Three Guitars? Any suggestions

[tentimesover]

Hey Guys,
I thought this was covered on here before but I couldn't find the thread.

Does anyone have some tips for how to place guitars in a band that has 3 guitar players? They are all doing different parts and harmonies but i'm having trouble placing them. Anyone have some ideas?

Currently running them

Rhythm 1 80%L 60%L
Rhythm 2 80%R 60%R
LEADISH PART Doubled and widened at like 15%L 15%R

No idea if I'm doing this right, Feel like I'm going to have NO room at all for vocals.

 

[cloy26]

Well, I wouldn't quad track. I would just pan the reg rhythms hard left and hard right and then if the 3rd guitar is doing melodies or harmonies, I would double and pan like you did. idk. What style of music? Metal?

 

[ze kink]

I imagine I would automate like crazy, so that the most "leadish" part would always be closest to center. I'd probably automate the vocal pan too a bit to give them more room.

 

[DanLights]

yeah automate the panning sounds like a good idea, and I don't know if quad tracking would go too well either.

 

[MetalSound]

are you recording maiden?

 

[Matthias King]

Well, I wouldn't quad track. I would just pan the reg rhythms hard left and hard right and then if the 3rd guitar is doing melodies or harmonies, I would double and pan like you did. idk. What style of music? Metal?

Agreed. With three full-time guitars, quad tracking any of them is overkill. There's a lot of sound there, and guitars take up a lot of sonic energy, plus I'm assuming there's also a bass guitar too? That's a ton of sound. I'd track each part once, pan them hard L, hard R, and center the third, or maybe stagger it somwhere between 10-50% L or R, and/or automate it around in there, dependent on how it interacts with the vocal, which is usually up the middle, and the bass, which is also pretty much always up the middle.

How is the bass sound? Is it a big and round sound, or more aggressive and raunchy? If it's the latter, then that's almost like a fourth guitar. You have your work cut out for you.

 

[Harry Hughes]

When you say different parts going on, do you mean stuff like counterpoint too?

 

[Everybody]

just to add to this, not hijack, but my new band is having 3 guitarists.

and first part of our first song has all 3 guitarists doing different harmonies, regular, octave up, and thirds. then after that riff the two L R guitars keep going and the 3rd (center) goes away. so how would you place something like that. is there a way to do it without much automation?

 

[Plankis]

just to add to this, not hijack, but my new band is having 3 guitarists.

and first part of our first song has all 3 guitarists doing different harmonies, regular, octave up, and thirds. then after that riff the two L R guitars keep going and the 3rd (center) goes away. so how would you place something like that. is there a way to do it without much automation?

Some ideas now are 1 regular panned L, 1 third panned R, double tracked octave panned 50-80 R&L .
Double tracking the regular panned R&L and having a third and a double 50-80 R&L might be cool too. It so depends on the riffs and what YOU want to highlight.

 

[onqel]

I usually place Main Rythms on 100% L/R, and "Lead/harmonic Rythms" on 75% L/R .. the lead guitar itself I usually place on 60% L/R..

 

[Dexter_prog]

In Mourning is a band that has 3 guitar players, you might want to check their records for reference.

 

[tentimesover]

Hey Guys,
Here is what I'm working with. This are all double tracked guitars.

I just don't know how the hell I'm going to sit vocals in this, when I've tried they just never sit in there, but that could also be a lack of skill on my end. Haha

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/4206515/sneapclip5.mp3

 

[Notuern]

Sidechaining!
When ever the vocals comes in, they start to push down the leads to let the vocals through.

Also, how do you process your vocals?

 

[tentimesover]

Sidechaining!
When ever the vocals comes in, they start to push down the leads to let the vocals through.

Also, how do you process your vocals?

I'm very unfamiliar with sidechaining. I'll read up on it more and try to get a grasp of it.

I don't have a real set way of processing vocals. I've recorded 1 project with vocals so really I'm starting from scratch. Hehe

 

[egan.]

Sidechaining!
When ever the vocals comes in, they start to push down the leads to let the vocals through.

Also, how do you process your vocals?

IMO its better just to automate the leads down when the vocals are in. Ultimately this is as much of an arrangement issue as it is a mix issue.

 

[Z3R0]

all 3 guitarists doing different harmonies, regular, octave up, and thirds. then after that riff the two L R guitars keep going and the 3rd (center) goes away. so how would you place something like that. is there a way to do it without much automation?

I believe that's how whitechapel did it... correct me if i'm wrong.

 

[Notuern]

IMO its better just to automate the leads down when the vocals are in. Ultimately this is as much of an arrangement issue as it is a mix issue.

True.

 

[colonel kurtz]

Hey Guys,
I thought this was covered on here before but I couldn't find the thread.

Does anyone have some tips for how to place guitars in a band that has 3 guitar players? They are all doing different parts and harmonies but i'm having trouble placing them. Anyone have some ideas?

Currently running them

Rhythm 1 80%L 60%L
Rhythm 2 80%R 60%R
LEADISH PART Doubled and widened at like 15%L 15%R

No idea if I'm doing this right, Feel like I'm going to have NO room at all for vocals.

quad tracked rhythms with 3 guitars seems a bit overkill...i would probably try to double track a rhythm for the guitar that plays the root notes on harmonies, and whatever riffs are in played in the lower register. then get a single track of each of the other guitars, and pan them L and R accordingly.

 

[Tony Bananas]

Hey Man,

Pretty new here, but I thought I'd give you a suggestion.
I cant say for sure without hearing the song.. but as you
mentioned that there were various simultaneous leads. I
wouldn't be so concerned with with sticking to the L,R,C.
I've hear many bands pull off three guitars while using a
more centered mix, at least in parts like your talking about.

As for vocal mixing, not really my forte