doubling tracks for..

[grindpaul]

do you guys double the solo? i mean like record it twice and pan then and all that jazz? i already have the rhythm guitar in the background doubled

 

[Scottgman]

Well you should try it and if it sounds good then it was a good choice.

It really depends on the solo and the song and your style and your artistic vision, etc. etc.

If it were me I would probably write a harmony part for the solo-- or at least parts of the solo rather than doubling it verbatim. But you never know until you try it... so quit posting and go try it!

 

[grindpaul]

well i tried it. if i double it, it sounds kinda sloppy, and it doesnt make much difference depth-wise. if i dont, it sounds alright too. i was just wondering how you guys do it. and if u dont double, how do you pan it (if u pan it at all).

i never recorded solos before, im a first timer i guess.. haha

edit: forgot to mention, the music style is metal

 

[Scottgman]

There are no rules. Try panning it to different degrees or right down the center. All that matters is you like how it sounds. Sometimes panning can help a solo cut through a dense mix. But panning could also make the mix sound a little lop-sided (not balanced) as well. Experiement and go with what you like.

Also, like I mentioned, you might try some harmonies on the solo part. Some of the early metal gods did that alot (cough... Iron Maiden... cough). In fact, if you harmonize using minor thirds, you stand a good chance of sounding just like Iron Maiden...

 

[grindpaul]

haha well im 19 so i havent been into iron maiden, but i do some harmonizing, just not on the solos. im not sure if im harmonizing 3rds or what, but something is harmonizing. i'll post some when im done recording

 

[Outlaws]

Maybe some reverb and/or delay? Not too much, just a hair. Make it so you barely hear it, then make it a little less than that. Wait two hours and come back and listen again. Put the effects on and off and see if you can just tell one sounds better.

And don't forget to make sure you haven't removed all the mids from the solo guitar...you could even boost them a bit if you haven't already.

 

[grindpaul]

And don't forget to make sure you haven't removed all the mids from the solo guitar...

oops.. my amp settings are kinda like this - lows +1, highs 0, mids like -4

even though it doesnt sound too horrible..

what's a site where i can post a sound clip real quik?

edit: i did use some reverb, just barely noticable, but it makes a difference

 

[nonovice]

Rhandy Rhoads use to tripple track his solos to thicken them up. In case you dont know he was ozzys axe man on his first 2 solo records. amazing player.

 

[Sirnothingness]

There are certain methods that'll help you get a good sound and doubling tracks is one of them. But you really got to experiment some and maybe even read a primer on recording. I tend to pan things as I would view them on the stage. That may be somewhat basic but I'm no expert at it. Panning can help but there are other aspects to getting the sound to punch through. They all work together to make a decent mix.

 

[Cyrokk]

You have to be a real tight player in order to do a panned solo correctly. Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page did this often when they played live. It's usually done best when the solo isn't flashy and has a lot of bends (but you have to also be proficient in bending strings to the right pitch).

I wouldn't do it for all your solos, and I'd also experiment with doing a solo on each side that branches off in harmony-Tony Iommi did this on Sabbath's earlier albums quite a bit, and you will hear similar things in modern stoner-rock type groups.

 

[digmudvayne4lif]

give lightningmp3.com a try for posting your clip

 

[Farview]

I don't tend to, but in my earlier days, I used to triple them. Just like Randy Rhoads on the first Ozzy album. It will tighten up your playing a lot.

 

[orksnork]

oops.. my amp settings are kinda like this - lows +1, highs 0, mids like -4

even though it doesnt sound too horrible..

what's a site where i can post a sound clip real quik?

edit: i did use some reverb, just barely noticable, but it makes a difference

*slams head against the floor*
kids these days with their dan fogelberg records, hoolahoops, pacman video games AND LACK OF MID ON GUITAR SOUNDS...(hehe im 22)

sit down and listen to some great rock and roll cds...i mean anything that was great, even if it wasn't the best production of whenever...

EVERYTHING in a mix has it's place, or the mix is shit. guitars are a midranged instrument...bass is for the lows and other instruments (cymbals, vocals, etc) fill in the high...

but then again...you might be aching for that Boss Metal Zone sound....i was too....when i was 12

 

[orksnork]

and as far as doubling....try it, if it sounds good in the mix, it's a keeper, if not, throw it away when you get to mixdown...

if it makes it sound sloppy, that appears to be a performance issue, not a recording issue...tighten it up!

 

[SMC Productions]

I wouldn't do it for all your solos, and I'd also experiment with doing a solo on each side that branches off in harmony-Tony Iommi did this on Sabbath's earlier albums quite a bit, and you will hear similar things in modern stoner-rock type groups.

I was going to bring that up, but you beat me to it!
I really like the way Tony did that, especially on his earlier albums. Some almost sound 'dischordant', but the end result is awesome...
I've tried it in some projects, and if the guitar player has the proper 'feel', it can sound really cool...

Listen to some early Sabbath (first 3 albums), that's where 'Metal' started, anyway...especially check out the '10 minute' solo on the first album!

Good Luck!

 

[myhatbroke]

I didnt really read the thread but Ill tel you this...Metallica sometimes lowered all the rythm guitars when the solo kicked in so it could stand out

 

[cake1122]

whats the difference between doubling a guitar track in the software or having the guitarist play it again does it matter sound wise

 

[orksnork]

if they play it twice, it wont be PERFECTLY identical...generally this sounds fuller and richer than if you were to simply duplicate the track and move it down a few ms's

 

[Farview]

whats the difference between doubling a guitar track in the software or having the guitarist play it again does it matter sound wise

There is no difference between copying a guitar track and adding that to the mix and just turning the original guitar track up. You have to play it twice to get the fullness.

 

[orksnork]

here's a little something i recorded with an older band a while back
you'll see the leads are panned hard left and right
half of the time they are doing the same run
and half they are harmonizing each other