Thanks so much for all the kind words. Glad you guys are digging it; it was fun. A few answers:
Nevermind... I just ordered your CD
Thanks! Don't expect too much as far as production, but I think the songs are strong, and that's what matters.
It's mostly the 6505+, but also some Dual Rectifier mixed in. Just two rhythm tracks, not four, but through both those amps.
Mind if I ask how you treat those multi-part harmony, choir vocals?
Sure. I actually use a trick I stole from Michael Wagener, who stole it from Roy Thomas Baker (who knows a thing or two about huge harmony vocals from that one band he mixed a lot...who was it...oh yeah, freaking QUEEN).
Anyway, when stacking that many vocals, I always get a lot of boxy midrange buildup, so I scoop the mids out pretty well. Start with pulling out around 4-6 db around 1K or so and see if that sounds right. Then add a bunch of high shelving until it almost takes your head off....like 5 db from 4K on up or so (obviously you may need to de-ess a bit). I compress them quite hard, usually with an opto-style plug or something with musical attack and release settings that just levels it out nicely and doesn't audibly pump (UAD LA2A, Rencomp, etc.). Then, set up an aux and send to a 120-150 ms delay, which somehow fills back in some of the midrange you scooped out (sounds weird, but try it). Sometimes I'll also send to a big hall reverb, and sometimes I like to leave them dry. Just depends on the part.
Also, I recorded the choirs with a different mic than the lead vocals, which helps give them a little different character as well. Cheap, "airy" Chinese condensers can be perfect for backing vox.
Hope this helps!
