Even if you decide against fake doubletracking on your lead vocal part you might find it a good way to thicken backing vocals.

Double tracking lead vocals. Double-tracking a vocal is the process of singing an additional duplicate vocal on top of a main vocal to thicken the overall sound. You will therefore have a fair number of discarded snippets or indeed entire tracks that can be used to make up for the lack of dedicated double-tracks. You probably never heard a Beatles song without it.

The vocal doubling or double tracking effect is adjusted by the separation and variation knobs. Watch how to boost your lead vocal by adding subtle distortion to a doubled vocal track using the Waves Butch Vig Vocals plugin. The Beatles I Feel Fine.

Variation controls the level of human-like expression making the doubled signal seem like a natural studio retake. The following song is a great example of regular double tracking on the lead vocals. Double tracking or doubling is an audio recording technique in which a performer sings or plays along with their own prerecorded performance usually to produce a stronger or bigger sound than can be obtained with a single voice or instrument.

Double tracking is used as an effect similar to a vocal delay to add weight and texture to a lead vocal part and blend it into the mix. Even if you were not able to record any double-tracks as such you will still as a general rule have at your disposal the takes from which you stitched together the composite lead vocal track. You could use this to add some substance to backing vocals but unless its for a specific effect with its own place in a mix the effect isnt prominent and can get lost easily.

Layering your lead vocal with doubles can add thickness color and lift to the most important element of any song. You can compare it to the ADT treated lead vocals on this tune from the Beatles again on the hard right. We explore numerous ways you can achieve that rich vocal sound in your mix.

As a rule any vocal processing of this kind will make the vocals sound less inyourface so you may need to play with EQ and levels to get the mix sounding properly balanced. Vocal doubles are when you record a vocal track and then record a second vocal track usually emphasizing key parts of the verse. Separation widens the doubled signal for when you need an anthemic chorus vocal.