Josie - it is great that you did this! I've been thinking of doing the same thing for a long time - and just never gotten around to it.

I thought it might be a good idea to have some examples for the thread...

The above explanation (Floyd Jane On Getting A Choir Sound - in Josie's post) refers to a "choir" that I created for Robert's song "Held In His Hand" (PgFantastic)- it's a great song and I thought it needed a choir at the end. Robert graciously agreed to let me add one.


I also thought that Noel's song "Wait And See" (Noel96) was perfect for a Broadway show and just needed "the whole cast" singing along at the end - and he allowed me to add that!!!


I have posted the endings to provide examples (along with a couple of other examples - explained below)

A discussion that I posted in response to a question by Joanne (jo131) is at the end. It talks about how I typically use the harmony plugin - to create what I call "the BIABettes".



Listen To Harmony Examples here (<<< that's the link).



"Set In Stone".

I wanted to try 2 things with this song (the production of it).
First was a simple one instrument, one voice production (using piano). I had not done that before.
I then wanted to see how well "the BIABettes" would "stand up" in such a stark production.
There are 2 versions - one with the harmonies as "background vocals" and one with the harmonies "front and center" along with the main vocal - like a "quintet". (the solo version was posted in the showcase, but this is a discussion on harmonies...)


"The BAIBettes - How I typically create harmonies"

(response to Jo's questions)
I can tell you what I do... though "your mileage may vary" (since I'm starting with a male vocal and you would be starting with a female vocal).

After getting the song set up in BIAB (meaning simply, the chords right), I open RealBand and load the BIAB file. Then import the vocal track. Select that vocal track, right-click and choose "Generate Audio Harmony (using PowerTracks or BBW...)"

I choose "Harmonize to the chord symbols of the song" - which is what the BIAB file is for. So far, I've only used "1 Down and 3 Up" as the type. And then generate. I don't typically change any of the settings in the plug in.

I then save each of the 4 (mono) tracks so that I can work with them in a different DAW (the one I know from the past). But you could simply work with them in RealBand

Listening to any one of the "voices" separately you will find... they don't sound "real". But add them all together at the right levels and you can get some decent results. But... not all the time. I often have to really lower or eliminate the highest one (because she's warbling something awful). Particularly if I am singing high (and loud). They (the BIABettes, as I called them) work best when I am singing low and soft - almost my natural speaking voice. At times, I have to drop them all out because they don't work for a particular phrase. A lot of it becomes finding where they work and how they fit in the song. And they work best (for me) when they are blended together. Here and there I will use the 1 Down and the first above - but most of the time it's all 4 together.

I pan two left and two right one a bit more than the other - meaning - L 70% L 50% R 50% R 70% (percentages out of 100). Obvious, I know, but some might not consider it...


Robert's full post of "Held In His Hands" with the choir is here:
http://www.pgmusic.com/forums/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=402897&an=0&page=2#Post402897


Noel's original post of the song is here:
http://www.pgmusic.com/forums/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=401261&an=0&page=2#Post401261

My original post of "Set In Stone" is here:
http://www.pgmusic.com/forums/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=394433&an=0&page=8#Post394433

Hope you find something useful somewhere in all of that....

floyd

150+ Songs produced using BIAB RealTracks
And 50 more...
and some more...