4 Tweaks for Backing Vocals to Shine
Ready to level up your backing vocals? 🎤✨ Our own Ben Kinder has put together a selection of great learning bites to make your backing vocals sound so much better. Here are some nice tricks from mixing legends that'll help your backing vocals sit perfectly in the mix - without stealing the show.
Mix with the Masters
De-ess backing vocals to place them behind the lead vocal
Tony Maserati uses the Waves DeEsser to manage sibilance in backing vocals for better separation and to ensure they sit well behind the lead vocal. By reducing the sibilance in the doubles, Maserati ensures that the lead vocal remains clear and prominent in the center of the mix, even when the backing vocals are panned to the sides. This technique helps maintain a clean and focused lead vocal, preventing it from being overshadowed by the backing vocals, which can otherwise create a cluttered sound. Maserati emphasizes that the ear doesn't need multiple sibilant sounds, and by controlling these, the mix achieves a more polished and defined sound.
Mix with the Masters
Automating EQ for better separation between lead and backing vocals
Joe LaPorta shares a technique for achieving more clarity and better separation between lead and backing vocals using EQ automation. The song begins with a vocal loop that sets the foundation, and as the main verses start, he suggests subtly reducing the high mids and highs of the loop. This allows the lead rap vocal to shine through without the loop competing for attention, maintaining the track's rhythmic momentum. The automation ensures the vocal loop remains important and memorable, contributing to the song's overall feel while stepping back to give the lead vocals the spotlight. This approach highlights the importance of frequency management and dynamic balance in creating a polished mix.
Produce Like A Pro
Get presence with multi-band expansion
Marc Daniel Nelson shares a background vocal mixing technique that he discovered by accident, which has since become a staple in his mixing arsenal. This approach involves using the FabFilter Pro-MB as an expander to emphasize the higher frequencies (between 2 kHz and 15 kHz) of the background vocals, thereby enhancing their brightness, punchiness, and presence in a distinct manner. To ensure the background vocals remain supportive and do not overshadow the lead, Nelson incorporates two stages of de-essing and employs a Klanghelm MJUC compressor with a high-pass filter in the sidechain, set to around 400 Hz. This technique creates a sense of space and airiness around the vocals, yielding a polished pop sound that is especially effective for dense arrangements with a high track count.
Soundtoys
Creative vocal recording with Varispeed
Jamie Lidell demonstrates using Varispeed in Avid Pro Tools to creatively manipulate the recording of backing vocals. By slowing down the track, he records vocals at a reduced speed, then returns to the original tempo to achieve unique vocal effects. This technique allows for more flexibility and interesting phrasing, as it provides additional time to experiment with vocal delivery. Jamie uses Soundtoys Little AlterBoy to adjust the formants after the recording, restoring a natural timbre to the vocals. Jamie also explores the opposite approach by speeding up the track, showcasing how different artifacts and effects can be achieved. He emphasizes the creative potential of Varispeed for crafting distinctive backing vocals, with a personal preference for slowing down the track to enhance vocal phrasing.