Backwards recording experts please read!! (vocals)

[corganrocks]

HI all


Im trying to recreate (rip-off?) the vocal effect found on Smashing Pumpkins song "silver****" and numerous cure songs including "wish", where it sounds as if the vocal is being echoed INTO rather than out of with delays. Like when you flip a vocal backwards and it sounds like the voice rushes up from nowhere, except on these tracks it's combines that whoosh sound with the proper vocals forwards again and it sounds really great. I read somewhere that the way to do it is to reverse a vocal, put reverb and delay on it and then re-reverse it and it'll then work but I've tried it and maybe Im doing something wrong but it doesnt work for me.

Any advice?

Thanks

[JESTER700]

That's the technique. What exactly do you mean by "it doesn't work"?

[Rotti]

Danelectro makes a "talk back" guitar effects pedal that does this. I know thats probably not the way you want to do it but I thought I'd mention it. Could be good for live use as well.

[Drew]

it depends - flipping it, delaying it, and flipping it back will get the repeats to fade into the original, but they'll still be coming at you "forward" when you hear them. If you want the words to be backwards on the "repeat" before the original, what you have to do is manually copy each phrase or word you want backwards, delay or reverb it (if desired), and then flip it and mix it back in with the original. I'd do this on a separate track, to give you as much flexibility as possible in lining up the reversed sections.

Alternatively, a Boss DD-5 delay has a "reverse echo" feature that does this, sort of - sounds badass for clean arpeggiated chords.

Try it, anyway. A reversed, delayed, and re-reversed signal will give you an interesting sound, but not the one you're going for.

-D

[darren wilson]

You have to remember to print the effects to a track before you flip it back around to the "forwards" direction.

[ardell henderson]

I've done this trick & I only used reverb; if I remember correctly I probably had to do a couple tries @ getting it just right. It was a matter of creating a 2nd audio clip using HUGE reverb on the reversed track. Then, you'll need to reverse this clip again to bring it back to normal; bring the clip into it's own track, line it up with the original, crossfade to the original - plus you'll probably have to crank it up much louder than you'd think so it has the right amt of presence against any other audio (if other audio is present) - even if it's over silence, you'll still need to crank the track up.

- good luck...

[corganrocks]

Thank you all for your help. Yeah I think you're right in that I've nailed how to get the repeats before the original vocal itself but getting that wooooshhhh backwards sound leading into it would involve playing around with a separate track played backwards and trying to link both together. Sadly Im not Flood or Alan Moulder yet so it might be a while Maybe I'll post it somewhere or something when it's done so you guys can check it out. the vocalist im working with on this is an amazing singer.

thanks guys
ryan