Your Approach on QUAD TRACKING

[SkybluestudiosBEN]

Ive found that I am always doing DUAL tracking. As in GTR L and GTR R and if there is a lead it goes CENTER.

I feel I have achieved some rad tones by doing this. Ive tried quad tracking before but it seems as if clouds my mix and I always just end up going back to DUAL.


What are some of your approaches to professionally quad tracking?

1 Mic? 2 Mics?

I always change EQs when I DUAL track but when you do QUAD do you take it a step farther and make each guitar sit in a different spot on the frequency spectrum as in LOW, LOW MID, HIGH MID and HIGH?

Change Amps for each track? So that means like 4 different amps?
Does your 2 Left guitars for instance have the Same EQ and then you make your 2 Right gtrs different from the left but keep those the same?

Lets see what you guys do. Im curious on this.

 

[Harry Hughes]

I just use the same amp tone on all 4 tracks and it sounds fine *shrugs*

 

[ahjteam]

Depends in the approach, either two takes on amp 1 at left and two takes on amp 2 at right or then "huge mono", one take on both amps on both sides or same amp and settings for all takes. I usually pan them L100%, L65-80%, R65-80%, R100% and drop the inner ones ~3dB

 

[mburton21]

I use the on/off axis mic technique which results in 8 total rhythm tracks for quad tracking (which i always use now). Meh.

I have the guitars panned 100/100 and then 89-89 . Thick as hell. C4 is required.


EDIT: I use the same amp basically all the time, 5150. Lead channel with the EQ adapted for quad tracking the on/off mics. Please don't take the tones in my sig as examples. I have remixed countless times since then.

 

[slayercannibalsuffohead]

L>K7>HBE DOOMSDAY DEVICE>XXX, L80
L>LOOMIS>MAXON 808>XXX, L100

R>K7>HBE DOOMDAY DEVICE>5150, R80
R>LOOMIS>MAXON 808>5150, R100

Needs to be tight as a fishs arse or it will sound cloudy!
C4 to taste.

 

[theNeologist]

I typically quad track 100L/100R and 80L/80R....then just to give some more depth and thickness I usually do slight variations to the two tones. For example I'm experimenting now with having everything the same but using a different mic on the right side guitars. I think it defintiely adds more to the overall sound.....buuuuuut I'm no professional....so take my advice worth a grain of salt

 

[Mesa4x12er]

Lately I use 2 amps and 2 guitars.

Performance 1.... Guitar A & Amp A 100%L
Performance 2.... Guitar A & Amp B 100%L
Performance 3.... Guitar B & Amp A 100%R
Performance 4.... Guitar B & Amp B 100%R

Rather than do the 85% L or R stuff I just let one amp dominate more on each side level wise.

 

[musickey]

This is fairly typical for me, I try and get both Heads sounding great on their own, as if i where only going to use one amp or the other. After i record the tracks i will then try and get them to blend together.

Example
All different performances

1 Mesa Recto = 100% left

2 Mesa Recto = 100% right

3 Peavey XXX = 80% left

4 Peavey XXX = 80% right

 

[Dexter_prog]

Anyone other than Mesa4x12er quadtracking and hard-panning all tracks?

 

[nwright]

I quad track and hard pan. Sometimes I blend amps, sometimes I use the same amp for all 4.

My best quad track clip, using a peavey XXX and a Madison 4x12, 4 tracks, 2 panned hard each side.

http://geetarguy.tripod.com/newsong1.mp3

 

[Tokyurot]

My best quad track clip, using a peavey XXX and a Madison 4x12, 4 tracks, 2 panned hard each side.

http://geetarguy.tripod.com/newsong1.mp3

Pure tits man! Did you use any OD on the tracks or is it all XXX?

I mostly go with 2 gits 100% LR + 2 gits 80% LR (abit lower in the mix)

If using ampsim, then I probably change the IR for the 80% guitars.

 

[nowherecatastrophe]

it really depends on the situation - usually one amp for the main LR pair and another amp for the doubled pair.

I always use 1 mic when quad tracking though, if not trackcounts tend to get a little out of hand..

always use the same guitar for doing the doubled track! could be just me - but i found that no matter how nazi i am about tuning and intonation on the guitars, different instruments tend to sound slightly chorusy when doubled..opinions?

 

[Dexter_prog]

I quad track and hard pan. Sometimes I blend amps, sometimes I use the same amp for all 4.

My best quad track clip, using a peavey XXX and a Madison 4x12, 4 tracks, 2 panned hard each side.

http://geetarguy.tripod.com/newsong1.mp3

nice, what about volume in each pair?

 

[darthjujuu]

i've quadded a few times, just two hard panned tracks, same amp for all of 'em. i never knew you guys were also doing it, but i happened to throw C4 across all of them for glue and to add a bit of "bite". i didn't encounter much obvious phase cancellation. but in retrospect it does add somewhat of a "fredman mic style" esque vibe, probably due to some slight cancellation in the shrill nasally high mids range. which can be desirable.

newbie tip:

when recording a shitty metalcore band, chances are that there's a dominant guitarist (the one that does all the "writing") and his cronie/obedient sidekick. make the dominant one track ALL the rhythms, especially if quadding. two different guitarists trying to play the same thing is far less tight.

 

[mephisto_loh]

I quad track and hard pan. Sometimes I blend amps, sometimes I use the same amp for all 4.

My best quad track clip, using a peavey XXX and a Madison 4x12, 4 tracks, 2 panned hard each side.

http://geetarguy.tripod.com/newsong1.mp3

Nice work mate!