doubling screaming parts

broken81

broken81

Used by Protools
Dec 26, 2005
1,593
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38
Detroit, MI
well so far i would only record 1 vocal track and someone brought to my attention that a lot of people double there screams or vocals to thicken it up. Now i tried a bit on some stuff but it seems like it has to be spot on to sound decent and I'm totally lost on how to mix them together so there not like stepping on eachother.

Any tips or tricks with this ??

Also on chorus parts should i track like 4 vocals?
 
First of all, I would never recommend doubling all of the vocals for an entire song. I think doubling should be used more sparingly, just for accenting certain words, sentences, or rhymic phrases. You can always layer a high scream and a lower scream or growl for some cool sounding stuff, too. But for doubling exact parts, I tend to turn them down about 3db each and pan them hard left and right. Just thow some kind of meter on the master fader, (being that you're a Pro Tools user, it probably came with the BF Essential Bridge Meter, I can't remember the name exactly), solo your vocal tracks, and adjust the volume of the doubled stuff so that its RMS level is the same as single tracked vocals. And yes, exact doubles always should be as spot on as possible, but with screamers I don't think it should be incredibly hard for them to scream the exact same thing twice.
I guarantee you that on the majority of CDs you own, there are doubled screaming parts that you never even noticed, just because they were performed really well and the levels were adjusted properly. Just listen on headphones and pay close attention!
 
DSS3 said:
Yeah - Chuck Billy doubles EVERYTHING - sounds great to me!
Click to expand...

Yeah, but he is an absolute FUCKING LEGEND (!!!), which is why we should take into account that "results may vary" haha. I have heard some bands do it, and it's been barely noticable, so the vocalist really needs to be powerfull to start off with, and then it has to be used right in the mix.
 
broken81 said:
well so far i would only record 1 vocal track and someone brought to my attention that a lot of people double there screams or vocals to thicken it up. Now i tried a bit on some stuff but it seems like it has to be spot on to sound decent and I'm totally lost on how to mix them together so there not like stepping on eachother.

Any tips or tricks with this ??

Also on chorus parts should i track like 4 vocals?
Click to expand...

I would try doubling throughout the song if you have the patience to do it, and if you think you can get it tight enough. As for choruses, I like to add a third track of vocals to either the whole thing, or to certain phrases, and pan them 20L, C, 20R. Group vocals also sound wicked when used/ mixed tastefully.
It really is a matter of trial and error for each band though. Sometimes it sounds great, but just doesn't suit the style/ song.
 
When I record other bands I normally only only double on certain phrases, but when I record my own screams I always double the main line completely and then add more obvious doubles if I want a line accented. Mostly because I'm insecure about my vocals. :lol: I don't know how much it really helps.

As far as mixing, I don't really EQ main vocals too much, but I cut out more in general on doubles, and try to stay away from mids, but this isn't coming from any source, it's just what I happen to do, and it may be a bad technique.
 
yea how about eqing guys....

You cut much stuff on the doubled vocal that is turned down a few db?

Also thanks for all the info so far makes great sense and I'm going to have to try this stuff next time around:headbang:
 
I generally EQ most vocals the same, and just use panning and verb/delays to create the space.

In the end it depends what you're trying to do. If it's a double, you want it to thicken up and add that double sound to the main vocal, so keep them sounding similar. If it's a chorus double and you're dealing with like 4 tracks then just use panning to get the space. If it's a choir or gang backing vox, then you can maybe do some mid scoops to let them fill up the track without clouding the clarity of the main vocal.

Just experiment and see what works for you.
 
Yes, sorry, to clarify I don't do any drastic EQ on vocals at all or else it sounds weird, I just do stuff like cutting out more lows on doubles and a dip where the main vocal is sitting or something.
 
Aaron Smith said:
First of all, I would never recommend doubling all of the vocals for an entire song. I think doubling should be used more sparingly, just for accenting certain words, sentences, or rhymic phrases. You can always layer a high scream and a lower scream or growl for some cool sounding stuff, too. But for doubling exact parts, I tend to turn them down about 3db each and pan them hard left and right. Just thow some kind of meter on the master fader, (being that you're a Pro Tools user, it probably came with the BF Essential Bridge Meter, I can't remember the name exactly), solo your vocal tracks, and adjust the volume of the doubled stuff so that its RMS level is the same as single tracked vocals. And yes, exact doubles always should be as spot on as possible, but with screamers I don't think it should be incredibly hard for them to scream the exact same thing twice.
I guarantee you that on the majority of CDs you own, there are doubled screaming parts that you never even noticed, just because they were performed really well and the levels were adjusted properly. Just listen on headphones and pay close attention!
Click to expand...

exactly what you just said plus voccalign
 
its an audiosuite plug in for....
alligning vocals!
you just load up the vocal you want to align into it. (guide) then load in the one you want to allign it too,(dub) hit allign, and bobs your uncle.

you can get really deep into the editing of it if you want, but i dont, i use it to save time not waste it! its awesome though, really it is

http://www.synchroarts.com/products/vocalign/vocalign.asp
 
VOCCALIGN project (the cut down version)has more than enuff features for this task, but if you want the full version , why not
 
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