ATTN: Guitarists/guys that record lots of bands

[bryan_kilco]

when tracking guitars with a band that has 2 guitarists, how often does each guy actually track their parts?

do you have the tighter/better player track all rhythms? or do you actually have each guy track? I have a big fear that our other guitarist just doesnt have the "thrash wrist", doesnt really DIG IN quite like I do. Im not saying Im better or anything like that, just notice to detail.

I find that its hard enough to track tightly with myself, let alone another guy.

 

[P-E]

I'm not really someone who records people a lot so you can take my advice with a grain of salt.

However, what sounds good is good, and if you're tighter and dig harder in the strings, by all means you should go for it IMO.

 

[bryan_kilco]

I'd gladly do it if the option was there for me, however, I can easily see how the other guy would want to hear himself playing on the album. Just wanted a few outsider thoughts on this subject.

 

[Chryst Krispies]

Whoever is better plays the riffs. Simple. If that other guy gets pissed tell him to get the dick outta his ass and shut the fuck up.

 

[P-E]

 

[PhilTheBeard]

We always track the tightest player in the band. or whoever has the best pick attack and tone in their fingers

 

[Sacha]

have the tighter/better player track all rhythms?

this, indeed

 

[StefTD]

Yeah, definatly-should have done it that way when we tracked our cd.
I was the vocalist and "producer", but all the other guys said that each
guitarist should play his parts, in the end we had one really tight track
on the left side and one acceptable track on the right side...both together
just sounded muddy most of the time (due to the playing, not the sound)
that really sucked imho.

Another nice thing about having the tighter guitarist play everything is,
I will never have to track guitars by myself

 

[aortizjr]

+1 to the tighter player.

The only times I would sway from that is if the other guitar player doesn't know the parts. Ie. harmonies or layered riffs.

So it is a gamble because it may turn out crappier to have the "better" guitar player try to play parts he/she has to learn on the spot.

But switching guitar players mid riff is often strange too. Guitar players often have preferences for their guitar. So I can hear the tone change with the guitars and fingers. So then it becomes how much of a change and how easy it is to cover up.

Sometimes though, the two players are tight and/or compliment eachother well. So say double tracking tight-ass guitars then a set a bit looser can really thicken up the sound, depending on the style.

 

[drew_drummer]

Get tight as a band before you record.

 

[Charles J]

Depends on the band, but 90% of the time, one guitarist will do rhythms and the rest can be split up however they'd like... so it's sort of a compromise. i feel for the dude who wants to be on the record, so I try to give everyone a little 'me' time... =D

but for southern type stuff, hardcore or stuff that needs UBER vibe, both guitarists just rockin out!

 

[abigor731]

one guy tracking all the rythm is better because each player is different, especially on stuff like palm mutes, it just sounds tighter if you have 2 or 4 tracks which are played by the same guy with the same pick attack, vibrato and palm mutes
if the guitar lines on the two sides are considerably different it can make sense, but most of the time this ins't the case in metal
if you think you're the better player then you should do it
and if you don't want to start a debate about who is a better player just say its easier for you as a producer if you do it yourself. if you are tracking little pieces and put them together later it takes a lot of time to tell the guitarist which exact notes he has to play and on which beat they are and stuff. thats not even a lie.

i am in the same situation with my band, i could convince the guitarist, but not the bassplayer (because guitarists can never play bass better than people who can only play bass)

 

[DanLights]

(because guitarists can never play bass better than people who can only play bass)

I seriously disagree this is always true, so many lame-ass bassists around and so many good guitarists that can nail some good bass tracks around

 

[guitarguru777]

We always track the tightest player in the band. or whoever has the best pick attack and tone in their fingers

+100000

 

[Force666]

if the guitar lines on the two sides are considerably different it can make sense, but most of the time this ins't the case in metal

Really? I'de have to question what type of "metal" you're listening to.


If one of the guitarist really sucks, have the other play all the parts. If they're both good, but different, have them each play the parts that they wrote and/or play better.

 

[ahjteam]

For Insane Affection's debut album we recorded a lot of variations between the songs; IIRC Waves was solo + dual tracking (only one track per guitarist + one track for solo), and Flying Dead Bird had total of 38(!) guitartracks, but take that with a grain of salt as it has like ~12 different guitar tones in it, and like 8 tracks of clean space sounds in the first 30 seconds. But in the last chorus both guitarists had 4 tracks, so it was "octotracked", but they weren't identical takes. Bass was always single tracked.

 

[006]

So far every project I have done with using just one guitarist for all the rhythms has always come out way better than any of the projects when I was feeling squirrely and let both guys do their tracks. Of course every situation is different, but so far it's been consistent for me that using the better player for rhythms turns out better every time.

It's more than just palm mutes that need to be considered. Everything about every riff, both players will have their own vibe going on, from vibrato, pinch harmonics, the palm muting of course, the way they strum, the way they hit open chords, how hard they play, how dynamic one may be over the other... it goes on and on. I've even had projects where the player that wasn't "as good" played all the rhythms just because he had a more desirable vibe than the "better" player.

 

[MetalSound]

you have to deal with a lot of egos very often. especially with those guys that are total noobs and can´t play their shit.
you can tell them to fuck off and learn to play guitar and they will never come back to you or you convince them the "soft" way.
but in nearly all cases it´s better to let one guitarist play all the parts (at least the ones that are the same on both tracks).
psychology is the most important thing in the recording business. ;-)

 

[barricade]

I do it always like this... whoever plays the part better plays both guitars to keep both sides equaly tight! Or if one guitar player plays for miles better then the other, he tracks all the guitar parts... it's just like that. If you want to have a good sound you have to get the tracking right... and that's what i tell all the band i record! Sometimes i record the guitars for them. Once a band came to my studio to record 2 songs...and i ended up playing all the guitars! yeapp...

 

[professorlamp]

how the hell do you guys convince the shit player to let them do this
what if all they play is rhythm and then they have no part in the song?