The awesome power of overdubbing......
Apr. 15th, 2006 09:29 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
poltr1If you've ever heard Basia, or Adiemus (more specifically, Miriam Stockley), it sounds like a multitude of voices singing in perfect harmony and togetherness. (If you're familiar with the Trio Bulgarka, it has that type of sound quality.) If you're wondering "How'd they do that?", the answer is overdubbing. Recording oneself several times to simulate a choral effect.
One of my favorite songs is 10cc's "I'm Not In Love". Even though the song is over 30 years old, I'm still blown away by the ethereal vocal sound in the background. It sounds like articulated strings, achieved way before the age of digital synthesis. According to the Wikipedia article on 10cc, it was acheived by laborious overdubbing of Eric Stewart, Kevin Godley, and Lol Creme singing a note. With a 16-track tape, they were able to simulate a 256-voice choir. The end result is simply incredible.
Another great overdubbed sound was achieved by Joe Vannelli -- Gino's brother -- on some of Gino's albums, most notably Storm at Sunup and The Gist of the Gemini. Joe simulated a string orchestra which sound much different than those achieved by string synthesizers of the day. Again, a simply incredible sound.
These are the type of sounds I can only dream of realizing. Maybe when I can afford the expense and room of a digital synth workstation, I can do this.
One of my favorite songs is 10cc's "I'm Not In Love". Even though the song is over 30 years old, I'm still blown away by the ethereal vocal sound in the background. It sounds like articulated strings, achieved way before the age of digital synthesis. According to the Wikipedia article on 10cc, it was acheived by laborious overdubbing of Eric Stewart, Kevin Godley, and Lol Creme singing a note. With a 16-track tape, they were able to simulate a 256-voice choir. The end result is simply incredible.
Another great overdubbed sound was achieved by Joe Vannelli -- Gino's brother -- on some of Gino's albums, most notably Storm at Sunup and The Gist of the Gemini. Joe simulated a string orchestra which sound much different than those achieved by string synthesizers of the day. Again, a simply incredible sound.
These are the type of sounds I can only dream of realizing. Maybe when I can afford the expense and room of a digital synth workstation, I can do this.
