Yo, everybody. Right now, I'm working on a song that had these thick multivoice choruses. I have two recording of myself singing the same part, both panned 100%... but they're nearly identical, which pretty much cancels the effects of hard panning. What would you guys do in a case like this? How would you change your mixing choice?

Throw one away?

Guess there's not really another option. I'm trying a different panning situtation now where the my double lead is left and double main harmonies are right surrounded by some other harmonies. I'll have to keep playing with it...

You might want to get one of these or something similiar for voices.
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/manufacturer/TC-Helicon/?m=TC-Helicon&sb=&pn=&hide_info=
 
Sold wherever musical equipment maybe is sold.
 
Cheaper version than a more expensive unit. But there is a variety of them now, used to not be as many.
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/VTD1/
Vocal Doubling and Detune Effects Pedal

Complementary EQ.

The fact you have gone to the trouble of recording the same part twice then the result of hard panning them is still present and worth doing. No matter how identical you think the two parts are they are still differenet and hard panning them will still have the effect of creating a stereo image across the panning spectrum. And it is much more intersting that throwing one away and only using one of them.
 
If they are very tight timing wise then that can be good as it keeps flamming under control.  (don't be afraid to edit vocal phrases that are out timing wise by a long way. Editing can bring sloppy timing parts back into line)
 
Try inserting small amounts of delay to one of them if they are very timing tight. eg 10 mS and above.You can create the delay (or advance) by altering the track settings for playing back early or late. Or use a plug in one one side. Channel tools is good for delaying one side of a stereo image etc..
 
Slowly increase the delay and hear the stereo effect of it. You could evan try modulting the delay to one side of the vocals, slowly.
 
I also use this:
 
http://www.freemusiciansr...-spatial-enhancer-vst/
 
This is a free spatial enhancer. It is great for adding some sense of room around a signal, mono or stereo as well. It can take your your stereo image now a little further and put it in a nice small ambience space. Don't forget to use reverbs carefully to create spaces around groups of voices etc..
 
EQ used wisely will help to separate the vocal parts too.
 
 

A small delay of around 20ms or so works wonders, as does complementary EQ, ie make the EQ curve of one side the opposite of the other. Or try some gentle flanging or phasing on one side. Or a little distortion. It's all about creating side information.

Too
 
 
Many
 
 
Headphones
 
 
;-)

The fact you have gone to the trouble of recording the same part twice then the result of hard panning them is still present and worth doing. No matter how identical you think the two parts are they are still differenet and hard panning them will still have the effect of creating a stereo image across the panning spectrum. And it is much more intersting that throwing one away and only using one of them.

 
^^This
Maybe it lacks interest because the parts are identical musically.  Once you add some harmonies and space those voices across the stereo field, it should get more interesting.  Add some complimentary reverb to blend the voices together.  

If I had two very identical parts I would go back to an editing approach.  (In pop music that is)  I would be cutting and very slightly shifting phrases or even using Melodyne to stretch and adjust the timing of one of them so they became less identical. You could also do some micro pitch adjustments to one of them too. Then you would have a nice stereo image to start with and perhaps enhance a little further. It would also collapse down to mono much better.
 
A part might be thought of as uninteresting at the start but work with two tracks in unison  (extend out to three tracks for a more lush vocal sound that has the centre image covered too.)  and with some tasty effects can add a lot of interest to that less interesting beginning. Melodyne is powerful for any form of vocal production work. You can build the harmonies there too and without the chipmunk side effects. Singing harmonies I think is better. No harm in shifting a few notes higher or lower to cover the range.
 
Sometimes you have got to work on the dynamics of say a harmony vocal stem and tame the dynamics down a bit more than normal. The right overall EQ and reverbs  (small and tight just as cool as longer and larger)  on these type of stems are all important as well. They have to sit nicely inside your whole mix.