Double Tracking Vocal Ideas (during recording or after)

So, I want my vocals to sound ALMOST the same but to have just enough of a difference that if you pan them hard left and hard right, it doesn’t sound like it’s coming from the middle of the speaker because they are both EXACTLY the same. But not so different that it sounds like it was recorded twice.

So what is the best way to do this in audacity or what else to do you recommend?

Should I record in stereo? Is there something I should do while recording in stereo to make it work better?

Can I apply some slight tweak to the vocal afterwords that only marginally alters it? What tweak would that be?

One thing I could do, is go into another program, fl studio, and play around with sound card drivers while dumping the output to audacity and hitting record. And essentially vary the sound card drivers up to get slightly different versions - then pan one hard left the other hard right.

What do you recommend? I want you to pretend that I didn’t suggest the sound card driver thing and not say “I agree with that” but give me a new idea. Compress one but not the other? Whatever.

How about recording yourself twice (as mono tracks) and then pan them?

If you want them more similar than that, you could duplicate the recorded track, apply a small amount of “Change Pitch” effect to the copy, and then use the Time Shift tool so that they don’t exactly align.

Acon Digital’s multiply is a free plugin worth having …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3mbSMW07yQ

[Currently the 32-bit version (not 64-bit) works in Audacity on Windows].

The most natural results will come from true double tracking as Steve suggests. If this is the lead vocal, you might even want to triple-track so you can have one in the “center”.

Or, you may prefer something that sounds more like an “effect” you may want to use an effect.

I’ve used different EQ in both channels to make a “fake stereo” effect.

There are lots of Automatic Double Tracking (ADT) or chorus plug-ins.

Note that most of these artificial methods can introduce phase shifts and you can get “phasing effects” if you play-back in mono. If mono-compatible playback is important, check that.

One thing I could do, is go into another program, fl studio, and play around with sound card drivers while dumping the output to audacity and hitting record. And essentially vary the sound card drivers up to get slightly different versions

I don’t think you’ll get enough of a difference, or you may just get a time delay.

I have had good luck with the following steps:
1.) Record vocal in mono
2.) Duplicate the track
3.) Apply auto tuner (I used autotalent) to the duplicate
4.) Apply small room type of reverb to the duplicate
5.) Pan one copy left and the other to the right