Tracking Lead Solos

[Rusty123]

Hi everyone,

I have found quad tracking rhythm guitars great for bringing out the wall of guitars sound for monstorous riffage in my recordings however should I do this for all lead solo tracks too, I mean the slow ones arent to bad but the very fast solo breaks should I quad track them also?

Help!

Is there another way to get a siimilar sound for lead solos etc?

 

[STINNETT]

Hi everyone,

I have found quad tracking rhythm guitars great for bringing out the wall of guitars sound for monstorous riffage in my recordings however should I do this for all lead solo tracks too, I mean the slow ones arent to bad but the very fast solo breaks should I quad track them also?

Help!

Is there another way to get a siimilar sound for lead solos etc?

If you can actually do it, why not? Some people double or even triple track solos (Randy Rhoads) regularly, but you've got to play it tightly. Quad tracking might be getting excessive...but it might sound great.

 

[Katau]

Triple tracking works well for me in some scenarios. L-C-R
Otherwise, single tracking accounts for 80% of my leads.

 

[Rusty123]

Ok, thanks for replies

 

[pifos_2]

when the licks are not too technical, you can quadtrack it. it sounds pretty good.

we quadtracked all the lead stuff (not solos) in the song Unveiled :
http://www.forcedevolution.net/home.html

But keep the same guitar and guitarist or have the really same feeling.

 

[Rusty123]

Hey the song sounds really good, so what was not quad tracked?

 

[JBroll]

DO.

NOT.

USE.

CHORUS.

I've usually just heard that treating them as vocals is the best way to go - if I can tell that something is multitracked it'll most likely bug me a bit.

Jeff

 

[Ben Johnson]

Try practicing.

 

[Metaltastic]

Well come on now Jeff, I've heard chorus sound cool on some solos, if it's the type of sound you're going for (listen to the solo from "Untouchable" from my old band: www.myspace.com/halcyonnight)

 

[JBroll]

See 1980s. See 1980s suck. Suck, 1980s, suck. See grunge look like a better idea than hair. See just about everything suck for a few years. Suck, everything, suck. See awful taste from 1980s die. Die, 1980s, die.

Jeff

 

[KTShannon]

I usually dual my leads left and right slightly off the center, depending if they are difficult. Rhythmatically usually quad, more technical usually two split a bit off center or one up the center. Boost a bit in the mids if you want more punch.

 

[Sinister Mephisto]

See 1980s. See 1980s suck. Suck, 1980s, suck. See grunge look like a better idea than hair. See just about everything suck for a few years. Suck, everything, suck. See awful taste from 1980s die. Die, 1980s, die.

Jeff

I know what you mean, but there's a special place in my heart for that kind of suck every once and a while. Chorus only on the delays? Righteous!

 

[mikronn]

For more lush Blue Murder / John Sykes hugeness I quad track solos. For all other solo work I always double them.

Some examples from here:Facetheft
Wrath -
1st lead break between verses = quad tracked
solo 1st half = quad tracked
solo 2nd half = sections of double tracked guitars

Ears Mind Eyes - solo is quad-tracked

What We Have Created - I can't get the project open at the moment, but I 'think' I only double-tracked all solo guitars throughout.

 

[Loren Littlejohn]

I'm going to have to go with Jeff on this, not a fan of alot of the 1980s. Besides GLAM was just a stupid acronymn for GHEY L.A. METAL.

 

[Rusty123]

Calm down people,

Thanks for your replies but lets not talk about 80s glam.

Just wanted to know how some people track their solos.

Im okay quad tracking everything but then not everyone is so just wanted some ideas how to record other guitar player so both sets of solos sound good together.

 

[HeadCrusher]

Real Solos: 1 Track
Melodic Leads (e.g. In Flames): 2 Tracks off center, each in on direction. If they are harmonized (meaning "not the same") I'd stay with on of each (one right, one left) though.

 

[aramism]

i agree most traditional guitar solos are just one performance. double tracking makes it too beefy and takes away from the "solo" aspect. solo means an individual performance. note the word INDIVIDUAL.


certain melodic runs and "leads" can be multi tracked for effect but the traditional solo sounds awesome CENTER with one perfect take. this is both a an 80's thing, and a 90's thing, and a 70's thing, and a 2000's thing.

 

[sorceron]

i like chorus on solos

 

[fatalforce]

definitely reverb on the solo.

 

[Metaltastic]

Hmm, I've always preferred delay on my solos, but I'd be curious to hear if the general consensus here is delay or verb