back up vocal tips & mixing - 3.02.02

back up vocals are an excellent way to bring up emphasis on a certain part of you song. such as backing up a punchline. or the rhyming words. but alot of people don't do their backup's right, it seems like the just don't put enough time into it. and if it is messed up it can really make a whole song sound un-professional.

my best tip on your backups, is if you mess up, do it over, untill it sounds like it is perfectly on point with the flow. i hear alot of shitty sounding songs when the backups are lined up correctly or are off point.

and be creative with em... maybe cut out a certain line, and punch in with the back up, this sound cool as shit, it is like the beastie boys type shit. i think it sounds really phat on a punchline or sumpin.

everyone has there own style. i think my vocals sound best when they are not backed up fully, where as my partna sos thinks his sound better with the whole thing backed up. and some cats don't even back theirs up. it all is based on personal preference.

as for mixing. be creative. here is what i do for the main backups.

first i do noise reduction, and silencing in between all the backup'd parts.

next i normalize them, depending on the beat and track to 40% - 60%.

then i goto

amplify>pan/expand

then goto the expand tab on top, and where that curve is, i just straighten it out all the way to the top. this sound really nice in stereo, i think anyways. or you may choose to do a very small chorus... its all up to you. but i am all bout expanding my backups. it gives it a more 3d out there effect.

next i would pan out certain parts (mostly sound effects) to the left and right simultaniously. it helps kinda wake up the listener, almost freak em out, cuz they hear something for the most part centered, then all the sudden there is a noise out in left field, it will catch em off guard, which is always good to do in a song.

honestly that is about it on back-ups...

if you feel something has to realllllly stand out like the best punch in your verse, you may choose to silence the beat. but don't over use this, i hear alot of cats latley using this, and they are better off just not even having a beat at all.

yup that is about all i can come up with on back ups, if i figure out some new shit, i'll update this.