General Random Questions

[G3ekRock]

I've been recording for about 6 years. I've always used Cool Edit Pro (now Adobe Audition) and am very familiar with the program. There's just little specifics that I'm not quite sure of.

I'm currently working on covering an Ozma song, which is basically guitar driven, melodic rock (think Weezer). I've got my cymbals, kick, snare, and toms all on seperate tracks and I've been using parametric EQ to tweak them. I've got my bass track sounding good with a little compression and some parametric EQ. I've also just started usingRevalver which is a DX amp simulator and it's awesome. So I've got my guitar tracks sounding good.

I'm familiar with the practice of recording at least 2 rhythm tracks and panning them to the left and right.

So my questions are, I'm still not quite sure how to set the levels on all of my tracks. In the MultiTrack view I just try to keep everything from red lining and set the individual track volumes so that it sounds good to me. I don't know if I need to keep everything a little lower (sometimes I get in to the yellow but never the red) and then work on making the whole track hotter when I mix it down or what.

Also, I've heard of bands like the Smashing Pumpkins using lots of tracks for guitars to create that wall of guitar sound, but I'm not sure how to do this. (I mean, the nuts and bolts of doing it I know, it's just recording a lot of guitar tracks, but how to you set their levels so they all come across with out getting all lost in the mix?)

It seems that as I add more tracks I approach the red more (duh) but when I turn everything down a bit it just loses that punch and hottness. Any suggestions? Should I be doubling or tripling my kick track or EQing guitars differently?

Maybe I wasn't as clear as I wanted to be in this post. I've learned everything I know through doing it and through tips online, I've never actually talked with anybody else that records. Thanks!

 

[bat63]

Here's an article that might help:

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/oct99/articles/producedsound.htm?

 

[ssscientist]

You're right - piling on guitar tracks can dull the sound and tame it to where it doesn't even rock anymore.

Try this - lead with one main guitar and mix the rest intentionally behind it but not so far behind it that they dissappear. By 'the rest' I mean two or four or six - even multiples so you can pan one to one side and one to the other. Stay away from more than 3 0'clock or 9 0'clock pans though - what you're after is a nice unified guitar sound, not a guitar onslaught...

And don't be afraid to experiment with EQ - sucking some bottom or low mid or midrange out can be a great thing, depending on the circumstances. And remember, as Joe Meek said 'if it sounds right, it is right'.

 

[G3ekRock]

Hey, thanks guys!

I'm working with limited equipment here, if you want go check out what I'm working on. It's rough right now, no lead parts and the vocals are just a rough cut, not all the lines laid down, etc.

(320kbit Mp3 8 megs)

I'd love to hear some feedback. I know the levels aren't all right, but considering the equipment I'm working with I think it's pretty good. I'm mixing in headphones (I know, a BIG no no) but I don't have another option right now.
So, let know what you would do.

 

[Cloneboy Studio]

Personally I think that about 4 tracks of guitar overdubs sounds best. 2 is too few and 6 too many.