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Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 9,323
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Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 9,323 |
One thing I see quite often is people using FX and trying fancy tricks (vocal doubling) to get their vocals to sound good. Generally, it has quite the opposite effect. People who don't like their own voice or think it's not "good enough" tend to try to cover it up by using FX. They generally use too many or too much FX, or do the doubling totally wrong.
I did the very same thing when I started. It's not an easy road to getting "that sound" that you can live with. It takes time and experimentation to find the right mic technique, the right EQ, the right reverb, and if you use any techniques such as vocal doubling, how to do it right.
In a nut shell.... I create in BB, use RB to create my backing tracks and move everything to a third party DAW. In my case, I use Sonar. I add my live guitar, piano, and vocals there.
Almost every one of the songs on my music site have doubled vocals on them....even the ones I don't sing. I like the fatter sound of doubled vocals and harmonies.
DO NOT clone a vocal track for the purpose of doubling. Take the time to record it each time and get it as exact to the original as you can. This is very important to the quality of the finished job.
To help put you in the ball park on doubling... for a typical project with harmony, there will be 5 vocal tracks. 3 lead tracks recorded individually. (no clones) Then 2 harmony tracks are recorded. The leads are selected ... one becomes the main. I set it's level where I think it sounds good in the mix and centered. The other two are generally panned 50% to 80% opposite each other and down around -20db. You can hardly hear them in the mix. Only when they are soloed is obvious there is other tracks in the mix. The conscious ear "misses" them but the subconscious does and the result id the track sounds somehow fuller and fatter. These tracks MUST be as close to perfect to each other as is possible.
I ALWAYS run pitch correction software on the lead tracks...ALWAYS! I use Melodyne Editor and edit manually. I highly recommend correcting the leads so that they are picture perfect because if not, it will be audible in the doubling to some extent. Using pitch correction on the harmony tracks is not as critical and having them off pitch a bit can actually add to the character of the mix, however, if you are looking for a "tight" vocal performance, take the time to correct the harmonies as well.
Harmonies are panned as well and are down around-16db.... a bit louder than the doubling tracks.... but again, not in your face loud, you gotta listen.
The best Christmas and Ode to Wolf are good examples of this.
The song Missing Person on my site had somewhere close to 10 to 12 vocal tracks. There were 2 singers, recorded in 2 different studios, so that alone was 6 tracks of leads and doubles. There were at least 2 harmonies per singer so that is 4 more bringing it to 10 tracks. I'd have to look back into that project to see if there are any special vox tracks beyond that. Lots of time editing those tracks.
Vocal doubling and having it sound good is a learned skill and an art. So take your time, experiment with levels and keep working on it. Once you get the basic idea and have done it a few times, I think you will like the results.
One last bit of info here on how I work. I use busses in my DAW in a major way. Harmony tracks go to one bus, doubling tracks to another, and the lead goes to it's own bus. I do this so that I can put reverb, any compression, and EQ into the BUS, and not in the track. This is handy when I use ME, since it does go into the track initially for correction. I process audio on ME and it goes away leaving the corrected dry audio in the track. (destructive edits)
I hope this helps.... feel free to ask more specific questions..... and I don't get here every day so it may be a few days until I reply back.... but I'm willing to share what I can
Last edited by Guitarhacker; 08/17/13 08:24 AM.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.comAdd nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both. The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
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Update Your PowerTracks Pro Audio 2024 Today!
The Newest RealBand 2024 Update is Here!
The newest RealBand 2024 Build 5 update is now available!
Download and install this to your RealBand 2024 for updated print options, streamlined loading and saving of .SGU & MGU (BB) files, and to add a number of program adjustments that address user-reported bugs and concerns.
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The Band-in-a-Box® Flash Drive Backup Option
Today (April 5) is National Flash Drive Day!
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Note: the Band-in-a-Box® keychain is only included with flash drive backup copies, and cannot be purchased separately.
Handy flash drive tip: Always try plugging in a USB device the wrong way first? If your flash drive (or other USB plug) doesn't have a symbol to indicate which way is up, look for the side with a seam on the metal connector (it only has a line across one side) - that's the side that either faces down or to the left, depending on your port placement.
Update your Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows® Today!
Update your Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows for free with build 1111!
With this update, there's more control when saving images from the Print Preview window, we've added defaults to the MultiPicker for sorting and font size, updated printing options, updated RealTracks and other content, and addressed user-reported issues with the StylePicker, MIDI Soloists, key signature changes, and more!
Learn more about this free update for Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows at www.pgmusic.com/support_windowsupdates.htm#1111
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If you're looking for a in-depth review of the newest Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows version, you'll definitely find it with Sound-Guy's latest review, Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows Review: Incredible new capabilities to experiment, compose, arrange and mix songs.
A few excerpts:
"The Tracks view is possibly the single most powerful addition in 2024 and opens up a new way to edit and generate accompaniments. Combined with the new MultiPicker Library Window, it makes BIAB nearly perfect as an 'intelligent' composer/arranger program."
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Convenient Ways to Listen to Band-in-a-Box® Songs Created by Program Users!
The User Showcase Forum is an excellent place to share your Band-in-a-Box® songs and listen to songs other program users are creating!
There are other places you can listen to these songs too! Visit our User Showcase page to sort by genre, artist (forum name), song title, and date - each listing will direct you to the forum post for that song.
If you'd rather listen to these songs in one place, head to our Band-in-a-Box® Radio, where you'll have the option to select the genre playlist for your listening pleasure. This page has SoundCloud built in, so it won't redirect you. We've also added the link to the Artists SoundCloud page here, and a link to their forum post.
We hope you find some inspiration from this amazing collection of User Showcase Songs!
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Our User Showcase Forum receives more than 50 posts per day, with people sharing their Band-in-a-Box songs and providing feedback for other songs posted.
Thank you to everyone who has contributed!
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