"Shoegaze" style vocals

[garyd7]

I was wondering how to go about getting that "shoegaze" style vocal sound, like the vocals in M83 or My Bloody Valentine songs. Is it just the singers voice with a track whispered and a track sung or is it effects? I just can't figure out how to get it and I love it!

All help is massively appreciated, cheers!

[Cool Character]

Try to sound like you're more skinny and feminine than you can ever actually be.

You might not ever be able to pull it off onstage, but maybe if you work hard enough and you start today, in a couple years you can record some NuGaze vocals 10 years too late.

[pepezabala]

stand with the face against the wall. put the microphone between the wall and your neck. whisper.

also singing in a tight closet might work. or under the table.

[duckpow]

Here is one way to go about it:
In a audiorack make 2 chains: one for dry (add EQ and maybe a comp) and one for reverb.
Set the reverb to a very short predelay (if any), a short decay and dry/wet at 100%, adjust other parameters to taste. Put on some light compresion and EQ to fit in the normal vocal ranges (make sure it fits (soloed) in the mix like the vocal should).
Adjust the two chains starting with the reverb. (Remeber your EQ!)
The trick is to make sure it's almost only the reverbed vocal that is audible. That way you can achieve an aerie vocal like the ones heard on many early shoegaze recordings.

Anway: try the other options described in this thread first. This one can be very tricky!

edit: spelling...

[massenmedium]

Mumbling.

Hold tight all mumblist crew.

[machine+1]

The vocals alone on Loveless are something like 24 tracks deep, alternate takes of Shields & Butcher singing, then mixed together. Pretty amazing harmonic/phase effects i must say.

[JuanSOLO]

Kevin Shields did all his vocal tracks after huffing paint and then they would bury him up to his neck in sand, while he stood in the shower. Then they would lay a guitar buy his head, give him a puff of weed, run the guitar through a Morley phase/wah/reverb/atom/splitter, and he would sing into the pick ups.

[hacktheplanet]

The vocals alone on Loveless are something like 24 tracks deep, alternate takes of Shields & Butcher singing, then mixed together. Pretty amazing harmonic/phase effects i must say.

Additionally, they recorded the vocals when they were very sleep deprived.

[eddiex]

LOVELESS=ONE OF THE GREATEST ALBUMS EVER!!!!

my 2 cents....tons of reverb and delay....and put the vocals low in the mix.

[eddiex]

oh....and be really really sad

[massenmedium]

Kevin Shields did all his vocal tracks after huffing paint and then they would bury him up to his neck in sand, while he stood in the shower. Then they would lay a guitar buy his head, give him a puff of weed, run the guitar through a Morley phase/wah/reverb/atom/splitter, and he would sing into the pick ups.

While this sounds plausible the truth is that there are no vocals at all on Loveless. What you hear on the record is the sound of contact mic'd chinchilla sphincters run through formant filters and stereo graphic EQs.

[razorblade]

What you hear on the record is the sound of contact mic'd chinchilla sphincters run through formant filters and stereo graphic EQs.

Can you recommend a good Chinchilla sphincter emulation?

[3dot...]

Kevin Shields did all his vocal tracks after huffing paint and then they would bury him up to his neck in sand, while he stood in the shower. Then they would lay a guitar buy his head, give him a puff of weed, run the guitar through a Morley phase/wah/reverb/atom/splitter, and he would sing into the pick ups.

I thought only I used that...

[3dot...]

just hi pass delay/phaser reverb and eq it ffs..

[JuanSOLO]

What you hear on the record is the sound of contact mic'd chinchilla sphincters run through formant filters and stereo graphic EQs.

Can you recommend a good Chinchilla sphincter emulation?

Hey that's not my quote