How does it work and what is the best way?

When recording and mixing guitar bands, one of the biggest challenges is to make the tracks sound as big, exciting and loud as live. Producers use a variety of techniques to achieve this, and nowadays, two-track guitars have almost become a necessity.

The term is self-explanatory, because it usually refers to the practice of recording the same thing two or more times onto a single track, and then panning those tracks left and right in the mix. The idea is to make the guitar sound bigger and fatter, while also increasing the width.

Putting two microphones on different speakers and recording them at the same time is not double tracking. If it works, you will use twice as much hard disk space as you need. Since there will inevitably be inconsistencies in timing and tuning between two separate shots, the dual tracking effect will work. When you try to widen these powerful chords for the first time, we guarantee you will be impressed.

The problem with dual-track is that it sounds very good, and you might want everything in dual-track. However, getting a clear stereo picture in your mix means using panning potentiometers to place individual elements on the left/right spectrum. If you double track all the guitars, they will eventually overlap each other in the mix, which creates confusion rather than separation.

You need to choose what you want to track repeatedly. The acoustic rhythm part and powerful chords are the main candidates. Tracking arpeggios is also very effective. Some guitarists like to double the solo for a thicker tone, but this can be problematic when there are elements of improvisation and spontaneity. In addition, if there are two guitarists in the band, it is usually best to place them on either side of the mix.

When recording harmony, you may have noticed that ordinary singers will sound great after tracking the same part multiple times. Tuning problems become less obvious, and the sound quality becomes smoother and sweeter. But what works for vocals is not always good for guitars.

Although it is often tempting to keep track of the guitar, there will always be big times when it starts to become boring. The chords no longer sound strong, the clarity is lost, and the overall effect starts to sound more like a keyboard mat. This can also be effective, but it can also be an auditory equivalent painted with a Marshall background instead of a row of hot Marshall stacks.

The key is to balance size with energy and excitement. One way is not to overdubbing. We also learned an absolute gem from Alex Kane (Life, Sex & Death, and AntiProduct), which is to always use an odd number of tracks.

Therefore, instead of sticking to two tracks or four tracks, it is better to choose three or five tracks. The trick is to shift the even number of tracks wide, but send the odd tracks directly to the center of the mix. It doesn't even have to be in the mix to provide extra clarity and bite.

If you use the same sound every time, the Marshall wallpaper effect is more likely. Try to make small changes to the tone of the amplifier or the gain setting between stacks. Or maybe use a different guitar, amplifier, amplifier model or overload pedal. You can also try mixing heavy high gain with clearer tones for clarity and clarity. This will provide enough room for fine-tuning the texture of the guitar in the later mix.

Back in the tape era, the best multi-track tape drives have digital displays and controls, so you can set exactly how fast or slow they run than the usual 30 IPS (inches per second). A common technique is to activate the shifting speed a few cents faster for the first shot, and the same amount slower for the second shot.

Adjust the guitar to the pitch perfectly, restore the tape drive to a fixed speed, and you will end up with two guitar tracks-one very sharp and the other flat. This creates a subtle chorus effect that adds complexity and scale.

Nowadays, few of us use multitrack recorders, but you can manipulate the pitch in the DAW. Accurate strobe tuner applications are common, so you can use them to turn your guitar up a bit or even a bit. Experiment with the pitch offset and see what works for you. The best results are when a detuned soundtrack is combined with a soundtrack that is tuned to the pitch and shifted centrally.

When most studios also had 8 or 16 track tape drives, producers did not have the luxury of recording multiple guitar tracks. Unlike the double track, the guitar is usually sent through a delay unit set to about 10 milliseconds and repeated once. By panning the guitar track to one side and the delay return panning to the other side, you can create a two-track effect. You will hear this sound on countless records, and it performs equally well on electric and acoustic guitars.

Since the idea behind dual tracking is usually to create width and larger scales, rather than a guitar wall, you can use delay and reverb to achieve these goals. Instead of returning your effects to stereo, try using mono reverb and delay effects and pan them on the other side of the mix to a dry guitar. This is an excellent way to create a sense of space and movement in the mix.

If you are recording a guitar in an environmental room, try using a close-up microphone and an environmental microphone and recording to different tracks so that you can pan them to the opposite side. If you have dual tracks, do the same, but reverse the dryness and ambience of the mix. If you do this right, the sound will be very loud.

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