Vocals

Double tracking

Doubling is extremely effective in creating depth and space

• Doubles can be panned together adding depth and unique character, or they can be panned apart to add width.
• ex. try panning them wide during verses, and centre during chorus
• ex. try panning early verses/choruses wide, but pan centre during later ones for added intensity.

note: breaths and sibilance (s’s and t’s) can be extremely distracting when out of time. As such, they can simply be removed completely from Vocal2.

• Also, consider reducing the s’s and t’s in the doubles with de-essing so as not to clash with the main vocal.

Consider not always using double tracking on every word. Save double tracking for emphasis on select lines to emphasize a lyric.

Consider using a different microphone for Vocal2, which will create some separation, texture and depth in the vocal mix.

To create a lot of vocal power, consider having two separate vocal doubles. Pan the main vocal centre, and pan each double track hard left and right respectively.

Types of Double

• Unison (ie. Double)
• Octave - singing an octave higher/lower than main vocal line. Tuck it a little lower in the mix than the lead vocal
  • ex. falsetto double
  • ex. lower octave double
• Melodic interval
  • ex. https://youtu.be/bhh6alcX7Yo?t=509

Try

• vocal1 panned centre, and vocal2 panned hard left, with slight delay panned hard right
• lead vocal panned centre, with 2 unison double tracks panned hard left and right to result in a thick vocal
• lead vocal panned centre, with 2 lower octave double tracks panned ~50% left and right, so as to support (and not distract from) the lead vocal

Harmonies

Broadly speaking, harmony vocals can either follow the same shape (with different intervals) as the lead melody, or it can do something different (counter-melody)

Approaches

Same pattern, but the 3rd

• In this approach, the harmony vocal simply follows the lead vocal, but sings a 3rd up from each note sung by the lead
• ex. Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds chorus

Melody Sandwich

• Harmony1 sings the 3rd above lead vocal
• Harmony2 sings the 5th below lead vocal
• ex. Nowhere Man

Sustained single note

In this approach, the harmony vocal simply sits on one note (most often the root)

• ex. All You Need is Love (chorus), Please Please Me (verse)

Examples

Drive My Car (Chorus)

This chorus is in Bm

During the line "Baby you can drive my car", we see a 3 part harmony. All notes occur over the Bm, except for the final, which occurs over a G (piano)

• Bass (John): 1 - 1 - 1 - 1 - 1 - 1 - 1
• Mid (George): 3♭- 5 - 3♭- 1 - 3♭- 3♭- 3♭
• High (Paul): 5 - 7♭- 5 - 3♭- 5 - 3♭ - 5♭

Here, we can notice that the phrase ends on a diminished chord, adding tension that is resolved in the next phrase, "And maybe I'll love you", over an A:

• All 3: 1 - 3♭ - 4