Country vocal sound

Bubbagump · 07-25-2007, 06:29 AM

Got a bit of a country project on my hands. There seems to be one signature thing modern country has in all its tunes that I am not getting... the vocal doubling.

Here is a good typical example: Example

So are they simply doubling (doesn't sound "beaty" enough to be doubled unless there is some pitch or delay fun going on) or is there a harmony in there? I am trying to nail that sound for a client and really am not hearing well what the deal is.

Yaz · 07-25-2007, 08:30 AM

There is harmony vocal (not on every line tho), not sure if live or machine vocal producer.

Shan · 07-25-2007, 11:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bubbagump

Got a bit of a country project on my hands. There seems to be one signature thing modern country has in all its tunes that I am not getting... the vocal doubling.

Here is a good typical example: Example

So are they simply doubling (doesn't sound "beaty" enough to be doubled unless there is some pitch or delay fun going on) or is there a harmony in there? I am trying to nail that sound for a client and really am not hearing well what the deal is.

There is 3 part harmony in that track. Also, the harmonies might be layered a bit.

Shane

Rann · 07-25-2007, 11:53 AM

Definitely a harmony vocal. It could be "machine-induced" but I doubt it. As to how to reproduce it - I dunno. That's one of those things that I have been trying to find out. All I have been able to learn so far is that most people that can sing at that level can also sing their own harmonies, and the harmony lines are "eq'd" whatever that means. I am guessing that an eq is applied to each individual harmony line in keeping with the frequency of the harmony so that one could stack the harmonies and it would still sound full with no frequency clashes. But thats just a guess based on limited knowledge. If anyone knows for sure, I'd appreciate some enlightenment. All I can say for sure is that it sounds really good.

peace,
rann

Shan · 07-25-2007, 12:22 PM

Three part harmony done by different singers, not the lead singer. They are real. A few layers but not to the extent that a pop/RnB track would do. The harmony voicings in country are also very important to give it "that sound" as apposed to pop harmonies. This track has a harmony above and a harmony below the lead vox, close voicing. I can sing these after the first pass, but been doing this way to long.

Hope that helps.

Shane

Bubbagump · 07-25-2007, 12:23 PM

I have picked a few other brains on this and the consensus seems to be a third below and a 5th up from the melody.

Shan · 07-25-2007, 12:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bubbagump

I have picked a few other brains on this and the consensus seems to be a third below and a 5th up from the melody.

Not quite. That type of formula cant stay constant. Though simple, there is alot happening. The top harmony compared with the lead has 4ths, major 3rds, minor 3rds, perfect 5ths etc. The low harmony has major 3rds, minor 3rds etc. The phrase starts out, perfect 4th above, minor 3rd below, and takes off from there. They dont stay constant. The chord progression of the track will also influence harmony choice.

Shane

DarkFriend · 08-13-2007, 01:10 PM

Definitely real singers here singing in harmony. Very smooth. You can hear each voice if you listen hard, but they are blended nicely with perfect phrasing.

burak · 08-28-2007, 10:37 PM

Country singing requires moonshine.
Then you'll be laid back and relaxed.
If you go out of pitch, you must serve the listeners moonshine as well

Jim Roseberry · 08-29-2007, 08:53 PM

Common Nashville proceedure is to have a couple of BG singers at a single mic (each singing a different harmony note) and print that to a single track. Now repeat this proceedure two more times. One is panned hard left, one hard right, and the 3rd up the center. So each part is triple-tracked...
Beautiful/full/etc...

Jim Roseberry
www.studiocat.com
jim@studiocat.com

pipelineaudio · 08-29-2007, 09:36 PM

Tune your guitar ukulele style ( My Dog Has Fleas , They Bite [his knees]) and youll have the right harmony

geoff firebaugh · 08-30-2007, 08:46 AM

Country vocal chain

SINGER--->Large Diaphram Condensor mic--->Neve or similar pre---->too much compression------->Autotune----------> mix

add at least 2 to 5 more vocal tracks, including at least a lower 3rd and a higher 5th. run the whole thing through vocalign.

voila. You've just made overprocessed crap.

-g

ps. can you tell I live in nashville?

mr. moon · 09-01-2007, 11:44 AM

One word:

AUTO-selfeditedoutexplatives-TUNE

Sadly, ...well, I don't even know if it's "sad" because I'm not a fan of country music at all, but apparently from reading at a few of the "pro" forums, pretty much most country vox get processed through ottotoone nowadays, whether they need to be or not.

Here's one (of many) good threads over at GS which discuss this:
http://www.gearslutz.com/board/so-mu...autotuned.html

-mr moon