Confused about multiple guitar tracks

[Melodeath]

In my recordings I do 2 guitar tracks for the rhythm. Both are recorded with the same exact settings, guitar, amp, etc.

I pan one hard left and one hard right. It sounds good to me.

However, I have heard that a lot of producers use many guitar tracks, sometimes 6, in order to create a thick and full "wall of sound."

I tried four tracks (all recorded with the same settings), one panned hard right, one hard left, one 80% left, and another 80% right. It sounded extremely muddy.

Then I read that you should record each track with different settings. Is this true? Do you use different amp/guitar/amp settings on each track or just on each group of two tracks? Do you have all 4 or 6 tracks set differently?

Do you pan each track differently or do you do something along the lines of what I did?


Thanks a lot.

 

[Bob Savage]

If you're going to use more than two tracks, you had better be playing each track as "identical" to the others as possible. Only players with very tight rhythm playing can pull that off. Additionally, when that many tracks are used, often times different amps and very specific EQ'ing is used on the various tracks to pull only certain qualities from the various tracks. In other words, it's not just 6 tracks of the same guitar tone.

 

[blackcom]

When recording only two guitars, try using two mics (watch out for phase issues.)

Two 57 on two different speakers....or
a 57 and another mic like Beta57a, MD421 an LDC, LDC, whatever on either two different speakers or the same speaker placing both mics as close to eachother as possible.

That will make it sound alot thicker....blend to taste....

 

[Bob Savage]

When recording only two guitars, try using two mics (watch out for phase issues.)

Two 57 on two different speakers....or
a 57 and another mic like Beta57a, MD421 an LDC, LDC, whatever on either two different speakers or the same speaker placing both mics as close to eachother as possible.

That will make it sound alot thicker....blend to taste....

Using multiple mics is very different than double or multiple tracking. I doubletrack most of my rhythms. For each track I usually use two mics, an SM57 and whatever else I feel is appropriate, and I put each mic on a different speaker type (I like mixing speakers in my cabs). While the multiple mics do add some additional frequency complexity that wouldn't have been there with a single mic and one speaker, it doesn't thicken or create the stereo field you get with multiple takes.

 

[Shredfiend]

The last time I was in the studio the guy recording us put 3 different mics on mine and the other guitar players cabinet, sub mixed them and had us each do 3 takes.....layered. I told him I didn't think I'd like the results, but it wasn't my project, I was just helping some friends, and needless to say the other guitar player plays a little 'loose'. The guy recording the project took his micing tactects from another guy in our area reocording for another studio.

Needless to say I thought the guitars sounded kind of homogenized for lack of a better word.....kind flat and not dynamic enough. I'm currently recording my bands CDat home and only using 2 tracks, one per side for ryhthm and liking the results thus far. I'm taking my time and making sure everything is as tight as possible but a I like to hear the dynamics of each individual track, the way the pick is hitting the string and the muting and what not. With a lot of tracks piled on some times I think those dynamics are gone.

But I'm always open to new ideas so it will be interesting to hear what everyone else is doing.

For recording right now I'm running an Ibanez RG3120 w/EMG's into a VHT UL and a Randall ISO cab using a 75 watt celesetion.

 

[TheStoryteller]

I like four tracks. With either 2 different amps (Savage 120 + 5150 for example), two totally different settings on one amp, or sometimes it works great with just two totally different guitars on the same amp with same settings.