What's Your Trick For Creating Thick Lead Vocals?

[wagtunes]

Title says it all. Please share. It's my next project.

[Watchful]

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.

[Ciderwell]

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.

[Watchful]

That's just going to produce reverse reverb. Not sure that's what he was going for.

[Ciderwell]

That's just going to produce reverse reverb. Not sure that's what he was going for.

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]

Very familiar with the technique. I suspect it's not going to do what he needs. Its effect on vocals should be used sparingly.