How do I achieve a new wave vocal effect?

[X1Lo]

I have been attempting this for a while, and searching the web(mostly kvr) and haven't quite figured it out.  My recent attempts have been using the factory chorus then the RvV7000.  I've read that tears for fears and others were multi tracking vocals but I would like to be able to capture that sound with fx processing.  Any suggestions or tips, including rack extensions that might prove helpful (like chenille chorus?)? 

[eusti]

Might be easier to figure out if you show us some samples of what you are looking for.

D.

[X1Lo]

Most specifically Shout by Tears For Fears.

There seems to be a watered down version of the vocal processing in Cut Copies songs.

[selig]

I have been attempting this for a while, and searching the web(mostly kvr) and haven't quite figured it out.  My recent attempts have been using the factory chorus then the RvV7000.  I've read that tears for fears and others were multi tracking vocals but I would like to be able to capture that sound with fx processing.  Any suggestions or tips, including rack extensions that might prove helpful (like chenille chorus?)? 

Why not just try Chanille and see for yourself? IMO it's probably going to get you the closest of any of the effects imitating double tracking, but still: ain't nothing like the real thing, baby…

You're not alone - you and just about everyone else "haven't quite figured it out". Folks started trying go figure it out beginning with the Beatles and "ADT" (auto double tracking). The motivation, from what I've read: John and Paul were getting lazy and didn't want to have to sing the song twice.

As far as I'm concerned, the real deal is so easy to do and so unique to each singer (an often overlooked fact) that I have never sought an artificial replacement for this effect. Besides all that, it's free! My personal bottom line: why pay for an inferior version of a superior effect you can get for free?


PS - let us know how Chenille works out!

[Yorick]

I have been attempting this for a while, and searching the web(mostly kvr) and haven't quite figured it out.  My recent attempts have been using the factory chorus then the RvV7000.  I've read that tears for fears and others were multi tracking vocals but I would like to be able to capture that sound with fx processing.  Any suggestions or tips, including rack extensions that might prove helpful (like chenille chorus?)? 

"Shout" is an iconic sound. You're not going to get that with just FX processing. The chorus is the sound of both Roland and Curt singing unison. Roland's more powerful belting tone blending with Curt's airier, softer tone. They've probably double or triple tracked it too to fatten it up.

Really with vocals you can't take short cuts. You have to get good performances. Just double, triple, quintuple track stuff if you need, pan them at different points, and whack some compression and reverb on.

[Yorick]

The Cut Copies lead vocal is the singer double tracked. You can't get that effect with chorus. There's very subtle random differences in pitch and timing between the two, that a chorus or ADT can't replicate. It sounds like there's a bit of ambient doubling, or slap delay on one or both of the vocal takes too, giving the spread. With reverb added to it all of course. The double tracked vocals are both in the center though, not panned.

The backing vocals all sound double tracked to me too.

You just have to put the work in and sing the stuff more than once!

[X1Lo]

Thanks for the response Giles

Why not just try Chanille and see for yourself?

- I did trial Chenille around the time it came out, but sadly, I was not trying to achieve this vocal sound at that time.  On KVR there were suggestions for bucket brigade devices so my mind immediately jumped to Jiggery Pokery products.

As far as I'm concerned, the real deal is so easy to do and so unique to each singer (an often overlooked fact) that I have never sought an artificial replacement for this effect. Besides all that, it's free! My personal bottom line: why pay for an inferior version of a superior effect you can get for free?

- I completely agree with this.  When recording I will record multiple takes of the vocals and layer them.  The reason I want the processing fx chain is so I can capture this effect live. I have several local musicians interested in a live band that utilizes the popular sound of 80's new wave/synthpop, but I need to be able to achieve the multi tracking effect live.  It doesn't have to be the same, just something pleasant and is reminiscent of the 80's sound.

[X1Lo]

The Cut Copies lead vocal is the singer double tracked. You can't get that effect with chorus. There's very subtle random differences in pitch and timing between the two, that a chorus or ADT can't replicate.

- I was afraid that it wasn't possible to recreate that effect with an fx chain :frown:   Thank you though, I'll just have to take a different approach on vocals not based quite as closely as these bands.

[Benedict]

Yup, push your voice down so a Tenor sings as a Baritone (vital for Goth type stuff) and then sing over and over again. When Phil Spector started this as Wall Of Sound in the 60s he had the girls sing each take in a different accent to bring out different timbres in each track for really broad amounts of freqs at once.

There is no short cut at all.

[JiggeryPokery]

Double tracking and chorus are certainly not the same thing.

Chenille Chorus Ensemble is perfect for vocal chorus, since it offers the proper multi-BBD hardware chorus module that no other Reason chorus provides.

Double tracking is a very different technique and is impossible to achieve with an effects device because it is simply two separate recordings (for double tracking, obviously; you can go on and triple track, quad track etc!). You can't just delay the same recording by 30ms and pan it and call it double-tracking; that's a valid effect you can use as well, though, but it isn't double-tracking, that's really form of Haas delay.

Edit: I'd also point out that double-tracking is really just repeating the same performance - the doubling comes from the fact it is never performed precisely the same. Singing different notes, such as singing baritone instead of tenor, is simply a harmonization, so I wouldn't call that double-tracking either, although I suppose some might.