80ies General Vocal Tips

Main Vocals

• 80ies Main Vocals have Very Often Fast Short Delay

• a Plate Verb

• Slap Delay / Echo 

• e.g. Left Channel 17ms with a Negative Pitch Shift -0.992 Cents (i.e. -8 Cents to Go Slightly Flat) and Right Channel 35ms with a Positive Pitch Shift 1.008 Cents (i.e. +8 Cents to Go Slightly Sharp)

• Chorus (Symphonic 90)

• Small Pitch Shifts on Either Side (Up / Down)

• Little Parallel Compression

• Boost in the High Frequencies

– Chain to Thicken Voice Might Look 150ms Delay —> 1/4 Tape Delay (Stereo) —> Room Reverb

• Delay Trick for Special Moments by Using 2 Mono Delay Units Panned Hard Left and Hard Right (but No More than 95%), then Send Some Signal from Hard Left to Hard Right and Viceversa for Ping Pong Effect, Set Delay and Feedback to Taste, Optionally Reduce SR for LoFi Effect

• Many Layers of Harmonies

Background Vocals

• 80ies Background Vocals Basically Same Main Vocals 

• but More Delay and Panning

• Pan to Each About -95 / +95 /(Not 100% Cause this Causes Phase Issues in Some DAW)

• Use Different Send Amounts for Each Background Vocal (Adds Variation and Depth)

• also Use Different Hipass Filter Settings for Each Background Vocal (e.g. One Cut at 120Hz and the Other at 197Hz)