Does Anyone Here Prefer Only Double Tracking Gats?

[JeffTD]

I've been debating about this with myself lately - I think the style my writing has evolved into (technical deathmetal with melodic/black influences) might benefit from only having two tracks. It ends up sounding much more clear and defined, and gives the cool character that only one track has. That said, it also doesn't sound quite as 'huge' - which in a way is kind of cool, and in another is kind of not.

Also, for you guys that only do 2 tracks and mix amps, do you just reamp the original signal and basically have the tracks panned the same way with two identical performances run through 2 amps? I figure that's how you'd blend amps with only 2 tracks, as I can't mic up multiple amps at the same time with my situation.

 

[JBroll]

I only use one track per take and I don't have the option to reamp or anything like that, but I often get lazy and just put one track on each side, so I'm going to throw in my two cents and there's precisely jack shit you can do about it.

When I cut the tracks down I don't lose 'huge'-ness, I just turn the one guitar per side a bit louder and occasionally tinker with slight pan/delay tweaks - someone on the board a while back posted that one thing they did to vocals was copy the center track to both sides (so there are three vocal tracks) and move one track back a few milliseconds and the other one forward a few milliseconds, so I tried moving the guitar tracks to 95% L and R and putting a second one of each at 100% to that respective side and fiddling with slight offsets like that.

I'm working on getting an i5 and a second preamp to try the Nordstrom thing (or even just mic up both speakers of my 212 separately and tinker as necessary) but for right now I'm fine with one track on each side.

Jeff

 

[KeithRT99]

it depends obviously. When it needs to be thick and huge (oh yeah) i do 4. Otherwise 2 is fine, sometimes 3 if i want it in the middle.

 

[Razorjack]

As anyone with a brain will tell you, it totally depends on the band. My bands current demo tracks are all done with just 2 guitar tracks and it works perfectly.

 

[joeymusicguy]

i've tried to reamp twice from one track

you just get weird phase problems

what you end up hearing is only the differences between the two distortions, not two distortions layered on top of each other

even at the lowest level of guitar recording, you still have to track another performance....

i heard machine was the king of guitar track sliding, tho. and lamb of god's last cd sounds like one take per guitarist throughout the whole cd.

 

[Kazrog]

I love quad tracking and I'm not nostalgic at all about my double-tracking days. But then again, I am your new god and I play with inhuman precision. Unless you give me beer....

 

[~BURNY~]

Whatever sounds good and tight.
Sometimes better is the enemy of good enough.

 

[Keiffer]

often I will take the DIs, clean them up, adjust and align and then reamp. I find it much easier and the result to be much better.

 

[lepersmeesa]

I double track all of my guitars, never quad. Ive tried it but i find some of the riffs to be too difficult to get 4 times ultra tight. Generally I use my Pod Xt, other then that I reamp through my Engl and use a 57 and any condensor i can get my hands on.

I know plently of artists who don't quadtrack. Sikth being a prime example. I dont think their riffs would sound any better with quadtracking them. Also im pretty sure Meshuggah only double track.

I know with Sikth, they use multiple mics on multiple cabs then choose what they want at the mixing stage. Lamb of God reamped through a Mesa Mk IV, something old and Marshally and DI. Then just blended the three sounds togethers.

 

[Jackal_Strain]

I sometimes quadtrack, but leave two of the tracks at least 6db lower in the mix. That way you'll get something inbetween quad and double tracking. Check it out.

 

[Suicide_As_Alibi]

I always record 4 tracks (at least), then pick my favourites. I was doing some punk recently, and went for 2 on the verse and 4 on the chorus - it just made the transitions a bit meatier. My 3rd and 4th track are always a lot lower than the main two though.

Like Razorjack said, there's no right or wrong - it can depend not just on the band, but on the amps, the engineer and everything else. Sometimes you just get that tone right and 2 tracks just knocks you on your ass.

Steve

 

[Curran]

when i track bands they kind of dictate to me if they can or want to track more than two guitar tracks. I prefer four myself but is can't always happen with the player you are recording. that being said I know that waters from Annihilator only uses two guitar tracks but two mics on the cab(57, and a C414) Loomis always told me he quad tracked and I think Sneap has confirmed that here more than one(and using two 57's as well). I always quad track with the 57's on one of my boogie cabs but I also have impedence match cables for the 57's to my board that make a HUGE differance in clarity and tightness as well. other than that there are my two penny's

Love Curran

 

[xmarcelx]

i've tried to reamp twice from one track

you just get weird phase problems

what you end up hearing is only the differences between the two distortions, not two distortions layered on top of each other

even at the lowest level of guitar recording, you still have to track another performance....

i heard machine was the king of guitar track sliding, tho. and lamb of god's last cd sounds like one take per guitarist throughout the whole cd.

I think you can get rid of the phase issue by sliding the track a bit!

 

[AStacy2]

I almost always double track only. Time is always a big issue for me though.

 

[Kazrog]

I think you can get rid of the phase issue by sliding the track a bit!

No, it just creates a different phase issue. There is no substitute for multiple unique performances.

 

[Chris Finster]

I think one per-side is good if the guitar player isnt all that tight.
Two per-side with the tight players.

And if it turns out when i mix that it only needs one a side, ill simply throw out the extra takes.

But as a personal rule, If ive got legitimate guitar players ill always do two per side.

 

[CJWall]

I love quad tracking and I'm not nostalgic at all about my double-tracking days. But then again, I am your new god and I play with inhuman precision. Unless you give me beer....

lol. I can't play for shit when I've had a few drinks..