Recording Question

Updated
Recording Question

When you guys double-track guitars, do you record twice through without touching the settings at all, or do you use two different tones?

In my last few recordings I've used 4 different guitar patches, two for each side.  Basically I'd use a different cab or different EQ settings or one with a screamer one without, etc etc.  Is that the way to go, or just record straight through twice with the same patch/tone?

CaptainNorwegia

When I recorded my band, I used the exact same amp patch from Amplitube. Then again, we play really lazy punk rock :P

 

Best advice I can give you is experiment. See what fits best for the song. 

Tsinthegame

When I record with my band, we generally keep the same settings for the rythm guitars, but make sure to change guitars for the same tracks (usually at least one guitar with passive pickups and one guitar with EMG pickups). Then we adjust the settings for the leads. Most of the time leads are all with the same guitar for that track (even if we double tracks). After that, if we feel there is something missing in the mix, we might add another guitar. 

Jeff K.

There not a specific right or wrong answer here. It depends on what you're going for. that having been said, double tracking two guitars with identical settings will often cause phase cancellation (where the waveforms of the two signals overlap and cancel each other out). Your tone and signal levels will suffer. I always try making some adjustments to differentiate the sonic characteristics (EQ helps), even a slight amount.

nwright

This is not true.  Using the same di tracks and reamping through 2 different amps can cause phase issues...using 2 mics on one amp can cause phase issues.  But using the same amp and exact same settings on each track will not produce those phase issues.  

 

Also if you pan 2 different takes hard left and hard right there is no way there could be phase issues anyway because the signals would never cross. .. one is on the left channel,  one on the right. 

KFW

Track with two different tones, and it'll give you a wider stereo image. How different the tones are is up to you--sometimes I'll just throw a tubescreamer on one side but keep the tones otherwise the same, or I'll make them completely different.

 

But there really isn't a rule, just try it both ways and see what you think sounds better.

ChainOfThought

Yeah....everything is preference I know.  Was more looking for just the, 'well how do YOU do it' (which was also provided, so cool).

 

I need to fork out the cash for a new interface so that I can effectively re-amp on my pod...or possibly just some RCA cables for my current interface.  Would make all of this so much easier.

 

That said, I've slapped together a couple tones and recorded some sloppy tracks for one of my songs with the HD now and its already leaps and bounds away from the XT without any post processing at all.  So I'm a happy dude.

Blake

I changed amps and guitars. Sometimes just amps. I was pleased with both results really. But tracking the exact same thing twice seems redundant. If doing it once wasn't good enough, doing it exactly the same can't possibly add much more than volume that you could just get by bumping it up a db. For reference, here's how I concocted my favourite overall result:

 

1st take: ESP Eclipse FT with EMG 81, into Triaxis/2:90/Mesa Trad cab. Ran LD2 yellow with a graphic EQ (slight smiley face). Thick low mids, high gaIn tone, tight and percussive. This was the POWAH. 

2nd take: Heritage H-150 Les Paul with SD59 into same rig on LD2 red (recto) with the fat mod, no graphic EQ. More mids and some highs, lows weren't really cut at all as they had a totally different response, much looser and more natural. But this produced a great tone, lots of recto roar, added some "fwhoom" to the big power chords. 

 

I'd likely do something similar if I were to do another session, maybe with different guitars as I've got a lot more experienced with passives now, but utilising the same theory, and maybe involving the Splawn too. 

 

nwright

IMO it all depends what you re after.  But utilizing 2 varying tones to build one bigger tone is awesome, but in a double tracking scenario IMO it builds an uneven balance between the 2 sides.  If general, double tracking means one track left and another separate take right.  If the amp tones are vastly different one side will naturally be more dominant and make the mix a bit unbalanced.  I think it's more common to use multiple amp tones when quad tracking, where 2 rigs are used per stereo side...or in rock or hard rock where texture and vibe are favored over precision and balance.

but simply stating using the same tones is redundant and only adds volume is incorrect.  The slight differences in playing between the two takes and spreading them out into the stereo field is what gives the bigness more so than using differently configured rigs.  2 seperate takes with one amp just isn't the same as 2 identical takes.  Take one mono take and copy paste it onto another track...now pan those hard left and right.   It will sound mono due to phase cancellation because it is 2 identical takes.  Now record 2 different takes playing the exact same thing and pan them...the sound is stereo and bigger.

there is no right or wrong way, but lots of wrong info ITT.

ChainOfThought

Cool.  Thats kind of how I've been generally approaching it.  One track with some biting, nasty highs and then a second track with spongier/thicker/ballsier low-end.  Right now I'm working on using the dual-amp feature of the Pod to try and make one patch that has the lows AND the highs that I want...I've actually gotten pretty close already, although for recording it might still wind up better to split them and record with the same method.  All remains to be seen I guess.

ChainOfThought

Nate: I guess my definition of dual-tracking is identical to your definition of quad tracking... I mean dual-track per guitar, so 4 total guitar tracks.  Two left for guitar1, two right for guitar 2.

 

What I really need to do is just get myself going with reamping.  That way I can just nail down two good takes per guitar and then reamp them to my hearts content to see what I like best tone wise.  I mean shit, thats half the reason I was drooling over the PodHD anyways.  When I get some solid recordings done I'll try and post some clips of doing it both ways...two of the same tone settings per guitar & two different settings per guitar.

 

Oh and also +1 about the 'no benefit to dual-tracking with the same tone.'  

Symbiant

i record guitars with a stereo bleed. left and right with bleeding into the center (mono) channel. i stick to one guitar and same amp settings. Also not such a hard pan. a little verb witht he lows rooled off to extend it into the stereo feild..

ChainOfThought

Hmmm I'll have to play around with a little bit of bleed into the center.  So far everything has been hard panned.

 

I remember reading a long time ago that a bunch of people were taking two-four tracks per guitar and then staggering their pan settings.  So they would have the left guitar track1 at 100%L and track2 at 80%L or so.

load more replies (1 of 1)
Trashgreen

Yeah, Sometimes I record one track hard right and one track hard left, and then a single stereo recorded track in the center with a much lower wolume setting, beefs of the overall rytme guitars for a stronger wall sound. Anyway experiment and let your ears be the dudge, there is no excact rule like Nate said.

Post to Thread