The Greatest Mutt Lange Vocal Trick

[@MichaelStrick9]

Here we are 36 years later still dissecting Hysteria, still asking questions about the production, still wondering how they got certain sounds and how they accomplished certain techniques, still discovering buried secrets. Keep in mind computers were in their infancy at the time, with Mutt and band literally having to invent the necessary technology and gear to get the sounds they heard in their heads. Hysteria has to be the greatest mainstream record ever made. Anyone less than Mutt driving the band to get the most out of them, and this would not have worked.

[@BobbyHuff]

Totally agreed Michael.

[@dvdrtrgn]

I loved Pyromania and really anticipated the next album. When it came out, I felt like Def Leppard was ruined.

[@monkface]

And it turned out that Baby did indeed, walk that way.

[@mrock828]

What Mutt Lange did with Def Leppard tracks is nothing less than lconically biblical! Words can't even describe it!

[@BobbyHuff]

Agreed Michael. Unmatched..

[@amonchhetri1053]

genius stuff.

[@BobbyHuff]

@@amonchhetri1053 thanks Amon!

[@lolly_bread]

Yeh his treatment on Hysteria made it so unique and one of the most listenable albums during that late 80's period.

[@NoahNCopeland]

additional tip, I try to avoid articulating hard consonants in my whisper tracks, like K's, T's, P's. I just focus mostly on the vowel sounds, and I find that it makes it cleaner, and prevents mouthy saliva clicks from creeping in.

[@BobbyHuff]

Great point Noah. I have a similar video about this coming up.

[@TheChadTI]

Makes a big difference man, that's a good point.

[@kelainefes]

I normally use Spiff to take care of harsh consonants and mouth clicks when I mix whisper tracks. But yes, if the vocalist can perform them cleanly for me, that's great.

[@Yashuryabetcha]

Smart.

[@whatwouldhousedo5136]

Riders On The Storm has the entire vocal doubled with a whisper.

[@JeffRyan_88keys]

That's awesome. I've heard that in so many of Def Leppard's tracks and never knew how they were getting that effect. Makes perfect sense now. It blends so well. It truly sounds like a crowd singing along with the chorus. Who knew? Thank you!

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks Jeff!!

[@chrisnicholas824]

Keep the Mutt Lange production tricks coming. Outstanding content!

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks Chris!

[@BenEller]

This is awesome, totally trying this!!! Thanks man.

[@BobbyHuff]

Do it Ben!!!!

[@robertbordevik5072]

Yes!!!

[@kcb5336]

Uncle Ben!

[@martinkuliza]

Ok, i am so staying up all night :P

[@jessemichaels2818]

Don't do it. You'll get sued. He has a patent on that, lol (kidding)

[@claudefrollono1]

Mutt Lange is one of the music industry celebs I admire most. It's not just his simply crazy discography list but also his lifestyle, diligence and wisdom. And, of course, the fact that he was married to Shania Twain.

[@jasonlieberman4606]

Bro you look like you time traveled here from the 80s Manchester indie scene. Blink 3 times if I'm right.

[@lassel1644]

Mutt is one of the all time greats

[@WearyWatcher]

then he cheated on her with her best friend, what a guy

[@machupikachu1085]

@@WearyWatcher way to take all of his accomplishments and immolate them by mentioning a mistake he made. I hope you don't have anything you've done wrong. Wouldn't want you to become invalidated.

[@danielnugent7046]

This makes me realize why a lot of small time metal bands, with great producers, can't quite pull off their vocals live.

[@dsholt]

This was revelatory. I always wonder how they got the Def Leppard vocals to sound like that.

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks Dan!

[@blujazz10000]

The first "whisper vocal" I can remember hearing was "Riders on The Storm" by The Doors. It was quite mesmerizing to hear it in such an epic track. Thanks for the great video, I appreciate how you broke down how to create this effect!😀

[@XcarnationCenkEroglu]

Actually it's the whitenoize effect and you do not need to whisper into new channels.. what u already have is enough.. mix down every 8 track with the same voicing into 2 tracks and use a vocoder which can turn your vocal signal into whitenoize (it sounds exactly like a whisper) back in the day I was using an old plugin for this OpCode Fusion VOCODE.. now Izotope vocal synth does the job.. after that use a slight panner too.. panman soundtoys is good for that..

[@mikebinder745]

I've noticed in addition to me it sounds like the low octave vocal was tracked with the tape running at slightly higher speed. The impacting result comes when the tape is played back at normal speed the low harmony has slower slurred(for lack of a better term) harmonic effect. Cool video

[@AliensWanted]

Mutt Lange had Phil Collen play single notes in a chord and layered them together instead of single chords in some sections. The clarity of the chord is insane.

[@AljonGo]

And the crowd goes wild.... *whisper vocals intensifies!!!*

[@BobbyHuff]

Hahaha

[@iamjarrettdean9358]

Dude thats CRAZY how much that sounds like Def Leppard backing vox. Mutt is the man! Nice going!

[@CaptainCraigKWMRZ]

Glad you are bringing this back. I was doing this on my tascam in the 80s. Didn't know it was a secret. Next thing, you will be slowing down the recording to half speed and recording vocals....

[@stilwel]

John Mayer used this technique a lot on his debut album. Listen to “83” for example.

[@luisvillarreal5262]

Wow. Mutt Lang is a Genius. You did a terrific job on this demo too. The whisper vocals give it that extra large crowd join sound, or how ever you want to call it. Awesome. Thanks for this revealing info. "Hey guys, I'm gonna get rich from KZbin." Said no one ever. Oh, wait, Didn't Bobby Huff say that? I think he did. LOL

[@BobbyHuff]

Haha! Thanks Luis.

[@incrementaldoom739]

That intense whisper does give the multitracked vocal the raspy, menacing edge so distinctive of Pyromania, Hysteria, Waking Up The Neighbours. You've cracked Mutt's code! Brilliant lesson on texturing!

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks man! Mutt had some incredible approaches and techniques!

[@miccullen]

Mutt Lange is a musical GENIUS.

[@BobbyHuff]

No doubt..

[@ALTERNATIVEMIXTAPES]

I have always been obsessed with Mutts sound especially in how he did Def Leppard’s vocals. He gave them their signature sound. Thx for sharing.

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks man!! Agreed!!

[@johnhutchison9782]

Pete Willis gave Leppard their signature sound, but they cut him loose. They never recovered.

[@IRIDEHARLEYS]

@@johnhutchison9782 Never recovered? Really???? That's why they were selling millions of albums after Willis left and had countless hits when they hired Mutt Lange to produce 4 of their albums. Lange is the one who largely gave the band their signature sound. Willis was a drunk who was fired for being drunk far too many times and been warned repeatedly over a two year period. Phil Collen took over in place of Willis and the band has been a success and still recording in the studio and touring pretty much ever since. Tell me again how they never recovered. Lol

[@j_freed]

@@IRIDEHARLEYS - it means DL never were the same creatively. Willis wrote and played on a lot of their last really good album Pyromania. He together with the others brought a vibe and magic to the band quite irrespective of his drinking. That vibe and magic was absent after. And an autotuned duck can sell albums, so I really don’t care how big Hysteria or later albums were. I respect the later work fine as an engineer but don’t listen to it as a music fan.

[@operasinger2126]

@@j_freed Def's first three albums!

[@scottyelstromm881]

That’s a great technic. I feel like the whispers were mixed a little too hot in this example. Also back off the mic more when recording them to give it some natural space.idk about using reverse verb on the whispers. Those might sound better not swishing around. Whatever, I appreciate your studies of the awesome Mutt approaches. ✌🏼

[@kelainefes]

In my experience If I want to have the whisper tracks that high I have to heavily EQ them so that the normal vocals mask them. Normally that means removing a lot of low end and midrange up to about 3/4kHz with broad bells and low shelves, and boosting the top end without bringing up a creepy harsh tone. In Bobby's defence, the only instruments apart from the vocals were drums so it was going to be very hard to use the whispers to add something to the sound while being "invisible".

[@DavidDiMuzio]

Awesome tip. I’ve tried similar “breathy” things to get that Def Lep BGV sound, but never quite the way you demo here. Totally gonna try it 😁

[@BobbyHuff]

Thx David! Go for it man!!!

[@bryang9290]

Very cool! Comes right at a time when I was wondering how I could get good chorus vocals from just me. This is the sound I was looking for.

[@BobbyHuff]

That’s great Bryan! Do it!

[@zinghao131]

That's amazing. Thank you! A friend told me to record whispers on top of the vox "like Prince used to do". Following that "sound" advice (pun intended) we recorded literal tiny teeny whispers and it sounded like poo together! But that's more like it! Sure enough, Trent Reznor has used that same trick too!

[@rawknrolloutlaw]

Wow, what a difference that whisper vocal makes. Great tip, thanks for sharing, I will be trying this.

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks Rawk!!

[@rawknrolloutlaw]

@@BobbyHuff You are welcome brother.

[@kellendustries]

Great video. If you've never seen the scene in the movie "Hysteria - The Def Leppard Story" where Mutt (played spectacularly by Anthony Michael Hall) is riding Joe Elliot to stack vocals on "Bringin' on the Heartbreak" you really need to - it'll blow your mind! Pure cinematic platinum! It's around 26 minutes in. \m/

[@BobbyHuff]

I’ll check it out Mark!

[@beachpal]

Can you upload it on YT?

[@kevinrosner8676]

This is a great vid. Most people don’t know how much layering, mixing and mastering affects the final product.

[@andivax]

Thank you, Bobby! Yesterday I've tried this technique and it actually works pretty well!

[@nikonlinevids]

U Da Man Bobby! What a great tip. I've been a big Mutt fan for decades and you know how to explain all his magical tricks. Keep 'em coming! Thanks a bunch!

[@operasinger2126]

Thanks, Bobby! Heaven has a spot for you.

[@jonmorris9645]

Wow. What a difference. I never heard this before. Thanks for sharing.

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks Jon!

[@scottyboiLP]

It took me a while to actually figure out where Mutt was using this trick in the DL catalogue, but the answer was right in front of me the entire time. The most widespread use of the whisper vocal is on Love and Affection from the Hysteria album. It even sounds like he’s using a low-note whisper too.

[@shanewalshfans]

Dude! So good of you to share this! Great video!

[@bradzillarocks]

I remember hearing about this years ago so it's cool to hear it in action.

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks Brad

[@jasonmcmillan4373]

I was ten years old when I bought Hysteria. It was not just my first Def Leppard album, it was the first album I ever got. I was amazed at the sound of the backing vocals, and I really did just think that the guys backing the lead singer just sounded like this when harmonising, I had no other explanation. I guess I was only ten and knew nothing of effects and such. It was years later before I heard 'Thought I'd Died and Gone To Heaven' by Bryan Adams and I immediately thought how cool it was that members of Def Leppard had done backing vocals for Brian! :) I found that this wasn't the case many years later again (birth of the internet actually made such research a possibility) but I could never ever find out why these vocals sounded so alike and what trickery was at work. So imagine the satisfaction here in me tonight, some 35 years after first hearing Hysteria, at finally learning the secret to those amazing vocals thanks to a random KZbin recommendation finally coming my way and ending the mystery. Thank you so much for this video!

[@1UPFKARR]

Grew up on Hysteria too and I had similar realizations listening to Shania Twain later in life. "Wow, why does this sound like Def Leppard??" Then I learned about Mutt Lange later. Probably the only producer I can identify instantly if I hear one of his tracks. "hmmm, I bet this was produced by Mutt Lange..." sure enough, usually correct.

[@JimmyG773]

Was my first album too! I was 13. I couldnt believe how good the guitar sounded. I thought the vocals were just how queen does it. Part of the reason i started playing guitar. Still learning god knows how many years later!

[@guitardave]

What an awesome channel this is. Thanks so much for doing these videos Dr Bob!

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks so much Dave!

[@shivasix9136]

UN-FRIGGING believable!!! Thanks for putting it out there!!

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks Shiva.

[@TheAquabears]

Try putting the whisper vocal through a highpass filter to cut some of the lows out of it. You can use the filter to tune it a bit to better suit the tonality of your mix.

[@BobbyHuff]

Great tip!

[@trillrifaxegrindor4411]

man,this channel needs to blow up...awesomeness

[@BobbyHuff]

Wow thanks so much trilriff! So kind!

[@danielmcnamara_]

this is dope. demystifying those sick def leppard vocals sounds

[@timothygilman3010]

Dr.Bob excellent tutorial. Just found your site today. Very pleased with the way this came out.

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks so much Timothy!!

[@guillermodelnoche]

Your videos are an insta-like. Killer trick! I learn a ton from your videos. I appreciate the knowledge!

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks for the kindness Guillermo!!!

[@kayokk-]

Finally, a sought after insight. Thank you.

[@JamesOKeefe-US]

Brilliant as always! I love how the British accent comes out in the lower octave 😂 So good! 👍 🤘

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks James!

[@colinm3130]

The biggest trick to background vocals in Mutts production was Mutt singing. He would also do a trick where they would not decode some of the tracks which were recorded with Dolby. The unencoded Dolby tracks sound very bright and whispery.

[@BobbyHuff]

Yes there is a great plugin that replicates this called Type A.

[@magneto7930]

I've done quite a few things with whispering, including taking the pitch down an octave, and/or overdubbing several tracks of it, etc. Adding effects to whispering is when it really gets fun. You can hear it on Riders on the Storm by The Doors.

[@BobbyHuff]

Very cool Magneto!

[@gioruo8995]

C'mon baby, walk this way

[@80zam90]

Very well executed! Thanks for making this.

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks! Appreciate the kindness!

[@FowlkesFamilyReunion]

The main thing I noticed was the greatly enhanced presence and intelligibility the whisper tracks gave to the mix.

[@Nate_Higgins]

Man, I really don't like the sound of Def Leppard, but I'm definitely going to try this trick in some places. Thanks for the tip.

[@HewittH]

Great advice, great demonstration, and a good laugh with the "wrong script" joke near the end.

[@BobbyHuff]

Haha. Thanks Hewitt!

[@michaelkeene5950]

I too have used this technique on vocals and this is just semantics really, but what I am looking to achieve and what I hear in the original Def Leppard vocals and in your vocal performance is what I call the arena rock effect. It makes it sound like it’s 1985 and you’re listening to a Live at Buddakan (or more appropriately an English speaking country) and the crowd is singing along, but there’s so many of them that their voices are a haze of white-pinkish noise added to the vocals.

[@BobbyHuff]

Lots of overdubs and stacking, short and long reverb, rolling off bottom end, chorusing fx, adding top end. Try those.

[@martinrochefort5476]

Awesome. I always noticed the BGV on Def Leopard and wondered how this was done. Thanks.

[@ferbiehancockproject]

I've done this for years when laying down ideas late at night, and never got rid of them because they fit so well in the mix...glad to eventually see that this is legit 😝

[@JariSchroderus]

I came across this technique in the most unlikely place: Billy Ocean’s When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going. It’s near the end during the call and answer section near the end of the song. For a second I thought I spotted Joe Elliot’s voice, but I’m guessing it’s actually Mutt Lange. He’s credited as one of the composers of the song.

[@copykon]

Bobby, you could do a series on nothing but Mutt Lange tricks! you are amazing

[@arthurgorman]

Always cool to find new vocal recording tricks. 👽

[@regardinghenry2145]

So cool! Gives it an instant "crowd" vocal flavour!

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks Henry!

[@davebops2478]

That's brilliant - I've got to try that! Thanks Doc 😆

[@Afurthyclays]

I especially like the advice at the end! Thanks.

[@warmoth68]

Great vid..Mutt Lange was the George Martin of the 80’s..A true genius!

[@mc12358]

So many great producers from 80s... Terry Brown, Fleming Rasmussen, Neil Dorfsman, Hugh Padgham, just off the top of my head.

[@metaversemusician106]

Very creative and clever Bobby. The Dr. Theme and ending are very well thought out ideas. I enjoyed the video and you really sound like Joe Elliott on those tracks. Keep up the good work and best wishes to you in your KZbin journey!

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks so much Davey I appreciate ur support!!

[@SevenStarsRecordsOfficial]

Cmon baby walk this way!

[@JamesStaubes]

Great tip. Adds so much to the vocals.

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks James

[@ncironhorse8367]

The perfume commercial at the beginning was a blast from the past

[@Nate28TV]

Wow. Fascinated. Going through this rexording process eight now and this is exactly what I will use to record. And I do Hip Hop music. Music is so beautiful.

[@koryjames8361]

That was a great demo/explanation. This guy's channel can teach anyone a lot.

[@BobbyHuff]

Thank u Kory!

[@theoliverhellexperience2461]

ive tried something similar, i never thought of tracking the whisper more than once, great vid!

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks Oliver

[@rockalliance8815]

That's pretty amazing, great trick! Thanks for sharing this info..

[@RockinSG]

Sounds awesome and adds so much. Great tip, Thanks Doc!

[@TheDaveDodsonProject]

Tried this on one of my songs and it worked like a charm! It's has a very AC/DC style backing vocal part.

[@BobbyHuff]

great!!!!!!!!

[@ClifHaley]

Damn that is a cool trick. Never would have guessed.

[@humblehombre9904]

Thanks Doc! You have answered some questions that I’ve had since Pyromania and Hysteria! Dude, this is just fantastic. Nice work, and great description.

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks my friend..

[@jonathonchoy220]

Mutt Lange had the killer sounds going thanks for exposing/explaining how these were achieved! How much does this differ for the AC/DC work would you mind covering that in future videos?

[@miso6835]

the "kill my baby go subway" bar was fire dr bob, u got my respect

[@mccloysong]

One more technique and texture to keep in the arsenal for whenever it may be worth trying. Thanks.

[@BobbyHuff]

Yes!!

[@DavesGuitarChannel]

Daniel Lanois used this technique on So for Peter Gabriel. You can hear clear as day on Mercy Street. Pierre Marchand used it as well.

[@tjborekvideo]

I've noticed in recent years that CCM ballads (Chris Tomlin and Matt Redman, for example) have unnaturally breathy vocals. I assumed the sound came from a super-crisp mic and adding "air" to the track with EQ, but in the back of my mind I suspected something like this is happening. Thanks for the reveal!

[@BobbyHuff]

Could be…???

[@KoriTV]

Awesome video. Love that you performed it on camera

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks!!

[@Oelrock_dk]

Tha tha tha thaaaanx heaps for that advice, I’m gonna use that technic in my songs 👍😁 subbed n liked 👍

[@TheChadTI]

Damn this guy is a good singer, consistent as hell.

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks Chad!!

[@ChickenatorJr]

Yes! But it was also clever that he seemed to be varying each take slightly on purpose I think to widen out the sound of all the layers once put together

[@BobbyHuff]

@@ChickenatorJr super great comment my friend!! You caught me!

[@treycallaway7467]

This was really cool to watch. Thanks.

[@kaseymorris8885]

You left out the "HEY! HEY!" I always thought there was some magic to those vocals. Thank for the YUGE TIP!!!

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks Kasey!

[@garyballard723]

Great job. Thanks for showing.

[@drjpica]

Great anecdote at the end.

[@neolyth]

doctor bob killin' it again

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks for watching Neo!

[@briandipierro8865]

Oh my god. I have to try this. It makes them sound way meaner, harsher. I love it.

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks Brian!

[@MrRick693]

Holy shit. I've spent a good part of my life wondering how they did that!

[@richpernsky1670]

I had read years ago that it was the way they were EQ’d, but this seems like it would work as well!

[@freez092also]

Man thats amazing... it creates an appearance of sheen and airyness!

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks Brad!

[@blessedheavyelements8544]

Interesting. Thank you very much. Best Regards and Best Wishes!

[@Dgarig665]

Thanks. I'll be using this.

[@craigcolleymakingmusic]

Awesome technique and very well done video. Thank you!

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks Craig!!

[@msh6865]

I've always thought that Def Leppard sounded far too over-produced after Pyromania. This video really explains how it was done. Not saying it isn't effective. Obviously it worked. But, the layers and layers plus tons of compression make the final product sound far too artificial to my ears. JMO.

[@danielnugent7046]

Artificial was in vogue in those days. Over the top, is really what I'm trying to say.

[@bwdrums1]

I agree completely, and I would include Pyromania. They produced some very catchy songs but I always thought their sound was way too polished and sterile. I love the loyalty that they showed to Rick Allen but, call me a prick, I couldn't stand the one arm drummer bit. His electronic, trigger and sample based kit just added to the soul-less slickness to their music.

[@ronr7905]

Hysteria was doubly over produced. It's too much.

[@MKmarcos97]

Agreed. For me Pyromania was the perfect balance between "organic" and well produced, but what came after was just too much to handle. Hysteria to me Is kinda annoying sometimes, like really fucking annoying.

[@LucasHaneman]

Never thought of this, but I really dig it!

[@acebrockton1828]

Badass! I've never layered my vocals, outside of harmonies. I wanna do a song like this lol

[@CaptainCraigKWMRZ]

Then try panning them hard left and right.

[@bryancolevox]

BRILLIANT!!!!! *Yes, I'm shouting LOL!) Thanks for sharing brother!

[@BobbyHuff]

Thanks Bryan!