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If you wanted to do a cover of this song, how would you go about it?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-kA3UtBj4M

Growing up during the era (I was 13 when this song came out) nothing else sounded like it.

I think the biggest challenge is the background vocals. If you'll notice, they're not hard panned yet they sound like they're in the background.

I don't even know how to begin to get this sound.

Anyway, I'm all ears for anybody who wants to share.

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I knew I'd read this at some point;

https://www.soundonsound.com/people/mar ... hats-going

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donkey tugger wrote:I knew I'd read this at some point;

https://www.soundonsound.com/people/mar ... hats-going
Yeah, I read it too. But it really doesn't help a lot. Some general stuff but not enough detail to even begin to recreate that sound.

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Last edited by Aloysius on Sat Jun 09, 2018 4:47 am, edited 2 times in total.
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wagtunes wrote:
donkey tugger wrote:I knew I'd read this at some point;

https://www.soundonsound.com/people/mar ... hats-going
Yeah, I read it too. But it really doesn't help a lot. Some general stuff but not enough detail to even begin to recreate that sound.
I take you mean Marvin's backing vocals and not the 'party' sounds...

They are panned slightly out to the sides if you listen, multitracked (which always adds depth) and probably with a bit of the high end and bass rolled off, and a decent helping of plate reverb.

There are various tools that purport to do vocal multiplying (Melda's MUnison and the one in Izotope Nectar spring to mind), but to be blunt there's nothing does it better than having the singer do it a few times - you get the real variations rather than just machine pitch and timing randomizing.

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donkey tugger wrote:
wagtunes wrote:
donkey tugger wrote:I knew I'd read this at some point;

https://www.soundonsound.com/people/mar ... hats-going
Yeah, I read it too. But it really doesn't help a lot. Some general stuff but not enough detail to even begin to recreate that sound.
I take you mean Marvin's backing vocals and not the 'party' sounds...

They are panned slightly out to the sides if you listen, multitracked (which always adds depth) and probably with a bit of the high end and bass rolled off, and a decent helping of plate reverb.

There are various tools that purport to do vocal multiplying (Melda's MUnison and the one in Izotope Nectar spring to mind), but to be blunt there's nothing does it better than having the singer do it a few times - you get the real variations rather than just machine pitch and timing randomizing.
Yes, his backing vocals. That little bit of advice you gave me might help more than you realize.

I do have MUnison and it won't do what I need to do.

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Bit more concerning the vocals on the following two videos, possibly not specific to what you're looking for but interesting nonetheless.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tx1aRi_WIYs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brvH7gTsg1c

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shonky wrote:Bit more concerning the vocals on the following two videos, possibly not specific to what you're looking for but interesting nonetheless.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tx1aRi_WIYs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brvH7gTsg1c
Fascinating. Not too helpful, but fascinating just the same. Maybe I can find a video that really goes into the making of the song or a tutorial on how to recreate the sound.

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Where to begin? Arm a track and start recording! Take it one step at a time...

There won't be a tutorial to help you create this sound (or any other for that matter). Just listen very carefully what instruments & other tracks do you hear? What obvious effects do you hear? For example reverb: what type, and applied tot what? Listening is the most critical step, both to the original and your recreation. In this era there weren't that much production secrets employed. Not much EQ (the recording desk didn't even have EQ) and it's all pretty pure.

So about doing a cover version... You can try to make an exact duplicate. That will be very hard and you will always spot differences. Well not always. Me and a friend were making a replica of a song for a wedding so they could sing alternative lyrics. At some point my friend asked me to play back the original but instead I played our work in progress. Took half a minute before the vocals would start and thus he found out, great laugh and we were nailing it down pretty well apparently.

Anyway, instead of the exact copy you can make your own version, your own arrangement, truely make it your own. You'll get far less critique of what differs from the original that way, but it rather will be judged on its own merits. Imho this is easier to do.
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BertKoor wrote:Where to begin? Arm a track and start recording! Take it one step at a time...

There won't be a tutorial to help you create this sound (or any other for that matter). Just listen very carefully what instruments & other tracks do you hear? What obvious effects do you hear? For example reverb: what type, and applied tot what? Listening is the most critical step, both to the original and your recreation. In this era there weren't that much production secrets employed. Not much EQ (the recording desk didn't even have EQ) and it's all pretty pure.

So about doing a cover version... You can try to make an exact duplicate. That will be very hard and you will always spot differences. Well not always. Me and a friend were making a replica of a song for a wedding so they could sing alternative lyrics. At some point my friend asked me to play back the original but instead I played our work in progress. Took half a minute before the vocals would start and thus he found out, great laugh and we were nailing it down pretty well apparently.

Anyway, instead of the exact copy you can make your own version, your own arrangement, truely make it your own. You'll get far less critique of what differs from the original that way, but it rather will be judged on its own merits. Imho this is easier to do.
Thanks. I actually decided to scrap the cover version idea and just do a song in that style. Here it is for anybody who's interested.

https://soundcloud.com/steven-wagenheim/time-is-time

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