. Lee in turn had a go at me (& the millions of others) for stealing licks
 
slidey said:
I wonder if James Burton had a go at Albert Lee & Mr. Lee in turn had a go at me (& the millions of others) for stealing licks
Click to expand...
Hell, I wish I was able to hold a patent or licensing on four little words:

"Woke up this mornin'"

If I was able to collect royalties on every song written in the past century that started with those four words, I'd be able to retire *and* still send the the next 3 generations of SouthSIDErs to college! :D

G.
 
random effect said:
do you know what melodyne is? it's software that creates harmonies to your voice without you actually singing them. it's just not my way of doing things you know? not trying to step on anybody for using it but shit man... sing the part
Click to expand...

Um, if I recall properly, the original poster was talking about MIXING the vocals, not creating them......

Not busting your balls, just getting back to the original question.
 
fraserhutch said:
Um, if I recall properly, the original poster was talking about MIXING the vocals, not creating them......

Not busting your balls, just getting back to the original question.
Click to expand...

um yeah & 9 times out of 10 the harmonies have been tracked into the ground on the tracks he's talking about. He's after that "fat" harmony sound & to be honest without tracking up a load of voices on the same part that fatness is going to be harder to achieve

Fractured................have you got multiple voices tracked for each of the harmony parts?????
 
yea i see what you mean. i was really just hoping to deture him from the second post
 
random effect said:
yea i see what you mean. i was really just hoping to deture him from the second post
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totally.........................software harmonies................. :eek: :eek: :eek:

I did a jazz course when I was 14 & we had to sing every part before we performed it.............
 
@random effect:

holy negativity! I know this is homerecording but really I think that a piece of software like melodyne has about a billion different uses in this industry and to be closed minded about that kind of thing will really have a huge impact on your end product. Im not looking to be a perfect singer, I just want people to get a decent end product, and if it takes using melodyne or autotune then thats what im going to use.

My initial post was HOW to mix, not how to record the harmonies. Thanks to everyone who posted I really appreciate the feedback and ideas!

On the topic of 'copying' from others, the first thing I learned on guitar was smoke on the water, anyone who picks up an instrument never plays their own pieces on their first try, and same goes for mixing, ive learned 99% of my skills from other musicians and producers and honed it into my own sound..

if anyone wants to take a listen to what im working on I posted a small clip on my site:



Its mixed on headphones as ive been on the road for a few weeks but the main idea is there.

Nick
 
ok then that's your opinion and i have mine. it's not a big deal just i wouldn't go that route.
 
as the dude said in the perfect world he wouldn't have to use software but sometimes half assed singers can be the death of a sound (no offence fractured) so we do what we can to straighten it all out...............it's a tool

to be honest I'd rather achieve it without software but sometimes it's not possible.....therefore one uses the tools in the box

I still say that the fat harmony sound comes from a lot of tracking the same parts & panning them around with careful EQing, I sometimes use a bit of chorus in there as well

& compression is very very handy as well................
 
fractured said:
On the topic of 'copying' from others, the first thing I learned on guitar was smoke on the water, anyone who picks up an instrument never plays their own pieces on their first try, and same goes for mixing, ive learned 99% of my skills from other musicians and producers and honed it into my own sound..
Click to expand...

I agree, others discoveries are my information food

BTW the first thing I played was Wild Thing...............the rest is history
 
there's a lot of harmony scope in there Nick..........................can't say it's my thang (but that's my opinion)

have you any thoughts of adding real drums along with what's already there????

track up those voices dude, pan them around & try & keep the air in the harmonies, BTW the tracking process can remove a lot of pitch niggles one might have to use software to fix

look forward to hearing it finished

Peace
Slidey
 
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