I'm Doing All My Own Backing Vocals

[Mark]

How can I make it sound less like me singing along with myself using only analogue techniques?

[joninc]

varispeed. record at different speeds to alter the timbre of your voice.

also don't do them all into the same mic and same distance as your primary lead voc. use a smaller sounding mic and stand further back etc...

[losthighway]

Sing things an octave down, or in falsetto (get some 'head voice' to mix with your full voice), along with anything else you can fill in the middle and get to hang in there pitch wise. Pan things in clusters and send them to reverb settings unique (and wetter) than the lead. Compress them a little less, and let the group of them hang back lower in volume.

Send backups as a group to a guitar amp.

[vernier]

How can I make it sound less like me singing along with myself using only analogue techniques?

Yep, done this many times. Just mimic various singers on the different tracks . . most of us singers have a few favorites that we can mimic. And it's fun too.

[digitaldrummer]

I've used SoundToys Little Alterboy to vary pitch or sometimes just the formant - definitely changes the timber of the voices. make copies, alter, and layer.

[Burnt Ernie]

How can I make it sound less like me singing along with myself using only analogue techniques?

Yep, done this many times. Just mimic various singers on the different tracks . . most of us singers have a few favorites that we can mimic. And it's fun too.

HELL YESS! Gotta do the dance/moves,as well. James Brown,Jagger,Tiny Tim,Iggy,Rob Tyner,Little Richard,Redd Foxx. Perhaps hold each singers favorite cocktail whilst crooning?

[Burnt Ernie]

also-sing through a guitar amp (Iggy-Passenger)

[vvv]

I have a friend - wish I could get the same result - smashes the shite outta multitracked choruses after adding chorus - sounds like angels.

Me, I often like to add buried Mick Jagger "Emotional Rescue"-type falsettos.

Sometimes I'll add a chest-voice or even a whisper - the idear is to get 'em under the main vocals, just audible.

Also, as stated above, vary the mic, and also the pre, and also the EQ, and also the compression (use it, don't use it), and also the effect (delay or no, chorus or no, reverb or no, etc.), mic distance, if you slightly de-tune a vocal that can work, and finally, technique things like dropping plosives or esses, vibrato or no, or glissando or staccato ... and you can do some of these things on individual tracks or sub-groups. And don't forget panning, tight vs. spread, high vocals in and lows out or the opposite ...

Finally, harmonies and mix-arrangement (only on the left to on the right to stereo can work well, or 2-4-8, or drop the BV's on the last line or an emphasized word ...).

[Snarl 12/8]

I like the "adopt other personas" idea.

[vernier]

How can I make it sound less like me singing along with myself using only analogue techniques?

Yep, done this many times. Just mimic various singers on the different tracks . . most of us singers have a few favorites that we can mimic. And it's fun too.

HELL YESS! Gotta do the dance/moves,as well. James Brown,Jagger,Tiny Tim,Iggy,Rob Tyner,Little Richard,Redd Foxx. Perhaps hold each singers favorite cocktail whilst crooning?

[CraigS63]

Vocoder.