how can i make my guitars sound WIDE using amp sims

[XxSicRokerxX]

No matter what amp sim i use i feel like there is a dull center sound.


What im doing is recording (for example) a riff then Panning it 100% left than duplicating that track and panning that track 100% right.

Should i be recording the left riff and right riff separately? even if its the same riff?

what about bands that only have a single guitarist how do they get away with it.

Are there any type of plug ins that help making the sound more stereo rather than mono.

 

[Chris Lucas]

If you just copy paste a track and pan them left right, it's the same as having one panned center and turned up. What 99.9% of people do for almost any genre of music where you want "wide" guitars is they record each riff twice, and make sure that the takes are very similar and rhythmically tight.

 

[Clockwork]

You could try Voxengo's Stereo Touch, it basically takes a mono signal in the center and pans it both ways. http://www.voxengo.com/product/stereotouch/

But really you should just be double tracking everything, I think even band's with one guitarist double track since it is just the same part. If you just duplicate I imagine there are serious phasing issues?

Edit: The voxengo plugin is free so it's worth getting even so. I use it to widen up vocal choruses sometimes.

 

[XxSicRokerxX]

i wouldnt say phase issues... it just sounds centered. Alright so you're all suggesting that i take 2 takes even for the same riff. thats interesting but i will try it

 

[Clockwork]

Double tracking is standard practice. Duplicating a track exactly will just make it centered and even if you duplicate and then delay or time stretch one you will just get phase issues. Don't duplicate things.

 

[TheDriller]

i wouldnt say phase issues... it just sounds centered. Alright so you're all suggesting that i take 2 takes even for the same riff. thats interesting but i will try it

Yeah, that's how double tracking works.
Two separate performances of the part panned wide, not just a copy/paste job.

 

[Trevoire520]

Double track rhythmn guitars always. In my opinion the only things that don't need it are solo's/leads and sometimes cleans.

As has already been said duplicating a track and panning them left/right is EXACTLY THE SAME as taking one centre track and turning it up. Therefore it sounds mono.

you're all suggesting that i take 2 takes even for the same riff. thats interesting but i will try it

That is how 99.9999999999% of rock records are made. Even if there's only one guitar player.

 

[Loren Littlejohn]

That is how 99.9999999999% of rock records are made. Even if there's only one guitar player.

This. It's actually the normal thing to do.

 

[bogchop]

This. It's actually the normal thing to do.

+1

You can take it one step further and Quad track - record the same thing 4 times, pan 2 left/right.

Good luck.

 

[Manifesto]

 

[ApeScaleConflict]

+1

You can take it one step further and Quad track - record the same thing 4 times, pan 2 left/right.

Good luck.

I think in metal that's 80% law at least these days, it just sounds better, but needs to be tight played.
If it's playes sloppy, it will sound ass. I like to do that always, and it sounds nice to my liking

 

[Chris Lucas]

And like some people above me said, as with all things, if you play it badly, it will still sound like poopie

 

[RedDog]

Face has successfully met palm. Don't be lazy. Or try to argue. Don't duplicate the track, just double track like us real men do.

 

[elsenator]

I think in metal that's 80% law at least these days, it just sounds better, but needs to be tight played.
If it's playes sloppy, it will sound ass. I like to do that always, and it sounds nice to my liking

I don't 100% agree on this. I mean, it shouldn't be played sloppy of course, but having them slightly off also brings in dynamic to the sound. But ultimately it all comes down to the type of music/metal/rock. My point is that tightness in the dubbed guitars, aren't always necessary, it depends on what one wishes to accomplish.

 

[RedDog]

Quad tracking isn't for everything, this has been discussed thoroughly. It's more of a tool that you like to use sparsely so the novelty doesn't wear off. Like stabbing every now and again in place of shooting, so you keep the people paying attention to you on their toes.

 

[elsenator]

Quad tracking isn't for everything, this has been discussed thoroughly. It's more of a tool that you like to use sparsely so the novelty doesn't wear off.

Depends on the genre. I would use it all the way through for death metal and many other types of metal where you want a thick guitar sound. You can probably leave it out on thrash/speed metal and traditional heavy metal though.

 

[Cryo114]

I'd add that using different amp sims set up for a similar sound for each track (doubling as talked about already) will make them sound wider, as will using different guitars. This might also make them sound more distinct and less of a unit though.

 

[ang3]

ever to listen to albums with gtr on one side only like early van halen? just sounds weird, especially with headphones

 

[olif8]

I don't 100% agree on this. I mean, it shouldn't be played sloppy of course, but having them slightly off also brings in dynamic to the sound.

Wrong. The dynamics you're referring to aren't from playing slightly off, it's from humans physically being unable to play the exact same way twice. Play the same thing twice, as closely as you can match them, because no matter how hard you try they won't match. Deliberately playing slightly off just makes it sound like ass water.

 

[Virgil.]

ever to listen to albums with gtr on one side only like early van halen? just sounds weird, especially with headphones

Keep in mind most of them were recorded in mono so you don't hear it on just one side. The remasters they did some time ago made them stereo and resulted in everything being panned.