Hazard Nova
Everything in moderation
I've searched all over but have not yet found a comprehensive, simple guide to layering guitar tracks for a heavy rock sound (think Soundgarden or Helmet)...or any sound, for that matter. Yes, "if it sounds good it is good," but I interpret that as "learn the rules first, then break them". So what are some rules?
(Some background on me, real quick: most of my electric guitar playing is just noodling around totally unplugged, so I haven't had much time to experiment with sound. I can point to parts of my favorite songs and say "I want this part of my song to sound like that" but I have next to no clue how to get from my multi-FX pedal to there.)
Of course there will always be exceptions, but as general rules of thumb, I want to know things such as:
(Some background on me, real quick: most of my electric guitar playing is just noodling around totally unplugged, so I haven't had much time to experiment with sound. I can point to parts of my favorite songs and say "I want this part of my song to sound like that" but I have next to no clue how to get from my multi-FX pedal to there.)
Of course there will always be exceptions, but as general rules of thumb, I want to know things such as:
- How many overlaid guitar tracks are too many?
- If I've overlaid too many guitar tracks and the mix is starting to get muddy, which ones should I try eliminating first?
- What are some basic guidelines for stereo placement when it comes to layering guitars?
- What kinds of guitar sounds combine in what ways? (References to parts of actual songs would be helpful.)
- Are there any combinations of sounds to avoid?
- Is guitar feedback (and other kinds of noise) way more commonly used in layering than most people realize? If so, when?
- In interviews, I've heard guitarists I like talk about using certain guitars for layering. What do they mean? What makes a guitar good for layering? How do I emulate that with a single guitar?
- Any other suggestions/dos and don'ts/things to keep in mind or watch out for are welcome!