Double tracked vocals

[mintcheerios]

Does anyone do this and if so, how do you go about mixing it? How do you avoid it sounding like just two people singing instead of one thick lead vocal? Are the vocals panned or kept in the center?

For example, ADTR's Monument has a nice double during the chorus (or maybe it's an eventide). It still sounds like one person singing.

I've always had trouble getting this to sound right, so I've been sticking with one vocal track. Any tips?

 

[Unavailable]

I think the most important thing for doubling vocals is just getting a really tight performance. Same pitch, same timing.

 

[Uladyne]

Yea, timing has to be spot on, or at least realatively close. I prefer to double vocals a bit on the loose side, because I usually want that doubled feel, but if you want it to sound like one thick ass vocal, precision is the key.

 

[Ermz]

It has to be tight, it helps if both are panned in the same location (generally center) and one is 3 to 6dB lower than the other. Both are bussed to the same group and then compressed and treated as the one take. This helps 'glue' them together into one thick take.

 

[mintcheerios]

Thanks guys, I'll try this out.

 

[AudioGeekZine]

Elastic audio is great for making doubled vocals tight.

 

[if6was9]

Yeah getting the phrasing and tuning exactly the same is the key, takes alot of time but it's worth it. Alot of guys ask for this kind of effect but aren't willing to put in the time to getting it right, resulting in a more doubled sounding track.

 

[thomas1831]

These 2 songs have double tracked verses and quad tracked choruses.. I went through and lined up the wave forms then cross faded between cuts luckily the tone was the same on most of the parts

https://dl.getdropbox.com/u/1064643/new metal mix 2.mp3
https://dl.getdropbox.com/u/1064643/SONG 2.mp3

for panning the verse doubles are 10% L & R and Chorus quads are panned 65% L & R and 35% L & R.

 

[black.death]

for double tracked vocals, would it be feasible to just use two mics (possibly identical models) at once set to different tracks?

 

[gabriel g.]

No not realy. It´s like on guitars. 2 mics might thick up the tone but dont equal double tracks.

But you can get great vocal sounds with just one take.

Compress the living hell out of it. Send it to an AUX with 30% and put a delay with a short repeat on the aux (like 5-20ms) and a convulotion reverb (with a nice room setting NOT with any church stuff)

hope this helps

 

[[UEAK]Clowd]

no, much like double or quad tracking guitars, it's the subtle differences that make the thickness.

two mics would probably just sound phasey.

 

[DestroyTheColossus]

I was listening to the newest Beneath The Massacre CD and there are doubled vocals (same pitch and everything, not the high/low vocal doubling) every so often used for emphasis. They're panned apart from eachother and the effect sounds really cool. It feels like the panning makes it what it is, but I could see it not working if all of the vocals were recorded doubled.

 

[JamieK]

You could try duplicating the track and de-tuning one track by a few cents (not actually changing the note, just slightly off tune),
and then pan each track a bit off center. This thickens up the track, without it sounding like two different takes.