A Request For Assistance

[Michael Stanley 2112]

I am a relative newb here and I am hoping this is the correct forum (Mods: I promise no rule infraction intended).

This seemed like the right one.

I have this song, which a wrote a few years ago, that is driving me to distraction.

It needs a "choir" of background singers (I'd like to get a couple of hundred, but I'm realistic. Please keep reading). Don't let the word "choir" scare you off. Great singing ability is not necessarily what I'm looking for.

The part I need sung is two notes (but one of them is repeated. So, three notes.). It's an "anthem" so the more voices, the better the "feel".

I'm asking for people with the ability to record in .wav file format to help with this. I have not been able to effectively multiply my own voice sufficiently.

To be sure, my mixing skills are not all that stellar, but this is a labor of love.

It's a simple enough song and I will gladly answer any messages to all who might be interested with an "unpublished" Youtube link of a (garbage) version of the song.

This song deserves better than what I currently have.

I don't particularly care if you think you can sing well. Yellers/screamers and shouters will be gleefully accepted as your voice will be amongst a myriad of others.

I do have some ability/skill at being able to "double" voices so, I can turn ten voices into twenty, pretty well.

Please, if you're interested in/willing to help me out, just send a private message and I'll return the link, in kind.

Thank you for your time.

 

[mrcbass]

Have you considered contacting a local college to see if they'd be interested in supplying a chorus for you to record?

 

[Reedt2000]

Or a local church?

 

[Michael Stanley 2112]

Have you considered contacting a local college to see if they'd be interested in supplying a chorus for you to record?

Or a local church?

I was hoping to avoid mentioning (publicly) that I lost my right leg in Dec and am not able to use a prosthetic. So ... no driving to them, no entertaining them in my house.

Yes, I thought about it. A couple of years back, I asked two friends of mine (professors) if they would try to run the idea past their classes. They said they weren't comfortable with the idea. I had the plan to record a bunch of them in the auto shop for acoustics.

Anyway, good ideas and I appreciate it, but I knew those venues weren't open to me which is why I posted here.

 

[Reedt2000]

I was hoping to avoid mentioning (publicly) that I lost my right leg in Dec and am not able to use a prosthetic. So ... no driving to them, no entertaining them in my house.

Yes, I thought about it. A couple of years back, I asked two friends of mine (professors) if they would try to run the idea past their classes. They said they weren't comfortable with the idea. I had the plan to record a bunch of them in the auto shop for acoustics.

Anyway, good ideas and I appreciate it, but I knew those venues weren't open to me which is why I posted here.

Well, one: no shame in losing the leg, &!#@ happens and I can't speak for anyone other than myself but I assure you, no judgments here. Two: maybe there is a local music program, or church, with recording capabilities? You could send them a click track or BPM marker and maybe they could track the part and send it to you? Realistically you only need it once, then you cut/paste it into your recording.

 

[Michael Stanley 2112]

True story, I can look around, but a church with a recording facility? I don't want to "join up" with Joel Osteen to get this done.

Wait a minute! "Central New Jersey"? I moved here from New Brunswick!

 

[MonetBass]

I do have some ability/skill at being able to "double" voices so, I can turn ten voices into twenty, pretty well.

If you can do that, I think you might be able to do this yourself. My suggestion: place the vocal mic in the center of your recording space. Then record yourself singing each track in a different spot around the mic, varying position and distance, as if you were a group of people singing into the same mic. Then double those tracks if you can. Voila! Choir singing. Note: The Cars did this with Roy Thomas Baker producing to get their huge backing vocal sounds.

 

[Reedt2000]

True story, I can look around, but a church with a recording facility? I don't want to "join up" with Joel Osteen to get this done.

Wait a minute! "Central New Jersey"? I moved here from New Brunswick!

I'm in Hamilton, bought 20 min south of New Brunswick. Recording a choir just takes room mics. Church might have overheads above the choir anyway and the ability to record a line off the mixer.

The other move is to layer vocoder tracks in with traditional vocal tracks. Try layering in tracks of your voice up and down an octave. Bury stuff in the background to get the effect of fullness.

 

[Michael Stanley 2112]

If you can do that, I think you might be able to do this yourself. My suggestion: place the vocal mic in the center of your recording space. Then record yourself singing each track in a different spot around the mic, varying position and distance, as if you were a group of people singing into the same mic. Then double those tracks if you can. Voila! Choir singing. Note: The Cars did this with Roy Thomas Baker producing to get their huge backing vocal sounds.

Hmmmm ... That's an idea I could try. The mixing is where I would get all messed up. I have Studio One, but still do most of my stuff in Audacity.

I'm not very well versed in Studio One, just yet.

 

[Reedt2000]

Hmmmm ... That's an idea I could try. The mixing is where I would get all messed up. I have Studio One, but still do most of my stuff in Audacity.

I'm not very well versed in Studio One, just yet.

I've never used Studio One but chances are it has far better plugin capabilities than audacity. There are lots of cool free vst plug-ins out there.

13 Best Free Vocoder VST Plugins 2022, Create Unique Sounding Vocals

 

[MonetBass]

Hmmmm ... That's an idea I could try. The mixing is where I would get all messed up. I have Studio One, but still do most of my stuff in Audacity.

I'm not very well versed in Studio One, just yet.

I also use Studio One (Prime, the free version... not sure which one you're using.) It's well worth learning. I found it very intuitive, though, and there are tons of 'how-to' videos on YouTube. I love the drag-and-drop interface.

Regarding the VSTs, if you're using Studio One Prime, you can only use Presonus VSTs. It doesn't allow third-party ones. Anyway, as @Reedt2000 said, it's much more powerful than Audacity.

 

[Michael Stanley 2112]

I also use Studio One (Prime, the free version... not sure which one you're using.) It's well worth learning. I found it very intuitive, though, and there are tons of 'how-to' videos on YouTube. I love the drag-and-drop interface.

Regarding the VSTs, if you're using Studio One Prime, you can only use Presonus VSTs. It doesn't allow third-party ones. Anyway, as @Reedt2000 said, it's much more powerful than Audacity.

I've got the semi-whoopty pupty version. It came with this computer which I purchased from a (Insert Name of My Favorite Nation-Wide Retailer Here).

I have tried to learn, but I'm lost from the onset. I bought one of Joe Gilders courses, but he starts from the premise that everyone knows the lingo and can afford all the extra plug-ins (I think he said he uses third-party plug-ins, but I could be wrong since it's been a while since I watched one of his videos).

The Presonus videos are worse because those guys do the same thing (assuming I know the lingo), but they do it with some incredibly thick accents.

I fear I'm just going to have to bite the bullet and go back to school (and not being able to drive is going to compound the issues there, incredibly). Of course, in the schools, they only use ProTools and I despise "renting" software. Tell me your price I'll pay. I don't want my ability to work hanging over my head like the sword of Damocles.