How to Make Wider Vocals

Integrating vocal lines into a mix can be pretty tricky, especially if you're aiming for vocals that sit on top of the mix and are clearly heard by the listener. This tutorial will specifically focus on how to make wider vocals that don't muddy up the mix.

As usual, we'll begin by listening to the short sequence created in our SoundBridge: DAW, which contains most of the entire mix's elements, including the central vocal arrangement.

~Full Mix - Vocal (Unprocessed)

How to Make Wider Vocals Using Vocal Doubles

As said in the introduction, I will demonstrate how to make your vocals sound wider and more professional. Using vocal doubles is one method for accomplishing this. A vocal double is when a performer records the same section of vocals multiple times. The producer then layers and pans the recordings together. However, you only have one vocal take (recording) to deal with in this case. So, I will show you how to make your vocal doubles when you don't have access to multiple recordings of the same vocal.

Let's begin with our main (and only) vocal take solo, which I have already processed with a touch of reverb.

~Main Vocal - Solo

Create Duplicates of Your Main Vocals

We would duplicate our main vocal for the first step in this process. Then, we will place it on two new channels beneath the original. In addition, I would pan the newly created vocal copies to the left and right.

If I kept the duplicated vocal channels like this, I'd have significant phasing issues. This is because we'd have multiple instances of the same audio file playing simultaneously. I'd like to make a few changes to the duplicated vocals. The vocals' pitch, timing, and formant should be changed for a good-sounding vocal double. The main vocal layer will remain unchanged, but I will apply processing to the other two.

Altering Vocal Formants to Make Wider Vocals

To make these changes, I will utilize the Melodyne by Celebration. Other alternatives can get you similar results, so feel free to explore. I will start by transferring the vocal sequence into Melodyne by adding a new Melodyne instance on the first vocal layer. The picture below shows how the vocal waveform looks after I moved it to Melodyne. I will select the whole transferred vocal and go to the edit setting in the top left part of the Melodyne interface, where I will look for the "Add Random Deviations" option. On the right of this option, you can choose the parameter to which those random deviations will be applied. There are two main options: pitch and timing, with depth from subtle to moderate.

I chose the moderate options for changing the pitch and timing of the first vocal layer, resulting in a slight change in the original vocal's contrast. I will also change the second vocal's formant with the formant shift option from the top menu. In this case, I'll lower the formant slightly, and you can notice the formant values represented by these small blocks beneath the vocal waveform.

~Vocal Double 1 -  Solo (Processed)

Alter the Pitch and Timing of The Duplicate Vocal Takes to Make Them Into Vocal Doubles

I'll repeat the process for the third vocal layer, which we panned hard to the right. In this case, because I again want a different pitch, timing, and formant variation, I'll choose a slight pitch and timing random deviation, and this time, I'll shift the vocal's formant up.

~Vocal Double 2 -  Solo (Processed)

~Main Vocal + Doubles - Solo (Processed)

~Full Mix - Vocal (Processed)

If you liked this article on vocal processing, here are some more on the same subject:

• Use Vocals to Create a Buildup

• Make Your Vocals Sound Unique

• Apply Volume Automation to Your Vocals

• How to Use an EQ on Your Vocals