There are probably as many background vocal techniques as there are background vocalists (BGVs). Besides the obvious ones, there are some lesser-known techniques that work well for recording great BGVs. Possibly the most widely used background vocal recording technique, whether one singer or many, is letting the vocalists sing the background parts into the same mic that the lead vocalist just finished singing on. It’s the most common simply because it’s the easiest. But it’s not always the best-sounding option. Let’s explore some other techniques for recording and miking background vocals.
Layering
One variation on the 1-voice/1-mic “easy method” outlined above is to change up the recording path. Instead of just using the lead vocal mic and signal path, swap a part of the chain and use something else. Engineer/producer Gary Paczosa (Alison Krauss, Dolly Parton, Nickel Creek) told me that if he’s stacking the same vocalist, he tends to use a different preamp from the preamp he prefers for solo voice because of its harmonic resonance, a buildup of fuzzy odd overtones that happens when he uses it to layer. Sometimes he’ll even set up a different mic through a different preamp, so there’s not so much layering of the same characteristic sound. This makes sense: a bright lead vocalist might sound great for one track, but three or four stacks of that same brightness can be overwhelming. I’ve noticed the same thing with some tube preamps that have a very unique and pronounced distortion characteristic that doesn’t stack well.
Group Vocals
When recording a small group of background vocalists, such as two to four singers, you can use the 1-mic technique, but if you’re using a cardioid mic, the outside singers may lose definition since they’re not in the center of the mic — typically there is less presence as singers move off-center. Try using the mic in a wide-cardioid pattern, or better yet, try switching the mic to the omnidirectional pattern. This delivers excellent results because most mics have a flatter frequency response in omni and sound — to my ear, at least — much more real. I discovered this by accident on one project when I was recording Amy Grant’s lead vocal on a beautiful large-diaphragm condenser mic, and it sounded superb. Only after I finished the session did I notice that the mic was set to omnidirectional. If you’re recording in a good-sounding space, it works very well.
Be Aware of the Space
There are two things to watch for when recording vocals in a reflective space, whether on a cardioid or omnidirectional mic. First, make sure any boundaries (walls, windows, ceiling) are far enough away so as not to create comb filtering due to reflections into the side or the back of the mic. The rule of thumb is 3:1, the ratio of the distance between the singer and the mic (the direct sound, or 1 in 3:1) and the distance from the singer to the mic after bouncing off any reflective surfaces (the reflected sound, or 3 in 3:1), but that’s a minimum — I try to be even farther than that. Setting up the vocalist right in front of the control room window, where vocalists frequently are placed for visibility and ease of communication, is notorious for reflections into the back of the mic. Second, watch out for the sound of the room. While the room tone might be flattering on the first or second pass, by the time you layer five or six tracks (or 22 tracks, which I’ve done), the “roominess” may overwhelm the direct vocal sound.
Two of a Kind
If you’re using two singers, you can have them sing into one mic or give each vocalist their own mic. The approach of two singers into a single mic is most common, but if the mic is directional, you’re compromising the presence of each singer since they can’t both be right on-axis at once. If they can hear each other and will balance well, a great method for having both be present is to have them sing simultaneously into opposite sides of a figure-8 patterned mic. This works very well as long as you have two singers who can balance themselves, or if they’re singing in unison. The balance between the two voices is decided by distance from the mic and the volume of the singers. Make blend adjustments by having the singers move closer to or farther from the mic. Make sure to put any reflective surfaces to the sides of the mic, which offer the greatest rejection. Ribbon mics are quite good for this, especially if you have a less-than-wonderful-sounding recording space, because they’ll pick up less room than a condenser.
Three’s a Crowd
When using a background trio, it’s fairly common to have them gather around and sing into one cardioid mic. If you do that, then only one of the three singers is in the center of the mic and the other two are off-axis on the sides. The presence difference can be shocking. (Try it: listen through headphones as you sing or speak into a directional mic while moving from on-axis to off-axis — you may be surprised at how much sonic difference being off-axis makes.)
For stacking background vocals with a group of three, I have a technique that I love. Get two matching multi-pattern mics and set them up as an M-S pair. Put the mid (M) mic aimed at the center, where you would normally place the mic in front of the three singers. Then put the side mic (S) above or below it. (I’ve tried both ways; usually logistics play a part in finding the best spot. If the vocalists are singing from charts, above works best so they can still see the music on the stand.) The best way to do this is to get the vocalists in tight around the mics (within 12″–24″) to maximize the stereo image. Try positioning the singers at 9:00, 11:30 (off-center left in front of M), and 3:00. Then pan the stereo outputs from the M-S pair hard left and hard right. You’ll hear one singer left, one near-left, and one right.
On the second pass, flip the pans (L>R and R>L), and you’ll hear the opposite: one singer right, one near-right, and one left. The main advantage to this method versus using a single mic panned hard left and right is that you end up with a natural panning of the vocals, instead of a mono pass to the left channel and another mono to the right. You end up with a stereo background vocal group that surrounds the lead vocalist without occupying the same space. The singer in the middle should have the part that is most different from the lead singer’s melody, because that way their part will crowd the lead singer the least. By moving the singers around the mics, you can fill the space from left to right and still leave room in the middle for the lead vocalist.
Four or More
Although most engineers prefer to use a typical choral configuration for recording four or more vocalists singing parts (with the full group standing in a semicircle, which works best if there’s a conductor who is not singing), I’ve had excellent results with this alternate method. When working with a group such as an octet (eight singers), I sometimes put the group in a full circle and set up four mics in a crossed configuration, where each mic is aimed 90º from the mic next to it. Then I put two singers on each mic. If using cardioids for this setup, it’s possible to achieve very good isolation (if the room isn’t too live) without excessive baffling. If you position one voice part on each mic (Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass, or SATB), all the other voice parts are off-axis at each mic, and you will have a lot of control in the mix. To keep the cumulative sound from being too hollow or roomy, you may want to put gobos between the sections or behind each section.
The advantage of this setup is that the singers are all physically close to each other and can hear each other in the room (assuming they are doing the “one earphone on, one off” trick). They can see one another and easily do visual cueing for inflections or cutoffs. The drawback to this setup is that it won’t work if the vocalists have to watch a conductor who isn’t in the group. A 2-mic variation on this configuration can be used if you have a singing group that balances itself well and doesn’t need any “fader control.” In this case, you can use two figure-8 mics set up at 90º to each other (a.k.a. Blumlein stereo) and have the group gather around. This will work well with no baffles at all, as the vocalists will be able to hear the balance in the room and adjust accordingly. Note that you’ll end up with two tracks with two voice parts on each track (such as S/T, A/B), which is likely unsuitable for stereo unless you are doubling.
I hope these tips have given you some out-of-the-ordinary ideas for new ways to record backing vocal tracks. And if you need any help deciding on the perfect mic for whichever technique you choose, feel free to call your Sweetwater Sales Engineer at (800) 222-4700. They’re here to help with all your recording needs.