Record and Mix Group Vocals

[chayag1234]

I have 3-4 vocalists and want my entire song to sound like a really full choir.
How can I record and mix that using 3-4 vocalists?

[albee1952]

In simple terms, its called "stacking". Put up 9-12 tracks(to start) and have everyone sing their parts 3 times would be a good start. Or, if they are all singing together one 1 mic, keep the 12 tracks and do 3-4 passes, then move the singers around and swap to a different mic until you fill all the tracks.

Lather, rinse, repeat until it gives the desired sound. Yes, its a lot of passes, but there is no "fakery" that will deliver the sound you are looking for. Spread everything out with the PAN controls and add a touch of reverb(experiment with adding some early reflections but go easy).

If you want to try adding delay too, that can get really messy so roll off top and bottom on the delay effect and keep it very subtle(I would bring it up till you notice it, then back it down 3db). Sending the delay to the reverb will help soften it a bit, but don't expect the delay to be a substitute for lots of tracks. If you have SoundToys L'il Alterboy, use that on a few tracks to alter the tone(Melodyne or AutoTune can also do this).

[chayag1234]

Thanks! What about Eq? and how would you pan out these tracks?

[albee1952]

For EQ, it depends on what it sounds like(how well was it recorded?), what I want it to sound like(Mormon Tabernacle or Bohemian Rhapsody?), and what the voices are competing with(other instruments?). My only rules are:
1-I usually dip a little around 350-400(but this is to leave space for a lead vocal which you may not have)
2-I hi-pass to keep the low end clean
3-dip any buildup frequencies(if any exist)

As for pan, there are no rules(even my EQ rule is not a rule). You might want all male voices on one side and female on the other. You might want everything kept tight. You might want to experiment(highly recommended). For me, I tend to pan things so every part has its duplicate panned the other way. This is a great excuse to try everything and fine out what works best for your particular project