Pop Vocal Radio Trick

[@BobbyHuff]

Hey All, I don't endorse Waves or anyone else but this is a killer doubler for this trick and its only about 29.99. Well worth the money. Here is a link. www.waves.com/plugins/doubler?wgsf=1&fo_c=1571&fo_k=e8db5db13bfbe639b97235934e131268&fo_s=gplaau&w_campaign=2000723942&gclid=Cj0KCQjwr-SSBhC9ARIsANhzu17gDmkL-fKckeDBJkZ5aSBXelyZnB8mrHZgig0glxC1kA3_9z9c3VUaAnxBEALw_wcB

[@Lestronica]

Always amazing !

[@nowheretoshower]

Doctor, you can turn off the direct signal by clicking the white square switch on the left.

[@BobbyHuff]

@@nowheretoshower Yes you are correct!

[@shayeasy]

i was looking for a plugin in my library that did this, but think i may just need to get doubler and will use your link. thanks!

[@boimesa8190]

What about the izotope vocal doubler? Is it as good?

[@watchtheskies]

I just tried this on a lead guitar solo, sounds amazing!

[@BobbyHuff]

Great idea!

[@tomw1970]

A new take on the old Eventide H3000 trick. Nicely done.

[@BobbyHuff]

Exactly Tom!!! Good catch.

[@tomw1970]

@@BobbyHuff I like that you showed this technique without mentioning it. I think doing it that way may may give viewers the incentive to try it with plugins they may already have, maybe even a stock plugin without the " it will never stand up to the old outboard gear" aura. I almost didn’t comment for this reason then said " ah screw it" lol.

[@alexanderlyon]

Sounds like a million bucks. Really impressive.

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks Alex!

[@crisrose521]

I would have liked to hear this without the “ 12 “:ratio in there , and this effect thins out the tone a little but it’s definitely a nice trick to experiment with for sure . Thanks 🙏

[@dedballoons]

I totally understand what you're doing here and I've heard it all over the place but goodness do I hate that phasey, hyper-compressed sound. It's certainly rich but it just makes me sad on the inside.

[@CRLFNKL]

I was a bit sceptical at first, but man. This truly is gold. Thank you for sharing! Much appreciated!😁😁

[@jubeijackson6602]

This is beautiful man. The engineering was top notch the vocals were very nice. It all came together very lush and satisfying. Keep doing what you do! Thanks

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanh’s so much Jubei!

[@freez092also]

Banger vocal man!! Real Bruno Mars quality to his voice! Also, little sidebar... if you click the white square to the left in Waves Doubler, it turns the middle/center right off

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks Brad. Yes you are correct! You can also change the + - panning inside the plugin as well.

[@danielmcnamara_]

I just discovered your channel Bobby while trying to figure out how Def Leppard got such insane vocals and now I'm watching the rest of your videos - you are a hidden gem! You are one of the few people I've found that's sharing unique and useful studio techniques - no magical, black-box plugin suggestions. Almost as if all the good info available on Gearspace/Gearslutz got condensed into a video series.Thanks! Have you ever seen Ken Andrews videos? He's pretty good too, maybe you two can collaborate in the future.

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks so much Daniel! No I don’t know his channel but I’ll check it out!

[@RockinSG]

Great tip! I have that plug in. I'm going to try it on a song today. My vocals need all of the help they can get! Thanks BH!

[@kevindietz6470]

This is a great technique! I always use some spread on a lead vocal (SoundToys Microshift) but this is kind of next level. Thanks for sharing!

[@thoughtfulbravado]

So thats how they do that. Sounds like $$$. Cant wait to try out it myself. Thanks Bobby!

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks Bravado!

[@kellywendlandt3940]

Fantastic. That is going in the next mix!

[@blueskky9996]

I've been doing this for years for synth programming. It never occurred to me to use it for vocals. Thnx for the tip!! I will try this on my next mix.

[@curtismech]

Wow...this is an awesome effect. Thanks, Bobby!

[@soundcreation]

Just tried this idea and it was amazing!! Thanks Dr. Bob!

[@BobbyHuff]

Boom!

[@franksmith183]

Hi Mr. Huff, thanks for the quick respone.

[@MattyB3]

GREAT TRICK....LOVE it! Thanks Bobby....

[@hassen6046]

This is what makes your channel amaizing .... that you expose all the secret technics that other engineer Cover for long time .... Keep Going Bro

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks Hassen!

[@HenryMittnacht]

Again a great prescription from our Doc!

[@jimmyfingers95]

This trick has been around for a long time. I remember a setting on the Yamaha SPX90 that I've seen used on live vocals.

[@5T3U3RM4NN]

I've learned so much from your videos. It's like sitting next to a patient and exited musicgenius in a studio. Thanks for sharing you wisdom. Greetings from germany

[@BobbyHuff]

Hey Volker! Thanks so much! Greetings from Nashville.

[@mrmorpheus9707]

Thiz was DIAMOND! I Like the eq n compression on the original..that id like to see

[@NikolajChristensen]

Great tip. You can simplify it by using a send instead (or two) and use the doubler4 version of the plugin.

[@BobbyHuff]

Agreed. I like to have them as Wav files as sometimes I’ll eq, them and compress them differently.

[@NikolajChristensen]

@@BobbyHuff makes sense.

[@NikolajChristensen]

@@BobbyHuff another idea occurred to me. Could be fun to make a big parallel waves studio rack with this. Including comp. and EQ for each parallel doubler.

[@lorenturner3000]

Awesome trick! I'll be trying that soon.

[@earcandystudioug7100]

Very nice. I've always wondered how they get this super rich and creamy vocal... now I know! Thanks Dr Bob

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks Ear Candy!

[@joshuajamesmusic]

All I can say is, DAMN that's a good mix

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks man!

[@mrmorpheus9707]

This has got to be the best tutorial channel on youtube or atleast top 5!

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks man!

[@michaelcottle6270]

Incredible. Simple when you know how. This is the only must-watch youtube music channel I've found - you need one of those gold logos...

[@BobbyHuff]

Thank you Michael!

[@insomnia1on1]

Great that you work in cubase, easy for me to find everything that you show, i work in the same Daw, im a total beginner, well almost anyway. it`s my passion and hobby, just love this stuff

[@toddscotdrumcovers2341]

Ha, I was playing with this before this video but this put it all together for me! ThanksDoc!

[@BobbyHuff]

Great Todd!

[@zazyczech]

How could i forget Waves Vocal doubler :-) Thanks for inspiration.

[@natlove219]

The money shot 🤣

[@RandyWillcox]

That's a great technique! Automating that group on vocals or even other instruments can prove very useful! Thanks for that!

[@lieutenantpepper2734]

oh lord this is more than science,,,, it's straight magic

[@heartshinemusic]

Hey Bobby, I got this trick years ago from Warren Huart's channel. I use a faster shortcut with the 4 doubler version from Waves. I saved 2 pre-sets: one with 3 & 6 setting and one with the 9 & 12 setting. It's tricky when you set it up, alternating the plus and minus values of the detuning, (why didn't you do that in the plug-in from the start?) but after one time setting it up correctly you can always throw your personal saved pre-sets on the track. Or do you have a special reason why you use 4 duplicated tracks instead of two with the 4 doubler?

[@BobbyHuff]

I like to bounce them and get them out of the plugin so that I can add compression, reverb, eq, or Soothe, to certain ones without affecting the others. Nothing wrong just using the plugin! I also like to flip the stereo files rather than switch the + - in the plugin because I always forget which side I did the + - on the previous bounce! Haha

[@tisbonus]

Great trick and even better explanation on how to use it! Good stuff, thanks again Dr. Bob!

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks Tisbonus!

[@javierherredia]

damnit the best parts are always in a different video!!! lol jkjkkjk

[@JilianToree]

I thought they were using a Flanger all this time, ive been using it to try to recreate that sound lol! thanks man!!

[@Thombrawley1]

Thanks so much. Also, Incredible song and singer.

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks Thom!

[@fdre3wsd]

thanks Dr. Bob

[@andrewkigen]

Thankyou for the tip. I'm off to my DAW...

[@caseyhayes2004]

Whew! Smoking video!! Trying it tonight on vocals! Your mix sounds fantastic!

[@michaelnc4450]

Wow… good stuff! Thanks for another great post!

[@JohnSmithiuyytw]

Nice!

[@graemenelson7956]

Fantastic info Great video. Just one question, why is lead vocal in stereo.

[@thaddeusodonnell3986]

Im so gonna hold this trick over my buddies who mix heads and just be like "yea man I just added a stock chorus on it." At least the first time haha. Very cool stuff, thinking like a synth programmer. I really just dig the idea of putting 4 stereo tracks of the main theme in too... But this could really make any main theme that's smooth and lush exponentially better!

[@BobbyHuff]

DO IT THANDDEUS!

[@heatnationwpb]

Invaluable info man. Thanks so much!

[@marklarm]

Bobbyyyyy! Sweet technique man thx for sharing. FYI i've been using this technique for a few years now on my guitar lines that i stack to sound like chords. It REALLY sounds huge and spacious. Try it! Kudos Bobby!

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks Funk!

[@whytezebra2312]

Amazing. Question. What made the chorus effect go away from the waves doubler that made it sound better. Was it the stereo flip?

[@huskendriller5341]

Never knew thank you

[@gforce7four]

Great video and great song I must say.

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks!

[@mikep6967]

Always good tips. Thanks man. I’ll try to get to that lounge

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks Michael!

[@davidhayman9330]

Thanks Doc, thats a very simple but cool effect! It reminds me a bit now of the Def Leppard trick you showed on BV's some time back, I might have to revisit that and compare with this...

[@chickencreekproductions]

Thank you ever so much mr doctor Bob. This made a huge difference, just the trick I needed! Have a great day. Cheers //Wince

[@DarrellSt.Blaine]

My approach for this sort of effect is to set up 2 fx sends; one with Sound Toys Microsoft, the other with Eventide Quadrashift. I like the different tonal variations between them. Sometimes I'll use a Dimension D plugin as well. EQ each send to taste and mix into the main track.

[@BobbyHuff]

Those are all excellent!!

[@mixbygygyondbeat1295]

This is so superb 🔥 🔥 am definitely incorporating this on my next mix. Thanks, Bob u are a blessing. Merry Christmas

[@bigkidband911]

Good Stuff!

[@djerikfox]

..omg, this song is soo good...regards

[@ARFullerMusic1]

Very Nice!! Love It!!

[@andrewbello983]

That was really good stuff brother. Great smart mixing! I wont call it a trick because it was skillfully done by design!

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks Andrew!

[@rmdoHiFi]

Really cool trick. Could you achieve the same effect with two Doubler4s on a bus and sending in the original vox?

[@BobbyHuff]

Yes but often I’ll compress and eq each one differently so I like them as audio files.

[@rmdoHiFi]

@@BobbyHuff Yep, makes sense. Great tutorial video. Thank you!

[@awkwardfellow6912]

Good video man,might try it

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks

[@bluematrix5001]

Bobby I love your lead vocal sound here, any video where you explain that technique and process? thanks!

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks! For recording …Neve mic pre, SM7 mic. For mixing it’s usually the Waves Deesser, Fab Filter eq, 1176, Fab Filter eq again, Soothe, and then the Waves R Vox or MV2. Fx are usually Sountoys Microshift, H Delay, Galaxy Tape Slap, Slate reverb.

[@bluematrix5001]

@@BobbyHuff thanks bobby

[@pvalenti]

Reaper comes with ReaPitch that is able to do this. In fact, it allows you to add as many adjustments as you want and pan each individual one however you like. In fact, this has me wondering how this might work as an FX buss....hmmm. I have an FX buss where I normally have a slap delay, but I don't always want or need it on a vocal. This could replace that, and I can swap the panning in ReaPitch and save the whole thing as a preset... You know I've gotta try it now! Thanks Bob. When my wife asks WTF I'm doing I'm going to blame YOU! lol

[@BobbyHuff]

Hahaha! Great. Please don’t get me in wife trouble. That’s the worst kind!

[@fiddlefolk]

Man, that sounds so good. Reminds me of my Yamaha SPX 90 pitch change C patch where I would pitch up 9 & pitch down 9 ...I did this on guitar but I bet it would work on vocals.

[@BobbyHuff]

Spx 90 was killer!! Still is. They need to make a plugin version!!!

[@fiddlefolk]

@@BobbyHuff I am surprised they haven't ... symphonic and pitch change C are my favorites. Thank you Bobby

[@BobbyHuff]

@@fiddlefolk agreed! Yamaha owns Steinberg…it should be easy for them.

[@BeGoodNow5]

Amazing info thanks

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks!

[@faderhead]

This is one of the few vocal tricks that I don't like, because to my ears it sounds more like warbling tuning artefacts than "lushness". But then again, modern pop music has a lot of vocals that sound exactly like that :) By the way: it may be quite a bit faster in Cubase to do the same thing like this: 1) duplicate the lead vocal 6 times, 2) pan those 6 channels L/R 3) pitch shift each one up and down with the "Fine Tune" button at the top of the arrangement window. Unless of course Waves Doubler does other secret things under the hood :)

[@BobbyHuff]

Yes you could do that as well. There is a chorus rate and a delay rate that I really like to the plugin that adds an extra depth.

[@VEXUS920]

I’m not certain which version of Cubase you’re using but you don’t have to bounce the tracks you can just convert them to real copies or change a setting In preferences that makes that happen automatically. Just a workflow hack.

[@javierherredia]

Awesome Bob! How would you incorporate two Lead Vocal Lines that are singing duet together the whole time, would you give each vocal line their own 4 tracks for Doubler, i assume seperating them would allow for individual control over panning, thanks again!

[@BobbyHuff]

Correct Remedy!

[@madmuso5]

So did you create the stereo duplicates by initially bouncing the original mono vocal track as a stereo file?

[@llice]

amazing *-*

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks !

[@Naindurth]

nice trick, thank you!

[@DJayFreeDoo]

I learnt about this trick a few years ago and i get it done in studio one using the channel settings so i dont need to add any plugins. i rarely use this though as i like the lead vocals to sound dead center and then mess around with harmonies instead. But sure there are songs where this trick is exactly what is needed.

[@MrTonyPruden]

What channel settings in Studio One?

[@DJayFreeDoo]

@@MrTonyPruden press "i" in the top left

[@taytaytazermusic2539]

sounds great. didn't really need the first 8 mins though hahah

[@joeycovington4681]

Hey Bobby, quick question... When you make each track their one file are you rendering in place?

[@JaviBello]

Nice trick! Didnt knew this one, Ill give it a try, sound amazing! Thanks Bob! I often use Audio Damage's "Discord" plugin, an eventide-ish effect, but this trick goes further!

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks as always Jav!

[@natlove219]

But.... why not run this live as a plug-in? Still group it all and chuck it in a folder etc.. what happens when there’s last minute changes to the vocal and you need to bounce and render all over again?

[@BobbyHuff]

Yes you could. Great question. I don’t do this until late in the mix when I know I have no more changes in the vocal. I like to bounce it out to wave files because sometimes I’ll use different eq, compression, or even add a bit of reverb to specific bands.

[@bobbyweezer]

Great vid, thanks! What's the song? I love it. (and also what's the DAW?) Thx

[@steviesfv7782]

If your source wasn't recorded on a great mic, SPL's Iron from Plugin-Alliance does wonders. Just go to the pre-set "Vocal-One" at the bottom of the list.

[@thetrufflegouda]

the eventide h910 has some great vocal doubler/thickener presets and tricks to be used here as well

[@BobbyHuff]

Agreed Zach!

[@bryancolevox]

Fantastic video! Those are money vocals for sure. On a side note.. Is that the vocalist for Seaforth? Sounds familiar . Happy Easter!

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks Bryan! No it’s not.

[@rvggedroses]

He sounds great… reminds me of lucky daye just a tad

[@BreyerWhite]

holy shit this is gold!!!

[@addrockride]

What did the vocals do to preprocess? I hear some auto tune and maybe some saturation. Isn’t this also important to be aware of? Sounds amazing though.

[@BobbyHuff]

Yes the vocal is tuned and some deessing, eq, and compression. Most singers I work with under 40 years old want the sound of the tuning on their voice audible now. Some just want light tuning but most want that sound. 2022 pop music!

[@anthonyschultz6801]

HOLY SHIT!!! THANK YOU SOOOOOO MUCH!!!!💥💥💥🤘🤘🤘

[@dannybrymer6630]

Hey love your channel and it has helped a lot of my mixes! Do the different pitches in those tracks help prevent phasing issues since they are all the same track and not nudged any timewise?

[@LewisGale]

Great trick!

[@dyonissiszoes3747]

To me it sounded a lot better without the effects 😅. (That singer is amazing)

[@shayeasy]

that is one sexy effect

[@rome8180]

This was a lot more complicated than it needed to be. I don't understand why you needed all those bouncing steps in the beginning. Just copy your track four times. Also, instead of stereo-flipping at the end, why not just do it in the plugin when you're inputting the amount you want each side sharp and flat?

[@KevenDeezel]

This Dude is awesome 😎 !!!

[@michaelparson-mcnamara782]

Super! Is there some reason you can't flip the pluses and minuses within Waves Doubler? I've had that for a while but am ready to go do this with it! You've reminded me that I'm glad I bought it.

[@ARFullerMusic1]

That's my same question. Seems like flipping the plus/minus within waves on every other one would eliminate the need for the stereo flip step. Unless I'm missing something. This is a wonderful trick though. Love it.

[@BobbyHuff]

Yes you can flip them inside the plug! I always forget what plus and negative I did last and screw it up so I just flip them afterwards! Haha

[@michaelparson-mcnamara782]

@@BobbyHuff HA I have a few of those habits! LOL

[@diamondfieldmusic]

I usually go for the SoundToys Microshift to get this type of sound but I'm definitely keen to try this too. PS: Great vocal sound overall. Is the spider in Bille's mouth in the thumbnail referring to that modern vocal sound where every singer sounds like they're chewing gum while singing (or a spider in this case lol)?

[@BobbyHuff]

Microshift is excellent too! A bit different than this but very useful.

[@sirkayda7205]

Thank you👍

[@mnman2oo7]

Do you encounter phase issues? Do you offset the track to prevent that?

[@DanBires]

I would still rather sing 4 doubles. Maybe change the time on a couple of them so you don't get phasing.

[@BobbyHuff]

Great trick as well Dan but different sound altogether.

[@monoideal3592]

Is there any other doubler which works?

[@shayeasy]

instead of having to stereo flip two of the tracks, you can also just tune the left side up and right side down in Doubler on those same tracks, right?

[@BobbyHuff]

Yes that is correct. I always forget which + - I did on the previous bounce so I do them all the same and just stereo flip every other one in the end. HAHA.