Are there some “tricks of the trade” to get smooth, rich, and lush sounding background vocal harmonies during the editing process that can be done with X1?  I’ve compared my projects to some popular songs and they just don’t measure up.  For example, I have used various types of reverb, V-Vocal to change pitch and create harmonies, the VX64 Vocal Strip (e.g. Hook Doubler) to add thickness, and other effects.  Those things help, but I still cannot achieve that lush richness, while avoiding excessive echo from too much reverb. 
 
Perhaps there are some recording/editing “secrets” that have been revealed to the general public, much like the secrets of some magicians and chefs.  What about making multiple copies of audio tracks, nudging some of the tracks slightly, special use of panning, reverb, delay, etc.?  I am trying to minimize my time experimenting with these things, especially if there some proven techniques out there.   Any advice is greatly appreciated.  Thanks.
 
Greg

To my mind, the epitome of "lush" is exemplified by Fleetwood Mac's song "Tell Me Lies". That particular effect was accomplished by triple-tracking each part and giving it all a 10K boost. There is also a pretty hefty dose of Lexicon on it. Pretty much the same method was used for 10cc's classic "Not in Love" as well as Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" (3 singers x 3 dubs).

Really thick vocal harmonies requires lots of layers. If it's possible to fake it with doublers and choruses and such, I've certainly never found any such formula. [And I've tried, too. I even went as far as buying the Waves Doubler after hearing it was a favorite among many successful engineers -- save your money, it's useless.]

Here's a trick I stumbled onto once. I'd sung four harmony parts and then double-tracked each part, for a total of 8 "me's". But it wasn't as fat as I wanted, so I started experimenting and ultimately ended up layering a synth vocal pad underneath. That actually worked surprisingly well. A casual listen does not reveal the fake choir, because your ear zeroes in on the real human voices riding above it.

Another thing that almost goes without saying: compression. Heavy compression. You don't want anything to stick out when you've got a virtual choir going. Set the threshold way down low, so the compressor's always engaged, give it a 4:1 ratio or higher. I usually use the old Kjearhus Classic Compressor for this task, maybe because it works so well or maybe just years of habit, I'm not sure.

Thanks bitflipper!  I'll give those a try.  I assume when you say "tripple tracking" or "double tracking" you are simply cloning the track, not doing another recording take of the same thing, correct?
Greg

Not wanting to speak for Bit, but I think you need all different takes, not cloned tracks for best effect.

never clone a vocal track.
it will never really sound good that way.
you want unique performances, and the differences between all the vibratos and timbres of voice will create the blend you are looking for.
there is no 'cheating' a great vocal performance.

if you're editing pitch with V-Vocal, don't nudge your "wrong" notes to the exact same pitch, allow a little flexibility.

Also, while you're using VV, I think it's almost as important to tighten up timing as it is pitch.
There's nothing worse than hearing multiple 's's' or 't's' arriving at different times

the Waves Doubler after hearing it was a favorite among many successful engineers -- save your money, it's useless.]

 
Ya it is an expensive disappointment for trying to use on vocals. Ive found a couple cool other uses for it thank goodness.
 
 

never clone a vocal track.
it will never really sound good that way.
you want unique performances, and the differences between all the vibratos and timbres of voice will create the blend you are looking for.
there is no 'cheating' a great vocal performance.

 
 
Thats a fact jack.
Ive been desperate a couple times on straight mix gigs. One or two vocal tracks both are ridiculously wet and I dont want my name attached to the final product.
 
So what did I do. I did around ten overdubs of my self singing and got creative burying and trickling.
 
Ive since been hired again by the same people ; )

In your case, I'd say never clone a track. There are reasons you may wish to do it, but for now, forget them (for now at least), they'll almost definitely do you more harm than good.

It's all about composition and performance here, I believe.

If you're performing a harmony in which the backing vocals are mimicking the main vocal, I would start by recording multiple takes and begin by panning these around to create a nice wide vocal sound. You may also benefit by using a different mic. Eg use a condenser for the main vox but switch to a dynamic to do the backing vocals. You could also try eqing the high end out of your BV (backing vocals).

You can vary the way you sing to create distinction and interest. Singing some of the harmonies with a 'soft' nature and some with a more aggressive style can result in an interesting blend with a nice warmth but edginess to it. Play around with it.

You may notice with lots of voices going on, sharp sounds tend to all be slightly out of time (like 'p' and 's' sounds). This makes it VERY obvious to the listener that there are multiple vocals. If you want this, that's ok, but sometimes you don't. In this case, you can physically practise singing the lyrics without those sharp sounds. Almost like singing with a lisp! It will sound weird, but blended with the main vox can sound great and give it a huge, full sound, but without sounding multitracked. Another option is to manually edit each on out. This is NOT fun! You choose.

If you really want to create interest, you may wish to sing the harmonies with different notes. You can sing them exactly the same, but one octave below, or above. You can sing it the same but maybe a 3rd above. I think a 3rd above tends to generally sound well but I believe singing a 5th above can sometimes result in clashes. Not to sure on this here as my music theory is a bit rusty... Experiment! Try playing your main melody on keys and then plan your harmony over the top of that piece.

Bottom line, your processing you apply in X1 should simply be there to enhance an already great sounding harmony. If it doesn't sound great after a quick 2 seconds of adjusting volumes and maybe panning (if you're going for a big sound), then you're going to really struggle to get a great end result. Compose your harmonies well, record them well, and everything will fall into place. X1 is not a magic potion, YOU are the magic! So make it happen! (was that cheesy?... haha)

 Experiment! Try playing your main melody on keys and then plan your harmony over the top of that piece

Yes.


Whenever we get down to detailed harmony composition, I start by writing the main vocal out on a piano track, then construct the harmonies with reference to the main track.


This also provides valuable information about whether a particular line will work in a harmonic context, and also whether it fits the vocalist's range

Bristol_Jonesey


if you're editing pitch with V-Vocal, don't nudge your "wrong" notes to the exact same pitch, allow a little flexibility.

Also, while you're using VV, I think it's almost as important to tighten up timing as it is pitch.
There's nothing worse than hearing multiple 's's' or 't's' arriving at different times

Best advice so far in my opinion...well said Jonesy! The more people correct pitch, the more you LOSE from your vocal stacks. What makes them sound thick....the flaws. You of course don't want things completely out of key, but don't correct to where all the notes are perfect. You'll know this is happening if you put two tracks up against each other and pan them...yet they will sound mono and centered.
 
Another thing to consider is...choosing the right mic for the voice. The voice is your subject, the mic is your enhancement tool. The right mic on the right voice says it all. Some guys can print magical tracks with a 58....other guys (like me) fail with a Neumann U-87 (unless I sing in a specific key...go figure.) and do better with a cheaper mic or something that may not be the "correct choice" for most engineers on a voice.
 
Also, and I have always considered this important....don't use the same mic you used on lead vocals to do your back-up vocals. Having a mic change here creates an entirely new pallet to work from as well as a different sound than the lead vocal print. When doing back up vocals or layering several, make them sound different each take so that the voices literally take on a different shape/sound so it doesn't sound like the same person singing all the parts. Moving your position on each vocal take can work wonders too and give you different sounds to use to further enhance your vocal stacks.
 
It's the same as guitar layering. If we want a big modern sounding guitar layer bed, we don't use one guitar and one amp. You use different guitars, different amps, different eq curves as well as different panning. This is what gives it the layered effect because it's not the exact same sound 4 times. Change it up, experiment, make the takes different but not drastically different and then make them work as an entity. Best of luck. :)
 
-Danny