PG Music Home Forums General Discussion Off-Topic Share you knowledge of 'hallmark' effects processing used on famous vocalists' voices

Hi all,

In a recent post, I mentioned the fact that I'm not very fond of the own sound of my voice - but I do like to sing (what irony !!!)

I know vocal effects will never change the problems with the original signal, but I'm wondering if certain vocal effects might make the whole 'band sound' a little better, or in the case of covers - closer to the original recording sound (I realize some people believe in close emulation and others total originality - let's leave that debate alone for now

So if you are a singer out there - or even a guitar player that likes to occasionally sing in the absence of a singer, what advice can you give about the following:

1.) how to methodically work through different vocal effects settings to find what suits your voice, and where to fit it in the 'mix'
(references to websites, books also appreciated)

2.) what vocal effects are obviously heard (obvious to those that are familiar with vocal processing, that is) in the classic pop and rock recordings of famous hit songs (any you mention can be looked up quickly on youtube - share your favorite)

If you can sing in tune,* doubling works really well to add depth and texture to an otherwise bland performance. (Doubling is simply the process of recording and re-recording unison parts of a voice or instrument.) If you ever thought your recorded voice felt "thin" in comparison to popular artists, this is probably why.

This can be done as an effect, a la Michael Franks and Thunderbolt Newman (see Youtube for examples), in which the technique is very obvious, or more organically. Countless artists as divergent as Art Garfunkel, Sting, Barbra Streisand, and many, many others record as many as dozens of doubled tracks using little more than the most basic of effects, e.g., compression and reverb. Crosby, Stills & Nash were known for "tripling"--each artist sang on each part--to add to their distinctive sound.

Some artists go much farther and play elaborate tricks with panning and various effects such as delay and pitch shifting, especially in octaves. But I recommend working on the the basic "non-effect" of simple multiple recordings of your voice and playing around with the mix. Try putting your strongest performance front and center, then putting other tracks so far back in the mix that you can just hear them, and go from there. I think you'll pleasantly surprise yourself.

HTH,

Richard

*If you can't, that needs to be dealt with first. It can be easily managed with a neat hack using a MIDI track of the desired part and a harmonizer/pitch shifter.

Cher: autotune
Tommy James: Tremolo (Crimson & Clover)
Jeff Lynn: ELO telephone voice EQ & Vocoder: Mr Blue Sky
Eric Burton : the animals: Phaseshifter (Sky Pilot)
Peter Frampton: voice box (Do You feel like we do)

Beatles: doubling... when it had to be done manually and without software to fix it.

These are a few examples of using FX on vocals. Doubling and layering is a commonly used practice and is probably evident on just about every artist's singing these days. It is one of the few fx that when done properly is really not evident as an fx but simply adds a fatter, fuller sound to the vox line. Same on the harmonies. If you can hear it clearly, you're probably doing it wrong. Not counting where there are background singing voices, but they are normally harmony, and not unison.

The other FX, I'm not saying you shouldn't use them, however, generally speaking, in most songs, yeah, it's not a good idea to use them.

Go for a clean vocal recording regardless of genre.

In another post here recently I commented a bit on the vocal recording. Often, folks who don't sing well, or think they don't sing well, often try to use fx to cover up and "improve" what they think is a less than good performance. The result is often the exact opposite and draws attention to the vocals rather than people simply getting into the singer's vocal qualities. In reality, most folks who can hold a tune fairly well have a voice that tends to work fairly well with a nice clean recording of their voice in a song.

Neil Young, Tom Waits, and a whole host of other singers are probably not in line for a "singer of the year" award based on their vocal abilities, but since we can hear their vocals clearly, we have come to appreciate their singing for the unique quality that they exhibit in their performances.

There are the occasional songs, which use a new or unique effect quite effectively. But even those folks don't generally repeat it. Frampton, didn't use the voice box on anything else to my recollection. Tommy James left the tremolo to the guitar players after Crimson & Clover.

Unfortunately, Cher used the autotune as did hundreds of others and now, you still hear it even in country music. T-Pain made a career out of it.

As I pointed out in the other post, I too used FX to cover up and disguise the lack of quality in my early vocals. Mostly using excessive reverb. It's incumbent on the home recording enthusiast to learn how to record vocals well. It's not the impossible mission, but it does take time and some experimentation. A good quality mic, a pop screen, a mic stand, and proper technique and some time playing with settings and levels. Sing close in for a warm and intimate sound. I'm generally with in an inch or so even on my condenser mic.

Singing without FX lets you hear what your voice really sounds like. Once you hear it, you can then work on the deficiencies you hear. But if you try to cover it with FX, quite simply, you can't fix what you can't hear clearly.

Another tool: Melodyne. This tool, when used properly and with the correct understanding, can actually give you the tools to become a better singer, and I'm not talking about using it to fix the bad notes. It lets you see what the note looks like and where your vocal inflections are taking that note. There's a really, really good chance that you are not even aware of what you are doing to your singing by means of the vocal inflections. It's the stuff that the vocal coaches hear and train you not to do. I haven't watched AI for the past few seasons but the folks in the final 12 get vocal coaches for each week, and that is what they do to transform the raw talent into polished talent in such a short time. Most people who sing for fun have developed bad habits. Fix those and you improve your skill level by leaps and bounds. But, as I said before, to fix the bad habits, you gotta be able to hear them and recognize them first.

Joe, at the risk of sounding like a vocal pedagogist, which I am not, I would suggest if you're having problems with your vocals, you should find your modal voice (normal voice found within your vocal register), by trying lower or higher singing keys. Other options would be 'vocal doubling', 'side-chaining' and whole host of effects like reverb, chorus, tremolo, compression, etc., etc., all found in Power Tracks. Good luck!!!

Joe,

I often tend to simplify things as many times the answer is indeed a simple one. I think this is another case of what Kajun Joe said above, i.e. finding your voice and simply practicing.

And when I say practicing I mean doing full songs, not just voice exercises, and then keeping doing them over and over. I would also suggest you keep recording your attempts and play them back this way you can track your progress.

Vince Gill who I think we will agree is a pretty good singer, once told me that anyone can sing, it just takes finding their key and range, then sing until you develop a style that fits both. But the key is to keep singing. It will not come overnight but you will notice improvements in a direct relationship to the time you put in.

Later,

Other than doubling i wouldnt say that there are many hallmark effects on vocals. I can only think of Phil Collins who seemed to always have what sounds like a short delay on his vox.