Description

EastWest/Quantum Leap is proud to announce the upcoming release of HOLLYWOOD BACKUP SINGERS, a new game changing vocal product that allows the user to type in any word and have it sung by the industry’s top backup singers.

Produced by Doug Rogers and Nick Phoenix, the most awarded producers in the sounds industry, HOLLYWOOD BACKUP SINGERS features powerful vocals from legendary singers Durga McBroom, Lorelei McBroom, and C.C. White.

HOLLYWOOD BACKUP SINGERS not only includes 87 vocal instruments and 588 solo phrases, it’s designed for use with WordBuilder, the award-winning software that will sing whatever you type.

Hundreds of WordBuilder ‘editable’ phrases are included to get you started, and advanced features like DAW tempo-sync and global parameter grouping enable you to tailor-fit these background vocals to your next production.

It was recorded with a collection of vintage tube microphones in world famous EastWest Studio 3, home to some of the most iconic hits from the 1960s till the present day, including the Beach Boys masterpiece Pet Sounds, Mamas and Papas, Blondie, through to modern day productions from Ariana Grande, Frank Ocean, and Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper’s Grammy and Academy award-winning “A Star Is Born” soundtrack.

LEGENDARY BACKUP SINGERS

Each of the amazingly talented singers recorded for HOLLYWOOD BACKUP SINGERS come from a rich musical background, having performed with the biggest names in the industry. Durga McBroom and Lorelei McBroom toured with Pink Floyd as backup singers for many years. C.C. White has worked with many iconic artists including Lenny Kravitz, Al Green, Jason Mraz, and Crosby, Stills & Nash. She is also the star vocalist of EastWest’s blockbuster product Voices of Soul, one of the top selling vocal products ever produced.

FEATURES

HOLLYWOOD BACKUP SINGERS features vocals across a variety of categories including:

Vowels includes regular and expressive vowel instruments, and sustain expressive vowel instruments (which is a combination of the two vowel types). The expressive vowels also have ‘LES’ versions, which contain additional samples of the vocals recorded through a Leslie speaker cabinet, something Pink Floyd did on many backing vocal tracks. Each instrument is programmed to cross-fade between multiple dynamic layers using the Mod Wheel (CC1).
Consonants includes b, d, g, j, l, m, n, r, th, v, w, y, and z consonant instruments, as well as an unpitched consonants instrument. Each are programmed to cross-fade between multiple dynamic layers using the Mod Wheel (CC1).
Combo MOD includes a variety of instruments that use the Mod Wheel (CC1) to switch between multiple layers of regular and expressive vowel types, or in the case of the ‘Xfde’ sub-folder, use the Mod Wheel (CC1) to cross-fade between these layers. The expressive vowels also have ‘LES’ versions, which contain additional samples of the vocals recorded through a Leslie speaker cabinet.
Solo Phrases includes instruments that feature solo phrases and sub-phrases that were recorded over a drone in multiple root note positions for use in a variety of keys and modes. There are ‘LES’ versions available, which contain additional samples of the vocals recorded through a Leslie speaker cabinet. Each vocalist was recorded as a soloist, whereas the rest of the collection features the 3 vocalists recorded together.
Keyswitch includes instruments that combine multiple articulations into a single instrument that uses blue-colored keyswitches to activate a given articulation. There are keyswitch instruments available for vowels, consonants, and solo phrases, including ‘LES’ versions where available.
WB Multi contains a specially designed multi-instrument that is pre-configured for use with WordBuilder. Simply load the WB Multi containing all the necessary phonetic sounds required to build words, type a phrase in the Text Editor (or choose from over 150 phrase presets) and the backup singers will sing the words.

LEGENDARY RECORDING SPACE

Some of the most iconic hits in music history have been recorded in EastWest Studio 3, the recording space used for HOLLYWOOD BACKUP SINGERS. The Mamas and the Papas recorded “California Dreaming” and “Monday, Monday” in this studio, along with Mama Cass’ “Make Your Own Kind of Music”, the Cowsills “Hair”, and Scott McKenzie’s “San Francisco”. The Beach Boys recorded some of their biggest hits here including “Surfin’ USA”, “God Only Knows”, and much of their masterpiece album Pet Sounds. Blondie recorded “The Tide is High” and “Rapture” in the room as well as Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5”. Contemporary artists who have recorded in Studio 3 include Rihanna, Frank Ocean, Kelly Rowland, Demi Lovato, Ariana Grande, Janelle Monáe, Celine Dion, amd Bebe Rexha. Most recently, Lady Gaga recorded her hit soundtrack for the motion picture A Star is Born. Studio 3 is legendary for it’s lush, syrupy vocal sound making it the perfect recording room for this product.

HOLLYWOOD BACKUP SINGERS features 3 microphone mixes. The Close microphone mix features 3 microphones in front of each singer that includes a Neumann U47, a Telefunken 251, and a Shure SM7. The Rear microphone mix features a stereo Neumann KU100 Binural Dummy Head, a pair of vintage RCA 77’s, and a pair of Sennheiser MKH800s. The Room microphone mix features 3 vintage Neumann M50 tube condenser microphones in a Decca-Tree configuration, and a pair of Neumann U67’s. The recording console was a classic Trident “A” Range (40 Channel with Neve Flying Faders Automatic), the “original” and one of six surviving in the world which has been used on some of the most famous recordings in music history.