Headroom Problems

[Analytical Man]

Hello everyone, i am new to this forum but anyhow i have a fostex vf16 and i like it alot. I record really heavy music in the style of Pantera. It seems that everything loses clarity when i add a couple of guitars over top each other, and bass. I record all guitar parts and bass direct through my Johnson J Station, so it is processed fairly well going in, but when i layer multiple guitar parts it begins to turn to mud. Is this a headroom problem with this DAW? Anyone else found the headroom issue to be a problem? Thanks -Shaun

 

[Jager]

I have a vf-16 also, and i dont think the problem lies in its headroom. Try using a little less distortion on each of the guitar tracks. Even the heaviest of bands use less than youd think. Next I'd try to give each track its own space in stereo field. Try giving each track a slightly different EQ. The guitars may sound muddy because theyre stepping on each others toes in the EQ spectrum.

Hope this helps.

 

[Analytical Man]

Haedroom

hey thanks for your thoughts Jager. I try and do what you said. When i tack the guitars i pan each out seperately, but i really haven't EQ'd them all that differently. As for the distortion, i am right where i need to be with that element. Thanks alot. I'll post some of my bands songs in the future.

 

[Drummerbones]

Not a headroom issue at all. Jager is on the right track there. I record 2 guitar lines in stereo which is 4 tracks of guitar. I pan the far right and left of each one, and then pan the center 2 to maybe 2 o' clock & 10 o' clock. I set the faders in a smiley face or upsidedown umbrella. Hope that isn't confusing!

This really helps spread the guitars out and let them breath.