Top 10 Singers Who Frequently Use or Used Double Tracking

In audio recording, double tracking is the process of recording a musical part (typically a guitar part or lead vocals) and then recording it again, thereby doubling it and giving it a stronger, fuller sound. This technique is far more prominent than many might think. However, some vocalists prefer to use delay effects or stitch together multiple takes to achieve the desired sound instead.

There is also a second method called "Automatic Double Tracking" (ADT), where the part is split off through a tape delay by a few milliseconds, creating the illusion of double tracking without requiring multiple takes. ADT was famously pioneered at Abbey Road Studios and heavily utilized by artists like The Beatles during their mid-career recordings.

Double tracking is not necessarily a flaw. When done correctly, it enhances the production without the listener even realizing it. However, if poorly executed, it can result in sync issues, particularly in the lead vocals. A notable example of this can be found in The Beatles' version of "Matchbox," where some minor synchronization issues can be heard.

Feel free to provide more examples of artists or songs that employ double tracking. If you do, consider including additional background information on how extensively they utilized the technique.

The Top Ten

  1. Katy Perry

    Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson, professionally known as Katy Perry, was born on October 25, 1984, in Santa Barbara, California. She is a singer, songwriter, actress, and has served as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador since 2013.

    She is among the best-selling artists ever, with four Guinness World Records... read more

  2. Mariah Carey

    Mariah Carey, born March 27, 1970, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She's one of the best-selling female artists in music history, with 19 number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100.

    She's often regarded as a sex symbol through her songs and videos, and has been noted in the press... read more

  3. Eric Bellinger

    Eric Bellinger Jr., born March 26, 1986, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer from Los Angeles, California.

    He is best known for his work as a songwriter, writing for artists such as Chris Brown (most notably "New Flame"), Usher ("Lemme See"), and Justin Bieber ("Right Here").... read more

  4. John Lennon

    John Winston Ono Lennon, MBE (born John Winston Lennon, 9 October 1940-8 December 1980), was an English singer, songwriter, musician, and political activist. He rose to worldwide fame as the co-founder, co-lead vocalist, and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles, the most commercially successful band in the... read more

    The Beatles are considered to be the most famous users of double-tracking, with John Lennon using it the most of all. In fact, he motivated Ken Townsend, one of the engineers at Abbey Road Studios, to invent the first automatic double-tracking system after he got tired of having to do multiple vocal takes.

  5. Roger Daltrey

    Roger Harry Daltrey is an English singer and actor. He rose to prominence in the mid-1960s as the founder and lead vocalist of the rock band The Who. The group released fourteen Top 10 singles in the United Kingdom across the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, including "I Can't Explain", "My Generation", "Substitute... read more

    Roger Daltrey frequently used double-tracking throughout the sixties. It wasn't until Who's Next that he didn't use it as much.

  6. Freddie Mercury

    Freddie Mercury was a Zanzibar-born British singer of Indian descent, songwriter, and record producer best known as the lead vocalist and lyricist of the rock band Queen. He achieved fame for his flamboyant stage persona and remarkable four-octave vocal range.... read more

    Freddie used it in certain songs during the mid-70s. I remember watching a video where Brian May listened to the multi-track tapes of "Bohemian Rhapsody," and noted that the lead vocals on the "so you think you can stone me" section are not 100% in sync. Brian said that he kept some minor flubs on purpose to give the lead vocals a more natural sound.

  7. Ian Gillan

    Ian Gillan is an English singer and songwriter. He first gained fame as the lead singer and lyricist of Deep Purple, contributing to iconic songs such as Smoke on the Water. Gillan also performed the role of Jesus on the original 1970 rock-opera concept album Jesus Christ Superstar, composed by Andrew... read more

    Listen to the early Mark II records, particularly In Rock, and you will hear that a lot of the vocals are double-tracked. Even on Child in Time, which means that he probably had to sing those high parts multiple times.

  8. Marc Bolan

    Marc Bolan, born Mark Feld on September 30, 1947, was an English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and poet. He was best known as the frontman of the glam rock band T. Rex and became one of the pioneers of the glam rock movement in the 1970s.... read more

    I don't think there's a T. Rex record where Marc Bolan isn't double-tracked. I even saw a performance on the German show Beat-Club (if I remember correctly) where he recorded the basic track live with the band and they filmed him doing the secondary vocals and guitar solo. They integrated the footage of the two Bolans together (horribly, though. Beat-Club had awful graphics).

  9. Paul Stanley

    Stanley Bert Eisen, known professionally by his stage name Paul Stanley, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and painter. He is best known for being the rhythm guitarist and co-lead singer of the rock band Kiss. Stanley is also recognized for his Starchild persona and has been inducted into... read more

    Not just Paul but Gene too - pretty much all of the 70s Kiss records had double-tracked vocals.

  10. Kurt Cobain

    Kurt Cobain (February 20, 1967 - April 5, 1994) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician, best known as the frontman of the grunge band Nirvana. Founded in 1987, Nirvana achieved global success in the early 1990s, reshaping rock music with albums like Bleach, Nevermind, and In Utero. Cobain died... read more

    I once read that Butch Vig said that when they recorded "Nevermind," Butch motivated Kurt (who was reluctant) to double-track his vocals by telling him, "John Lennon did it." Apparently, he also had to trick Kurt into doing extra takes by telling him that something went wrong.

    11. The Newcomers
  11. ?

    Paul McCartney

    Sir James Paul McCartney (born June 18, 1942) is an English singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and composer. With John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, he gained worldwide fame as a member of the rock band The Beatles, one of the most popular and influential groups in the history of pop... read more

  12. ?

    Layne Staley

    Layne Thomas Staley was an American musician who served as the lead singer and co-songwriter of the rock band Alice in Chains, which he founded with guitarist Jerry Cantrell in Seattle, Washington, in 1987. Alice in Chains rose to international fame as part of the grunge movement of the early 1990s.... read more

    Layne, in my opinion, had the most unique voice among the singers listed. His use of double-tracking on their records really helped to showcase the power of his vocal ability. He's also my favorite singer of the bunch, so that never hurts.

    Alice In Chains used to do this a lot during their career in the 90s. You can listen to a perfect example of Layne doing this in the song Brush Away from their self-titled record (commonly known as Tripod). Other examples are Them Bones from their second album Dirt, and the chorus of We Die Young from their debut album Facelift. Needless to say, he always made it sound badass.

    13. The Contenders

  13. Brad Delp

    Bradley Edward "Brad" Delp was an American singer and songwriter. He was best known as the lead vocalist for the rock bands Boston and RTZ. His distinctive voice was a defining feature of Boston's sound, especially on the band's self-titled debut album, released in 1976.

    Brad is an interesting case, as he didn't just double-track his lead vocals, he also double-tracked each harmony line. No wonder those Boston records sound massive!

  14. Brian Wilson

    Brian Douglas Wilson (1942-2025) was an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer best known for being the multi-tasking leader and co-founder of the Beach Boys. He essentially blended upbeat three-chord rock with layered classical harmonies to build a globally recognized California... read more

    In general, Brian Wilson insisted on double-tracking all lead vocals on Beach Boys albums from the Surfin' U.S.A. album onwards, regardless of who was singing.

  15. James Hetfield

    James Alan Hetfield was born on August 3, 1963. He is an American musician, singer, and songwriter known for being the co-founder, lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and main songwriter for the American thrash metal band Metallica. He helped form the iconic thrash metal group in 1981 after answering... read more

    Double-tracking is a staple of Metallica's music, even though you may not realize it. Just listen to any of the isolated vocal tracks from the 80s.

  16. Ariana Grande

    Ariana Grande‑Butera (born June 26, 1993) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Her four‑octave vocal range has earned widespread critical praise, and her personal life continues to attract significant media attention. She has received numerous honors, including two Grammy Awards, a Brit... read more

  17. Unkle Adams

    Curtis Adams, better known by his stage name Unkle Adams, is a Canadian motivational speaker and rapper. He gained attention for his song "Original," which drew strong reactions from internet communities and music reviewer Anthony Fantano. Although the song received substantial criticism, Adams developed... read more

BAdd New Item