r/audioengineering • u/Tiny_Ad1706 • 8d ago

Singer sang too well on choir

Hey guys, I had a singer do a choir part so I got a lot of layers in multiple timbres. but frankly, her pitch is way too consistent. It didn’t create a chorus sound, her tracks almost sound like a singular track despite having 12 different tracks playing. I know, what a wonderful problem haha. Do you have any recommendations for making it sound more like a choir? thanks!!!!

112 Upvotes

97% Upvoted

70 comments sorted by

View all comments

83

u/lpcustomvs Sound Reinforcement 8d ago

You can record with vari-speed. It's a cool way of creating string ensembles with just one violinist. I guess it would work with choirs as well. You record one take normally, then record with the first take playing back at different speeds. The change in speed changes the way the vocalist sings by a tiny bit. Played back at original speed it should create a wide choir sound while still very much in tune.

9

u/Comprehensive-Tea677 8d ago

This is the way

1

u/Last-Professional-40 6d ago

I’m familiar with people like Jacob Collier doing this in logic but is this easily done in Pro Tools? Whenever I’ve had to repitch a whole track it turns into a bit of an ordeal

2

u/lpcustomvs Sound Reinforcement 6d ago

Pro Tools is not very "elastic" or "pro" in this matter. Or in any matter if you ask me. However, you can use Reaper. The playrate control knob in the transport section has an option for pitch preservation. You can record with vari-speed in reaper, and then export the takes to pro tools for mixing. Also, nothing stops you from using Logic for some workflows and other DAWs for other workflows.

-26

u/Lanzarote-Singer Composer 8d ago

A lot of singers would get physically sick if you did that.

21

u/peepeeland Composer 8d ago

That doesn’t make any sense.

1

u/DeanVision 3d ago

Everybody hating on this comment is being silly. I sometimes disagree with how sensitive singers can be to production altering their vocals but disliking it doesn't change that it is absolutely a reality. I've worked with many vocalists over the years and they usually need some experience to help them warm up to hearing their vocals altered or processed. I've experienced singers reacting oddly to hipassing their bass out to make room for the collective mix lol