doubling tracks problem

[grindpaul]

when i try to double a guitar track, it sounds like one of them is lagging, even though they are perfectly placed together.

what i do is i copy the original track and paste it as a different track to make the sound richer. what happens is that it sounds like i added a ridiculous ammount of reverb.

[bshaffer75]

Are you panning the tracks?....because if you don't and they aren't lined up perfectly, it would add a "natural chorus effect" to your tracks.

Your tracks probably aren't lined up perfectly....when you've recorded the first track, click at the very beginning of the recorded track and add a "cue point"...you can find this in the menu under "View Cue List"...then click "add cue" and you can name it whatever you like.

Then...hold down the "control" key and "left mouse-click" on that same track...this will create a copy of the original track. Drag the copy to an unused track (while holding down the left-click button on your mouse).

Now...using the "left mouse-click" you can drag the new copy and line it up perfectly with the existing track set at the "cue point".

I would also advise you to "pan" the tracks, but be careful not to pan too much. Mess around with the settings and see what you like, this can really add some depth to your guitar tracks.

Hope this helps.

Brian

[thajeremy]

if you are just copying and pasting one track to another, you arent really doing anything. its still just a mono track weather you pan it or not....you are just waisting hard drive space....

mono is when you are getting the same signal out of each speaker....you are probably not lining the tracks up exactly which would explain the reverb you are getting. If you line them up exactly...it will just be mono....

record the part twice....

[Farview]

Originally Posted by grindpaul

when i try to double a guitar track, it sounds like one of them is lagging, even though they are perfectly placed together.

what i do is i copy the original track and paste it as a different track to make the sound richer. what happens is that it sounds like i added a ridiculous ammount of reverb.

When you double track guitars, you play the guitar part twice, you don't just copy and paste. That doesn't do anything.

[Farview]

Copy and pasting the same performance on two different tracks doesn't accomplish anything.

Mono= 1 track panned center=the same thing coming out of both speakers
copy and paste one track to another and pan them both wide=the same thing coming out of both speakers=mono

The big stereo effect comes from the slight timing and tuning and attack differences that come from playing it twice. That's why it's called double tracking, because you track it twice.

[Anomaly Design]

Originally Posted by Sillyhat

When you double track guitars, you play the guitar part twice, you don't just copy and paste. That doesn't do anything.

It can accomplist a little more than nothing! He can just add some effects to the copy, while leaving the original dry and dialing each in to get a certain level of dry/wet and acheiving more possibilities. Double TRACKING is better of course!

[Farview]

Originally Posted by Anomaly Design

It can accomplist a little more than nothing! He can just add some effects to the copy, while leaving the original dry and dialing each in to get a certain level of dry/wet and acheiving more possibilities. Double TRACKING is better of course!

You could just do the same thing by sending the one track to a stereo chorus (or whatever stereo effect you want). It would be more efficient than making your hard drive read another file and your computer process the extra track. It really is just a complicated way of doing something very simple. Kind of a strange way to out-smart yourself into thinking you are accomplishing more than you are.

[Anomaly Design]

Originally Posted by Farview

You could just do the same thing by sending the one track to a stereo chorus (or whatever stereo effect you want). It would be more efficient than making your hard drive read another file and your computer process the extra track. It really is just a complicated way of doing something very simple. Kind of a strange way to out-smart yourself into thinking you are accomplishing more than you are.

ssssssshhhhhhhhhh.....

[Farview]

Originally Posted by Anomaly Design

ssssssshhhhhhhhhh.....

I just listened to your myspace, I like the guitar tone, but why is it in mono?

[thajeremy]

Originally Posted by Farview

I just listened to your myspace, I like the guitar tone, but why is it in mono?

yea right...mono....you cant hear man...cant you tell he copied the track and pasted it into another track and hard panned them????

[Farview]

Originally Posted by thajeremy

yea right...mono....you cant hear man...cant you tell he copied the track and pasted it into another track and hard panned them????

I hit the mono button on the console and the image didn't change much. Everything seems panned center with some stereo reverb.

[thajeremy]

Originally Posted by Farview

I hit the mono button on the console and the image didn't change much. Everything seems panned center with some stereo reverb.

i was being sarcastic.....i think you knew that...but just in case....

[Farview]

Originally Posted by thajeremy

i was being sarcastic.....i think you knew that...but just in case....

I didn't want anyone to be confused.

[Anomaly Design]

Originally Posted by Farview

I just listened to your myspace, I like the guitar tone, but why is it in mono?

WHAT?! YOUR THE FIRST TO COMMENT ON THAT.... EVER!!! Seriously, thanks for the comment (good or bad)! Its in mono because thats how I set up my firepod. It was my second serious demo recording and the first with the capacity of mono or stereo. I honestly didn't know the difference. About two weeks later I was wondering why the hell I did that. What do you like about the guitar tone? I'd like to improve it in any way, shape or form.

[Anomaly Design]

Originally Posted by thajeremy

yea right...mono....you cant hear man...cant you tell he copied the track and pasted it into another track and hard panned them????

Guess what bro your wrong, its mono, double tracked. That band broke up but I had another guitarist. Thats two different people on guitar, both recorded mono because I was too inexperienced at the time to realize.

[Farview]

I listened to subconscious being. The guitar tone reminded me of old Slayer. You were bright enough not to use too much gain and scoop the mids.
If you just panned the guitars a little bit, you would get a huge sense of space. (pan the overheads on the drums as well)
The guitar sound really fits the music, I wouldn't change anything except the panning.

[Anomaly Design]

Originally Posted by Farview

I listened to subconscious being. The guitar tone reminded me of old Slayer. You were bright enough not to use too much gain and scoop the mids.
If you just panned the guitars a little bit, you would get a huge sense of space. (pan the overheads on the drums as well)
The guitar sound really fits the music, I wouldn't change anything except the panning.

Now I just need to remember how I did it! Can you believe that is the sound of a Randall Cyclone amp ! I was thinking about selling it soon. Your comment has given me back my faith in this half stack. Thanks man!

I can't wait to try panning it now... I'm doin some hardcore work in my studio this weekend.

EDIT: I also did a shitload of research on this forum before recording and found that thread about too much distortion and why not to scoop the mids, so thanks to all the crazy assholes on this forum!

[thajeremy]

Originally Posted by Anomaly Design

Guess what bro your wrong, its mono, double tracked. That band broke up but I had another guitarist. Thats two different people on guitar, both recorded mono because I was too inexperienced at the time to realize.

please refer back to posts 9 - 12.....

[jndietz]

one IS lagging. you are hearing one of them so many milliseconds before/after the other is played. that is the result of driver latencies. and of course this occurs if you are playing it once, then playing it again. they may be the same notes in the same time signature, but still it will sound different.

to do what i think you want to do, record the guitar once. then, hold down CTRL and right click on the track you want to double, and drag it on to another track. pan one of them 25% - 50% to the left and then the other 25% - 50% to the right (i usually choose 40% for both.) this will result in the guitar sounding a little more fuller and spaceous.

[grindpaul]

thanks for all replies.

i forgot i actually posted this thread, but here i am

i'm gonna try to record the same part twice in different tracks and then pan them.

[dobro]

That'll work, but you're going to have to play the part a ton of times in order to make both tracks right on the beat. If one part is off a bit, it sounds really sloppy and sticks out.

So, record the same part not just on two tracks, but on six or eight tracks. This'll do two things: first, you'll be playing the part a lot, and getting smoother and more regular each time. Second, you'll be able to cut and paste parts from all the various tracks to make the two final tracks that sound good together. Just make sure that if you're recording with a mic, that it's in exactly the same position for each track.

[Farview]

Or you could just practice so that you can play the part the same way twice. It really isn't that hard if you really know the part. This is one thing that separates the men from the boys.

[dobro]

Sure thing, but have you noticed how as soon as you push the 'Record' button, it focusses the attention wonderfully and you give it your best shot and put in your best possible performance of a part?

[Farview]

If you do it alot, you get used to it. For a long time, I recorded every time I played. Rehearsals, shows, etc... That way, you can actually hear what you were doing, and work on what needs to be better.

As a side note, I noticed that the shows that the band thought were great, weren't. While the shows that seemed so-so were the ones with the best performance. It is really hard to separate how you feel about the performance from the performance. If you can, you will get better by leaps and bounds.