Justin Timberlakes backing vocals...how do they do it?

[ChrisRoberts]

Hey! Can anyone give any insight on how they make these backing vocals of JT's so rock solid, smooth and just out there? Its not like regular backing vocals. Something is different. For a prime example, his feature on the Black Eyed Peas song Where Is The Love, I LOVE HIS VOCALS!!!!

I just got a gig with a production company doing vocals for a large project, and i need some tips!! The project is commercial R&B, so the genre fits.

Thanks so much!
Chris

[Stanklanta]

Have a great singer.

And a great mic.

[ChrisRoberts]

Thanks for the insight....hehe.

What kind of pre's should I be using? How many compressors should I be running through? What kind? I'll be having a 1073 for sure, but what should I use for compressors?
I'll also be using a Sound Deluxe 251.

And with pop backgrounds. how do they get them to sound so silky in the mix? Just about 5 different compressors mixing the same vocals?

[Chuck Crane]

As a session singer for 20+ years, I can only say it has little to do with microphones, preamps, or gear at all. The secret to great back vocals like Michael Jackson's, the Eagles, Beach Boys, etc. is being able to sing in tune and with as little vibrato as possible. Arrangement is critical; not doubling thirds, knowing how to 'flat' and 'sharp' certain notes purposely to stop the 'beating' that is commonly heard in third intervals - a trick that barbershoppers use to get what they call the "ring". Microphone technique is critical - knowing when to turn the head slightly to avoid 'pops' and being able to move closer and further away for loud and soft passages. Much better to do this than to over-work the compressor. My singing partner and I were 'first-call' backround singers here in south Florida for most of the sessions in the mid 80's because of our ability to arrange on the spot and do multiple stacking of voices. Sometimes we'd be called in after a band had spent 3 days trying to get one song done. Our average time on a song was 90 minutes for double or triple tracking 3 and 4 part harmony. Having an engineer that knows where he is at all times is probably the second most important ingredient. We would stack in sections rather than do one pass the entire length of the tune. The engineer has to have his pre-roll and cue points down and know exactly where to punch in and out. We would always oversee the bouncing of all these tracks to make sure the blend was correct. We'd usually ask for 6 to 8 open tracks to do our thing. Once we'd finished singing and done the bounce to stereo pair, the original tracks would be erased and freed up for other overdubs.

[ChrisRoberts]

Thanks!!!! Some really great points there. I've got some real good stuff to go on now :)

[Chuck Crane]

p.s. My real name is Chuck Kirkpatrick and you can see my recording credits at Allmusic.com by typing my name in the window. And if you need help with those vocals, I do sessions for people via mp3.

[ChrisRoberts]

WOW!!!!!! Thats killer! Thank you again! :)

[flattop100]

I just spent some time with a pop a cappella group in the studio--in addition to what's been said above, the 4 things I realized are:

1)Multiple tracks. Have your background vocalist sing a phrase, then do it again. Then either pan 'em in stereo or stack up--either way, it really starts thickening things.

2)Autotune, Autotune, Autotune. Especially if your singers can't sing. This will make the vocals sound postively glossy, and give you the barbershop "ring" that Chuck talks about.

3)Good singers help immensely. For example, the screeching tenor from my group went into the iso booth and laid out a track. Then he did it again--exactly the same. Phrasing, dynamics, note lengths--it was ungodly. When the tracks were combined, the overtones were ringing so loudly that it sounded like someone had been in the booth with him, singing up an octave.

4) Compression. That's been mentioned before.

[MusicRoeProDoSir]

I've read the other comments and they're "on".

That SOLID WALL OF VOCALS takes the right raw ingredients--starting first, with the talent itself.

I'm gonna skip the obvious 'verbs and usual effects, and assume you've obviously got the basic gear...BUT, in order to get that particular shape and color of "that sound", here are FIVE steps:

1. Stack it! (Produce multiple vocal layers however you desire--real vocals or simulated, repeated digitally.)

2. Pack it! (Limit it. Compress it. Make the tracks "BANG" against their threshhold--both visually on the meters, but ALSO in your ears.)

3. Skin it back! (Get into your eq's. Roll back ALL--and I do mean ALL--your midranges on those background vocals. Zilch! Nada!)

4. LISTEN! Check out those "COLORS AND SHAPES"! (Hear that? It's a paradoxical sound. Those backs should sound rock solid, very percussive, but they're ALSO wispy and airy from the absence of mids. Next, gradually bring up your mids, like salt and pepper, to taste, in order to satisfy YOUR PARTICULAR PALATE.)

5. Post Critique it.

Is it PHAT enuff? If not, stack and/or stagger some of those vocals by milliseconds.

Is it ROCK SOLID? Is it thumpin'? If not, tweak your limiters/compressors. Pack it in there! Fill up and saturate those tracks! In this case, those backtracks should emulate a typical bass track!

The mids are a personal call. There are many, many majors who use that "midthang" on their leads as well as--and especially their backs.

Best of Luck in your new gig!

Peace, Love!
Jah rules!

[ChrisRoberts]

MusicRoe....you in the ville?
Thank you for all of your insight!! I really, really appreciate it. I've been in sessions with Ronnie Brookshire and he's told me a bunch of stuff to do with vocals, and Tony Green, and just a bunch of other people, so I can try and be the best vocal guy I can be, and hope that people hire me for it.

I really do appreciate all of the comments! Thank you all so much!

[Chuck Crane]

Flattop, we should clarify the use of Auto-Tune on backround vocals. Auto-Tune only works on one voice at a time. Try putting it across a group vocal track and see what happens. Auto-Tune is generally used after the fact - usually as a computer plug-in - and on one voice at a time which means that in a group situation, each singer would have to have his or her own separate track well-isolated from the other singers' tracks. This is not an ideal situation when using a group of singers, and really shouldn't even be necessary if they sing in tune in the first place.

[wufgang]

When you have been singing and doing harmonies as long as James Taylor has, you have got to be good!

[dougo]

Wrong JT, I'm afraid.
:scared:
But seriously, inviting James Taylor over to record your backing vocals would probably be a great first step...

Thanks so much for the tips, everybody - you may not realize how helpful these are to those of us who've not spent much time in a professional recording environment...