Similar to my point about using slightly contrasting techniques when recording doubles, you might want to attempt to process the double differently when mixing. Having the vocal not processed with doubling during the verse and then doubled in the chorus is a great way to add contrast, width and texture to the mix. The mix of a song might benefit from only having the doubled vocal at certain moments. If one passage is sung with more sustain for example, I’ll apply a fade to the doubled layer so that it ends in concert with the first. Because of the nature of how frequency is represented visually, sibilant components of speech (and singing) show up as what I would refer to as “fuzzies” and the non-sibilant parts look more like “blobs.” When editing, I’ll meticulously align the blobs and fuzzies. If you don’t have the benefit of software assistance, you can remedy timing issues by editing the waveform - making breaks and then shifting consonants and vowels to be more perfectly aligned. While slight differences in pitch and timing are what we love about doubled vocals, if the differences are too great, the overall sound can be perceived as sloppy and unfocused. When Editingīecause I typically record many vocal takes and then compile, or “comp,” a final master vocal track, I can pull from the unused takes to construct a doubled performance. Sometimes though, a vocal doubled with the exact same sense of space and timbre is best. You might want to use a different microphone or even have the vocalist take a step or two back from the mic to allow the room to breathe a bit more. If you’re present for the recording session, it might be worth it to modify your approach when tracking the doubled vocal. When producing music, I’ll consider whether the song needs a doubled vocal and request that the singer record the part multiple times over. Just as classical composers would write lines where multiple instruments would be playing the same notes simultaneously for added thickness and texture, doubling tracks (especially vocals) became a more widely used effect within the context of popular music as technological advancements allowed for overdubbing.
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