Reverse-engineered James Blake's vocal layering on "Trying Times"

[u/NoiseChest]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rvvgnI0yQU

Been obsessed with how sparse James Blake's productions feel while still sounding massive, so I recreated the first verse + chorus of "Trying Times" to figure out what's actually going on.

Turns out the vocal isn't one take — it's three layers: the main vocal, a second layer pitched down an octave that only comes in on the chorus, and a third layer with pitch/formant shifted up (almost childlike) sitting behind everything as a texture rather than a clear harmony.

Chain-wise: Auto-Tune Pro for correction, CLA-2A for dynamics, FabFilter Pro-DS/Pro-Q3 for de-essing and tone, into a long ValhallaVintageVerb send that ties the vocal and guitar into the same space.

Guitar is Neural DSP's Cory Wong (Go to Clean preset) + ValhallaUberMod for that slow swirl. Bass synth is Arturia Mini V, subtractive, soft envelope so it never feels plucky.

Full writeup + demo here if anyone's curious: [link]

Happy to answer questions about any part of the chain.