another double tracking question

[fat_fleet]

lately i just double track ALL GUITARS except for certain instances (ambient/feedback track etc).
a single-tracked guitar just doesn't sound thick enough to cut through anymore.
plus i feel like if i ever need a really THICK sound to cut through the other guitars, i can just quadruple-track it.

is this normal, or is it a habit i should be trying to break?

 

[GONZO-X]

this is a ''production" decision.

listen to van halen I.

for an extreme example of NOT double tracking....

turn off the left side of the recording......
what do you have?







then, go pull all your classic rock recordings, and study how they filled the stereo field....

then listen to the most modern thing you've got, carefully, in the cans.......

and see if you can spot the tricks.

 

[TheChikenMaster]

Whatever floats your boat. There is no wrong way to eat a reeces...

 

[Fletcher]

Getting a "large" guitar sound starts with the sound of the guitar in the room. The first thing you should do [if you're "close mic'ing"] is get the speaker cabinet off the floor... put it on a road case, barstool, whatever ya got... but get it off the floor [the cabinet will couple with the floor to create a false sense of bottom - bottom that will be in the room, but won't be coming out of the speaker... and by the nature of close mic'ing - you're mainly interested in the sound coming out of the speaker].

If you want to double track - then double track. As previously mentioned - that's a production decision. If you want to make your double track sound really massive [yet still fit into a mix] then consider "doubling" the part in an open tuning... or change the chord voicing on the second [3rd, 4th, 17th] track... that technique will often gain you size without adding weight [weight being a thick massive wall that is difficult to get stuff like drums and vocals through].

I hope this is of some assistance.

Peace

 

[fat_fleet]

The first thing you should do [if you're "close mic'ing"] is get the speaker cabinet off the floor... put it on a road case, barstool, whatever ya got... but get it off the floor [the cabinet will couple with the floor to create a false sense of bottom - bottom that will be in the room, but won't be coming out of the speaker...

thanks Fletcher, did not know this but it makes perfect sense.

 

[Mo Facta]

Yup, whenever you have a 90 degree coupling of surfaces the bass is accentuated. An easy way to hear this is to merely put your head into a corner when music is being played. The bass will be much louder in this space and this is the main reason why we have bass traps.

The guitar amp or cabinet, when with coupled perpendicular with the floor, exhibits this phenomenon as well, which is why it's a good idea to get it off the floor.

Cheers

 

[jonesey]

if it is the sound you are looking for and you are happy with it, don't worry about whether it is a "habit" you need to break. If the sound suits you, go for it

 

[fat_fleet]

thanks all. i now have the confidence to just go ahead and octuple everything. and i've started knocking everything out of phase deliberately and boosting the super-highs and cutting everything under 1k in all instruments.

sounds great to me!

 

[arcadeko]

I have been trying to double track everything that is chord based. Occasionally I will just dupe and delay L/R channels if I already have a really really good fat guitar sound. But almost always I double track. Then I add accent tracks to really kick the changes in, just a great open ringing chord adds a lot to the push of the song IMO.

Hope my fans aren't too disappointed when I play live

 

[Murdersgalore]

This is not a problem for me as I am so good I just play two guitars at once.

 

[fat_fleet]

oh... didn't mention this but when i talk about "playing a guitar" i really mean sampling it from a 70s funk record