Recording and Mixing Vocals – Layering

Layering:

In this video, we’re demonstrating one way to help your vocal recordings and mixes sound bigger with layering. We recorded the same vocal arrangement 8 times! This might sound like “too much” but when you piece everything together it really can take your songs and mixes to another level. We recommend doing this, especially during the chorus of a song because it’s a great way to differentiate the verse from the chorus while also building excitement for the listener. Then again, it mainly depends on your preference and whether it fits the vocalist and/or song.

Processing:

We didn’t have to apply much processing. We added a DeEsser to control the sibilance of the voice because some parts were too harsh. We’re processing the voice the same way in each channel because although we recorded the vocal 8 times, we still want to try and make it sound like one voice. Note: A vocalist will never be able to duplicate the sound of a vocal arrangement identically, but we still want it as close as possible to the previous take. It’s the subtle differences in each take that gives this technique its cool effect. We also used the Chris Lord Alge Vocal plugin, which equips pretty much everything that we need, EQ, compressor, and other effects. Make sure to watch the video above for our demonstration of this technique.