Tips for Mixing Back Vocals
Introduction
Backing vocals are much more than just a few extra voices in a song. Their role in an arrangement is unique and quite specific. Especially in songs with complex harmonies, backing vocals add depth and richness to the lead vocals. It’s also important to remember that backing vocals are complementary melodic lines that fit within the overall harmonic structure of the melody.
Now is the perfect time to make sure your backing vocals are doing their job, whether you’re still recording or already at the mixing stage. While we can’t tell exactly which vocal challenges you’re facing in your mixes, we do have some helpful tips for mixing background vocals.
Before we dive in, here’s a key tip: take your studio space seriously. It doesn’t matter how expensive your gear is if your room isn’t properly set up for recording and mixing. Sure, professionals can get good results even in a barn, but there’s no need to make things harder for yourself.
Once your room is ready, you’ll be able to notice even the smallest changes in the EQ, the slightest tweaks to filters, and you’ll actually hear the low frequencies coming from your monitors.
Here are 10 tips for mixing backing vocals—you’ll notice the difference right away!
1. The Panning Process
It is generally recommended to position lead vocals in the center of the mix. This ensures that these key elements remain clear and prominent to the listener under all playback conditions.
However, the approach is different for other vocals. Spreading backing and harmony vocals across the stereo field can enhance the spaciousness of the overall vocal sound.
If you have only one backing vocal line, avoid panning the lead to one side and the backing to the other. Always keep the lead vocal centered in this case. If you are using double-tracked vocals, you can hardpan both tracks, but do so carefully.
2. Reduce the Volume Used
As simple as it sounds, the first step is to find the right balance between your vocal tracks and blend them well with volume. Sometimes, backup vocals don’t blend because they’re just too loud.
Once your lead vocal is sitting where you want it, lower the faders on your backup vocals and slowly raise them until they fit nicely. If certain phrases still clash between the tracks, you can automate the volume on those specific parts.
Backup vocals may clash more in some spots, especially if they’re singing both “oohs” and actual words. If your vocals usually blend well, you can fix the occasional clash by automating the volume only where needed.
3. For Color and Depth, Use Formant Shifting
To make layered backup vocals sound fuller, we often use formant shifting on some of the voices. This technique helps certain parts sound “bigger” or “smaller,” which is especially helpful when one singer is recording all the vocal layers.
If you’re not familiar with formant shifting, it refers to a sonic effect that naturally happens when pitch is changed—originally done by speeding up or slowing down audio tapes. With digital tools, formant shifting lets us change the perceived size or character of a sound without altering its actual pitch.
Try applying formant shifting to some of your backup vocals, especially if you have a group of layered tracks. For subtle thickening, shifting by one semitone or less is usually enough. If you want a more noticeable effect and realism isn’t essential, shifting by up to two semitones can work well.
4. Using Reverb to Separate the Space
You can also create contrast in a mix by using reverb. Reverb is a great tool for adding three-dimensional space and making each element feel like it has its own place in the mix. Strong contrast is key, which is why we often follow the rule of opposites.
For example, we usually make the background vocals very wet with reverb, while keeping the lead vocal drier and more upfront. Think about the shock or awe you want to create when the background vocals come in.
If you want smoother, more subtle entrances, have the vocals reverberate in a similar way. However, to really surprise the listener when the chorus hits, it’s better to make the vocals sound opposite—this contrast will make the background music stand out.
5. Tweak Your Compression
It’s important to keep the background vocals consistent. Random notes sticking out of the mix will distract listeners from the main parts of the song. While you should automate the volume of any notes that are out of place, don’t spend as much time on this as you would on the main vocal.
Instead, use heavy compression on the background vocals. Adjust the makeup gain until you get a gain reduction of 5-10 dB, then raise your threshold. This should solve most of your dynamic issues. Also, reduce the attack time—background vocals usually sound better with faster attack times since they are meant to sit further back in the mix.
6. Creating Harmonies from Scratch
You can use a plugin like Waves Tune if you want to add harmonies to a part that doesn’t already have background vocals, or if you want to create a new harmony part. Waves Tune lets you edit notes visually. To do this, duplicate the lead vocal or one of the harmonies in your tuning software and then adjust the notes as needed.
To make your harmonies sound even more realistic, try moving them slightly forward or backward in time. You can also electronically double the harmony tracks for a fuller sound. Sometimes, all you need is a simple parallel harmony, like a fifth above the original melody, depending on the song’s melody and chord structure.
You can achieve this by using a pitch-shifting plugin such as Vocal Bender and setting it to shift up by seven semitones. At certain points, you may need to fine-tune Vocal Bender’s pitch shift to match the correct interval for the harmony.
7. Filtering Out Bad Frequencies
You can roll off the low end of the vocal track by using a high-pass filter. Besides removing unnecessary frequencies below the vocals, you might also want to thin out the background a bit to reduce lower-midrange clutter.
On the other hand, if the lead vocal has plenty of high-mid presence but feels thin or lacks body, consider boosting the low mids in the background vocals. This can help fill out the overall vocal sound.
Adding more high-end to a track makes it sound brighter and brings it forward in the mix, making it seem louder. If you take some of the highs out of your background parts, they’ll sit more naturally behind the lead vocal—which is usually, though not always, what you want.
8. Give the Lead Vocal Space with EQ
Our backup vocal submissions typically include some gentle EQ to enhance the quality of these additional vocal layers without clashing with the lead vocals. When the lead vocal needs more space, we make cuts in the midrange frequencies.
Generally, the body of the lead vocal sits between 150 and 400 Hz, while its articulation is most noticeable around 2 kHz. If the backup vocals are panned to the sides, we use a mid/side EQ to make those midrange cuts only in the center channel.
There’s no need to sacrifice the fullness of the backup vocals just to let the lead vocal stand out in the center. Additionally, you can use two types of filters to help backup vocals sit properly in the mix: high-pass and low-pass filters.
9. Blend Using EQ
If you want to make sure all the vocals fit together nicely, you can use EQ to create space in the frequency spectrum. The lead vocal usually stands out in the high midrange, and since all the vocals share this area, it’s not surprising that the backup vocals are present there too.
To prevent the vocals from clashing, try cutting some of the highs and mids from the backup vocals. This helps blend all the vocal tracks more smoothly. A good approach is to make a wide cut from around 900 Hz to 5 kHz on the backup vocals, which will help the lead vocal stand out more.
If you want something to blend in even further, simply roll off the high frequencies. This might sound strange when you solo those tracks, but when you mix them with the lead vocal, they can complement each other perfectly.
10. Use a Short Delay for a Bigger Sound
Another common way to thicken the sound of a vocal group is by using a short delay. Have a few singers consistently come in just a few milliseconds late to simulate the natural timing differences of a real vocal group. Typically, delay values between 20 and 60 milliseconds work best.
This range is long enough to avoid phase issues, but still short enough that the delay doesn’t become a noticeable echo. Be subtle when adding this effect—too much delay will make it obvious and distracting.
When you combine this trick with the previous suggestion—using formant shifting on some voices and adding short delays—you can make your backup vocals sound much bigger and fuller.
Conclusion
If this sounds overwhelming, that’s because it can be—but don’t get discouraged. Spending extra time perfecting your lead vocals will make a huge difference in your song, since they are the main focus of any mix.
Mixing can get tricky with background vocal arrangements, but it doesn’t have to be difficult. The key to mixing multitrack drums—or any other common challenge—is to have a clear vision for the sound you want and to make the best use of the material you have.
We hope this article has given you some new ideas for approaching vocal arrangements in your next mix. When working with backing vocals, efficiency is crucial. You don’t need to spend too much time on them.
You can save a lot of time by copying the plugin chain from the lead vocal track. Once you’ve brought the backing vocals into the mix, make sure they don’t interfere with the lead part.
