What's Your Trick For Creating Thick Lead Vocals?
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- KVRAF
- 23102 posts since 8 Oct, 2014
Title says it all. Please share. It's my next project.
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- KVRAF
- 1615 posts since 9 Jan, 2018
Doubling.
Want to go really thick?
1. Do a lead vocal track
2. Do a "kermit" track under it (double the track with slightly de-emphasized consonants and palatal vowels, otherwise your consonants will clash), raising the output level to where you just barely hear it
3. Do a whisper track under that
4. Do a double track an octave higher or lower and pan left
5. Do a double track an octave higher or lower and pan right
6. Create a vox send to some reverb, lowering the volume until you just barely hear it
7. Create another vox send to some delay, again lowering the volume.
In the 1980s, you'll recall there were some groups who would have 14-16 vocal tracks to really fatten them up. I think that's overkill, but the above should be more than enough.
Just be careful that these are really good doubled tracks--if you don't line up the vocals exactly, you'll hear stutters from the subtracks ("kiss" sounds like "k-k-kiss-sss-sss"). It'll take some effort.
Want to go really thick?
1. Do a lead vocal track
2. Do a "kermit" track under it (double the track with slightly de-emphasized consonants and palatal vowels, otherwise your consonants will clash), raising the output level to where you just barely hear it
3. Do a whisper track under that
4. Do a double track an octave higher or lower and pan left
5. Do a double track an octave higher or lower and pan right
6. Create a vox send to some reverb, lowering the volume until you just barely hear it
7. Create another vox send to some delay, again lowering the volume.
In the 1980s, you'll recall there were some groups who would have 14-16 vocal tracks to really fatten them up. I think that's overkill, but the above should be more than enough.
Just be careful that these are really good doubled tracks--if you don't line up the vocals exactly, you'll hear stutters from the subtracks ("kiss" sounds like "k-k-kiss-sss-sss"). It'll take some effort.
Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, and even Deezer, whatever the hell Deezer is.
More fun at Twitter @watchfulactual
More fun at Twitter @watchfulactual
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- KVRist
- 132 posts since 28 Mar, 2025 from Coventry, England
Reverse the vocal track and rerecord with reverb. Then flip the vocal track forward again and listen to the thick vocal result. An old trick but still very effective.
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- KVRAF
- 1615 posts since 9 Jan, 2018
That's just going to produce reverse reverb. Not sure that's what he was going for.
Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, and even Deezer, whatever the hell Deezer is.
More fun at Twitter @watchfulactual
More fun at Twitter @watchfulactual
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- KVRist
- 132 posts since 28 Mar, 2025 from Coventry, England
Give it a try, you'll be surprised at what happens. It's more like delay than reverb. I sometimes use this trick with lead guitar.Watchful wrote: Tue Jul 21, 2026 9:12 pm That's just going to produce reverse reverb. Not sure that's what he was going for.
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- KVRAF
- 1615 posts since 9 Jan, 2018
Very familiar with the technique. I suspect it's not going to do what he needs. Its effect on vocals should be used sparingly.
Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, and even Deezer, whatever the hell Deezer is.
More fun at Twitter @watchfulactual
More fun at Twitter @watchfulactual
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- KVRist
- 148 posts since 24 May, 2026
There’s no trick to it - there are time-tested methods to achieve it.
Close-miking is one way, but you need a good pop filter to avoid the plosives. However, it’s possible to clean up plosives to some extent with software.
Double tracking a unison vocal is another technique. There’s a lot of software available to process a single track of vocals, so you don’t need to record two takes. Often this kind of software can also give you an octave down doubling, but it can sound fake if you overdo it.
I’d also suggest not going overboard on the pitch correction. Some level of not being pitched perfectly helps to give a vocal a full sound rather than it blend in with perfectly matching frequencies and sound flat and lifeless.
Then there’s picking the right key for the timbre of your voice. Keeping to chest voice as much as possible will certainly give you a fuller sound.
Also, use your ears to EQ rather than trust software. Make the right space in your mix so you can high and low cut the vocal (and do some surgical notching) to sit comfortably in the mix without losing any fullness.
Close-miking is one way, but you need a good pop filter to avoid the plosives. However, it’s possible to clean up plosives to some extent with software.
Double tracking a unison vocal is another technique. There’s a lot of software available to process a single track of vocals, so you don’t need to record two takes. Often this kind of software can also give you an octave down doubling, but it can sound fake if you overdo it.
I’d also suggest not going overboard on the pitch correction. Some level of not being pitched perfectly helps to give a vocal a full sound rather than it blend in with perfectly matching frequencies and sound flat and lifeless.
Then there’s picking the right key for the timbre of your voice. Keeping to chest voice as much as possible will certainly give you a fuller sound.
Also, use your ears to EQ rather than trust software. Make the right space in your mix so you can high and low cut the vocal (and do some surgical notching) to sit comfortably in the mix without losing any fullness.