Guitars and busses

[Eschatologist]

Hey guys, how does everyone route their rhythm guitars? Serial bussed then EQ'd or parallel busses? Where do you sit the EQs and Comps in the chains? I need to fatten/clear up my quad tracked guitars and I'm looking for ideas

 

[Unavailable]

I'm not using any compression except the odd C4 when the low-mids need some taming. Usually it's just EQ, no busses. But that's just me.

 

[Eschatologist]

I'm not using any compression except the odd C4 when the low-mids need some taming. Usually it's just EQ, no busses. But that's just me.

So you apply a separate C4 plug to each guitar track?

 

[Aaron Smith]

So you apply a separate C4 plug to each guitar track?

Yes, I think that is the cleanest way to go. I don't like the idea of one compressor reacting to multiple guitars at once... I think it will come out more even if it's one compressor per guitar.

 

[Ermz]

I apply all processing and FX to the guitars as part of a single bus/group. I go for stereo symmetry and time efficiency, so having one comp reacting to both sides at once is desirable. Usually I'll do some very limiter-like compression to take the tops off the guitar transients, C4 for mid-bass and low mids, and a shit-ton of EQ unless the tracked signals sound near perfect.

 

[LSD-Studio]

GitL1 \
..........-----Group100%\
GitR1 /....................... \
...................................\---Group RH guits
.................................../
GitL2\ ......................../
........-------Group80%/
GitR2/



every guit (e.g. GuitL1) may consist of 2 or more tracks (mics), in that case I'll have both faders of mixA linked and of mic B linked.

A is my key-mic and I'll add B till it sounds nice.
same for guit-pair2

then I usually have only HP/LP on the rh-guits-group

 

[006]

I'm with Moony here in my methods. I usually have 2 tracks for each 1 track of guitar, to make punch-ins much easier. So I may have, for example, 2 tracks of Gtr1 Left Side, those two go to a bus labeled "GTR L", so that I have one channel to control both track for that guitar on that side. That bus is panned hard left. Same deal for the right side. Then both the "GTR L" and "GTR R" busses go to a stereo bus labeled "GTR", at which point I can do global EQ'ing, multi-band compression, as well as a throwing a limiter on there just to keep them from clipping, I don't adjust the threshold so it stays at 0dB, automatic release time. I turn the two busses, L and R, up until I'm getting a good, hot (but not too hot) signal in the GTR bus. I usually end up doing some real minor tweaks to the L and R bus EQ-wise just to get a little difference between them, like I may do a tiny cut or boost on one and do the opposite on the other in a specific area.

I think it sounds like it may be a little complicated with my way...but it really isn't and I haven't felt as comfortable and been as efficient doing it any other way as of yet.

~006

 

[outoftune]

I usually do all the compressing on the individual tracks and bus the guitars then for overall EQ

 

[seditz740novaprospect]

I'm with Moony here in my methods. I usually have 2 tracks for each 1 track of guitar, to make punch-ins much easier. So I may have, for example, 2 tracks of Gtr1 Left Side, those two go to a bus labeled "GTR L", so that I have one channel to control both track for that guitar on that side. That bus is panned hard left. Same deal for the right side. Then both the "GTR L" and "GTR R" busses go to a stereo bus labeled "GTR", at which point I can do global EQ'ing, multi-band compression, as well as a throwing a limiter on there just to keep them from clipping, I don't adjust the threshold so it stays at 0dB, automatic release time. I turn the two busses, L and R, up until I'm getting a good, hot (but not too hot) signal in the GTR bus. I usually end up doing some real minor tweaks to the L and R bus EQ-wise just to get a little difference between them, like I may do a tiny cut or boost on one and do the opposite on the other in a specific area.

I think it sounds like it may be a little complicated with my way...but it really isn't and I haven't felt as comfortable and been as efficient doing it any other way as of yet.

~006

i pretty much mix guitars the same way


i find it easier to bus all the separate elements of the guitars to groups. Rhythm, leads, solos, etc. All of which i send to separate bus's for automation of the groups to be able to raise and lower the whole group still.. those bus's then get sent to a stereo bus for the 2 track guitar mix.
My processing is on the ind group bus's and do little on the stereo besides limiting and hp/lp filters

 

[Exocaster]

I'll assign guitars to busses by type- rhythm, lead, clean, acoustic- to more easily adjust the levels as a group (raise/lower one fader for rhythm guitars rather than eight, for example) and work from there.

I tend to process distorted guitars very lightly. These days, just a bit of Massey Tapehead and EQ. No compression. Clean and acoustic stuff gets a bit more "assistance". I split the processing between individual tracks and the bus, whether I'm trying to get something out of a specific tone, or just make the group sit better in the mix as a whole.

 

[Genius Gone Insane]

I try to do it different every time so it doesn't always sound the same.

 

[JonWormwood]

I'm with Moony here in my methods. I usually have 2 tracks for each 1 track of guitar, to make punch-ins much easier. So I may have, for example, 2 tracks of Gtr1 Left Side, those two go to a bus labeled "GTR L", so that I have one channel to control both track for that guitar on that side. That bus is panned hard left. Same deal for the right side. Then both the "GTR L" and "GTR R" busses go to a stereo bus labeled "GTR", at which point I can do global EQ'ing, multi-band compression, as well as a throwing a limiter on there just to keep them from clipping, I don't adjust the threshold so it stays at 0dB, automatic release time. I turn the two busses, L and R, up until I'm getting a good, hot (but not too hot) signal in the GTR bus. I usually end up doing some real minor tweaks to the L and R bus EQ-wise just to get a little difference between them, like I may do a tiny cut or boost on one and do the opposite on the other in a specific area.

I think it sounds like it may be a little complicated with my way...but it really isn't and I haven't felt as comfortable and been as efficient doing it any other way as of yet.

~006

.

 

[kev]

Im not sure about the logic of applying a compressor to each guitar track seperately, something ive been thinking about for a while, but i always still process in groups.

 

[zvish]

how much you HP guitars ? what is your maximum which you prefered, and it was sounding good... thx for tips

 

[006]

I never go above 80Hz, and usually it's at just 65Hz.

~006

 

[Zack Uidl]

yeah, 60 -> 65Hz is the most I've for a HP

 

[drew_drummer]

I usually roll off from 150hz and then compress each track individually. I don't want those frequencies below 150hz affecting the compressor, so my EQ is before the compressor. Then I route it all to a bus, for volume automation purposes.

If you keep the frequencies below 100hz, all you're doing is creating mud - that space is for the bass guitar and kick drum

 

[zvish]

I usually roll off from 150hz and then compress each track individually. I don't want those frequencies below 150hz affecting the compressor, so my EQ is before the compressor. Then I route it all to a bus, for volume automation purposes.

If you keep the frequencies below 100hz, all you're doing is creating mud - that space is for the bass guitar and kick drum

and what's your settings on compressor ?

 

[Ermz]

If you keep the frequencies below 100hz, all you're doing is creating mud - that space is for the bass guitar and kick drum

Well, you go ahead and try to unite that logic with Colin Richard's method of boosting 70-100Hz on guitar tracks.

Just because those frequencies may not be usable on guitar doesn't mean that you don't want them there altogether. Even at a very low level they can add weight to the entire mix. Filtering too heavily can create overly separated mixes that don't sound unified or powerful.

 

[seditz740novaprospect]

i tend to boost freq quite frequently below 100 Hz on heavy guitars to add some cab weight..... i wouldn't roll off below 100 for any thing heavy, imo