Gang Vocals

If you’re in a rock band and want to give a little extra energy and charisma to a song a great idea would to be to throw in some sort of gang vocals.

Recording this is actually very easy but it can add a lot to your song as well as give you the opportunity during live shows to incorporate some crowd involvement, which never hurts.

There are two ways to do gang vocals. The first way is more for a single individual trying to pull off the effect. Start by recording multiple takes of a saying or vocal line. The key when doing this is to get a different pitch or personality out of what you are saying. If you record the take the same over and over again it’s mostly just going to only make the line louder and eventually start clipping. So all you have to do is change how you yell the line. Examples would be to try a higher voice for one take and then go lower or more aggressive for another take.

The second way to record gang vocals is by implementing exactly what is in the name of this technique. Record with a gang. It may be one other person or 5 or 6 people. The more the better because you will get completely different voices and you only have to do the take one maybe two times. All the members stand around the mic and just yell at the same time. Try not to yell directly into the mic though as it may cause clipping on the track.

Give it a shot, it’ll give your song a little something extra. Be warned though, be sure not to use it in every song because it will become over-saturated.

If there are any questions on recording this technique leave a comment, or if you have any other advice for readers be sure to post that as well. Enjoy!