Gear for atmospheric backup vocals?

[Gmork]

Not sure if this belongs here but figured it's about gear so..

Just curious if any of you do backup vox and use reverbs/delays/mod/other fx for vocals.
Stuff with a bit more character than your normal reverb a sound guy would throw on.

 

[Blasphemer]

Something fun you can do if you're handy with a soldering iron is to get 2 DIs and add a female XLR jack to one of them in parallel to the male input. By doing this you can run a dynamic mic (you have to get tricky for phantom power if you want to use a condenser) into it, and then use the 1/4" out to run into guitar pedals. Then, after the last pedal in the chain, use the 2nd DI like you normally would. The imepdance matches are correct so there's no loss, it stays as a balanced line to get to FOH, and you have ground lifts in case there are any buzz issues. I did this and it's a LOT of fun!

If you're not able to modify the 1st DI, then something like this can be used: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0006NMUHW/?tag=sevenstringorg-20
Note, though, that the xformer in those things usually isn't very good, so there may be a little bit of a change in the sound quality. Almost definitely negligible in a live situation, but still worth noting.

 

[DrakkarTyrannis]

Why not use the same gear you recorded main vocals with and just try different things? Stand in different places away from the mic, use different voices in different places.

The way you layer them will certainly change how they sound. From there try different effects than you normally would. You can even use different effect chains on each individual vocal and then put them together for various results.

I do all my backing vocals, even the female vox. I've just learned to sing in different pitches and voices, as well as pay attention to mic placement and layering.

 

[cardinal]

I'm pretty clueless for this, but I remember reading that lots of folks used the ensemble/symphonic chorus from the old Yamaha SPX90 for vocals.

 

[ATRguitar91]

Is this for live or recorded use?

We would always tell sound guys to keep our vocals bone dry. Reverb live usually got muddy in my opinion, I wanted people to hear us clearly.

For recording, like @DrakkarTyrannis said I think trying different layers and recording techniques is the most fruitful. If effects were used, we would use some kind of reverb to make the vocals sound bigger or farther away.

 

[DrakkarTyrannis]

Is this for live or recorded use?

We would always tell sound guys to keep our vocals bone dry. Reverb live usually got muddy in my opinion, I wanted people to hear us clearly.

For recording, like @DrakkarTyrannis said I think trying different layers and recording techniques is the most fruitful. If effects were used, we would use some kind of reverb to make the vocals sound bigger or farther away.

You know what...I wasn't even thinking of live settings. I automatically assumed recording. Sorry...I'm currently writing an album and I'm stuck in recording mode. It never occurred to me that he may have been talking about live.

 

[Gmork]

It is in fact for live. (mostly) harsh female main vocals and I want to do sparse (very far back) backup vox but really reverb drowned and just weird. Honestly It's fine if its muddy. I think something like the old blood noise endeavors dark star would be cool as hell but am just really curious of other ideas or if there are any other weirdo backup vocalists?

 

[cGoEcYk]

TC Perform series may have some options. They all have tons of features. I use a TC Perform VE since I do midi (you can do a few cool with the VE like sing a sample then play it pitched on your controller). My only complaint is that it mixes things so u cut through a little more when the reason I use a lot of reverb is to blur it back.

 

[Gudbrand]

If you're already working with a line level signal from a mic preamp, and you don't care about pristine sound quality, any cheap rackmount multi effect would be my first choice. Something like an Alesis MIDIverb or Quadraverb, Yamaha SPX, Roland RSP-550, Boss SX700 or SE-70, ART Multiverb.

They're all discontinued, and some might fluctuate in price as they get rediscovered, but there always seems to be some old rack floating around the local markets. Maybe it's the same in your area.

edit: I haven't owned or used most of those suggestions, so some of them may not have balanced XLR inputs, or have the effects you want. Just throwing out some examples.

 

[DudeManBrother]

Just use a delay into reverb. The more reverb, the further back.

 

[cGoEcYk]

Red Korg Kaoss Pad

 

[Gmork]

I always meant to try vox into my ehx mel9 when I owned one but sold it before I got a chance

 

[Blasphemer]

I always meant to try vox into my ehx mel9 when I owned one but sold it before I got a chance

It doesn't work that well.
Source - I did this when I first got my Mel9 and wasn't a huge fan