Should I always double track guitars?

Should I always double track guitars?

The effect of double tracking will give your sound much more width and richness as opposed to copy & pasting your initial guitar track. If you zoom in on the wave forms within your DAW, you’ll notice that each guitar take is distinct. These distinctions are what give the sound its unique flavor.

Questions:

  1. Why should you double track guitars?
  2. Should I double my tracks?
  3. Do you need to double track acoustic guitar?
  4. Why do electric acoustic guitars get double tracked?
  5. Did Van Halen double track guitars?
  6. Did the Beatles double track guitars?
  7. Why do people double track?
  8. Does duplicating a track make it louder?
  9. Is it OK to take all the strings off an acoustic guitar at once?
  10. Should guitars be recorded in mono?
  11. Did Metallica double track?

Answers:

  1. Double Tracking Vocals Even If You Don’t Think You’ll Use It. If time allows, always tracking a vocal double is a great practice. If time and budget allow, it’s always worth taking a portion of the tracking session to double the vocals.
  2. Doubling acoustic guitars produces a lush, full sound that adds texture and density to your mix. Try using a capo on the double so you have a higher inversion and a more complex chord voicing. Also try a different guitar, like a smaller body or a different tuning, even a 12-string or Nashville-tuned guitar.
  3. The term “double tracking” generally refers to the practice of recording the same thing twice – or more – onto individual tracks, and then panning those tracks left and right in the mix. The idea is to make the guitars sound bigger and fatter, while also adding width.
  4. Take Eddie Van Halen’s guitar on Van Halen’s debut record, where all the guitars are single-tracked.
  5. Double tracking itself, via multitrack overdubbing, was pioneered by Buddy Holly. Then the Beatles and Beach Boys both hit on it in the early 60s.
  6. Ever since the 1950s, double tracking vocals, whether manually or artificially, has been common practice in music production, and for good reason. Double tracking adds richness and character to a vocal, and panning those doubles creates width and depth in a production.
  7. Duplicating the track will make the volume louder. This type of double might even be used to add some energy or color when treated with a parallel-processing technique, like drastic EQ, compression, or distortion.
  8. The short answer is that the odds of damaging your guitar are very low. However, removing all the strings at once from certain guitars—depending on the bridge setup—can make restringing more difficult or require making adjustments to the instrument.
  9. Choosing whether to record your guitar in mono or stereo is important to understand because it can have a big impact on your choices later on. The best practice is to record guitar in mono. If you want to record using multiple microphones, record each microphone in a separate track and record each one in mono.
  10. Metallica had just scored an endorsement deal with Mesa Boogie, and it took them a few days to dial in their new guitar sound in the studio. Then, getting that thick, muscular crunch was all about double-tracking—dozens of times over.


Should I always double track guitars?

Why should you double track guitars

The effect of double tracking will give your sound much more width and richness as opposed to copy & pasting your initial guitar track. If you zoom in on the wave forms within your DAW you'll notice that each guitar take is distinct. These distinctions is what gives the sound its unique flavor.

Should I double my tracks

Double Track Vocals Even If You Don't Think You'll Use It. If time allows, always tracking a vocal double is a great practice. If time and budget allow, it's always worth taking a portion of the tracking session to double the vocals.
Cached

Do you need to double track acoustic guitar

Doubling acoustic guitars produces a lush, full sound that adds texture and density to your mix. Try using a capo on the double so you have a higher inversion and a more complex chord voicing. Also try a different guitar, like a smaller body or a different tuning, even a 12-string or Nashville-tuned guitar.
Cached

Why do electric acoustic guitars get double tracked

The term is self-explanatory, because it generally refers to the practice of recording the same thing twice – or more – onto individual tracks, and then panning those tracks left and right in the mix. The idea is to make the guitars sound bigger and fatter, while also adding width.
Cached

Did Van Halen double track guitars

A stylistic decision to not double-track

Take Eddie Van Halen's guitar on Van Halen's debut record, where all the guitars are single-tracked.

Did the Beatles double track guitars

Double tracking itself, via multitrack overdubbing, was pioneered by Buddy Holly I believe. Then the Beatles and Beach Boys both hit on it in the early 60s.

Why do people double track

Ever since the 1950s, double tracking vocals, whether manually or artificially, has been common practice in music production, and for good reason. Double tracking adds richness and character to a vocal, and panning those doubles creates width and depth in a production.

Does duplicating a track make it louder

Duplicating the track will make the volume louder. This type of double might even be used to add some energy or color when treated with a parallel-processing technique, like drastic EQ, compression, or distortion.

Is it OK to take all the strings off an acoustic guitar at once

A: The short answer is that the odds of damaging your guitar are very low. However, removing all the strings at once from certain guitars — depending on the bridge setup —can make restringing more difficult or require making adjustments to the instrument.

Should guitars be recorded in mono

Choosing whether to record your guitar in mono or stereo is important to understand because it can have a big impact on your choices later on. The best practice is to record guitar in mono. If you want to record using multiple microphones, record each microphone in a separate track and record each one in mono.

Did Metallica double track

Metallica had just scored an endorsement deal with Mesa Boogie, and it took them a few days to dial in their new guitar sound in the studio. Then, getting that thick, muscular crunch was all about double-tracking—dozens of times over, in mind-boggling detail.

Why is it so hard to record acoustic guitar

While the guitar doesn't have as much width as, say, an acoustic piano, it's not a point source—the sound emanates in multiple directions, and you may fail to capture the rich tone heard in the room with only one mic (even the usual high-quality condenser).

Did Black Sabbath double track guitars

Black Sabbath vocalist Ozzy Osbourne has always spoken fondly of the recording of the band's debut album, stating in his autobiography I Am Ozzy, "Once we'd finished, we spent a couple of hours double-tracking some of the guitar and vocals, and that was that. Done.

What guitar technique did Eddie Van Halen invent

Eddie Van Halen did not invent the technique of two-handed tapping on the guitar, but with "Eruption" he perfected it, and the sound of those flowing legato notes would be the defining mark of his playing.

What artists use double tracking

Examples. Double tracking was pioneered by Buddy Holly. John Lennon particularly enjoyed using the technique for his vocals while in the Beatles. Lennon's post-Beatles albums frequently employed doubling echo on his vocals in place of the ADT.

What were John Lennon’s favorite guitars

John Lennon played various guitars with the Beatles and during his solo career, most notably the Rickenbacker (four variants thereof) and Epiphone Casino, along with various Gibson and Fender guitars. His other instrument of choice was the piano, on which he also composed many songs.

Who popularized double tracking

Buddy Holly

Double tracking was pioneered by Buddy Holly. John Lennon particularly enjoyed using the technique for his vocals while in the Beatles. Lennon's post-Beatles albums frequently employed doubling echo on his vocals in place of the ADT.

Can you master a track twice

Obviously you can master a song, and then later master it again, differently, starting from the same mix. That's called remastering, and it happens all the time.

What does duplicating a track do

By default, duplicating an Instrument Track creates a second Instrument Track that sends its note data to the instrument on the original track.

How loud should a 2 track beat be

Handling the Beat

So, the very first thing you'll want to do is pull the 2-track's level down to give yourself some headroom. If you don't you'll be hitting 0 just because you're playing the instrumental back. I usually find 6 dB to be enough, but there are some particularly loud beats that have required more.

How often should you change guitar strings if you play everyday

about once every 3 months

Most players should plan on changing strings about once every 3 months or 100 hours of practice—whichever comes first. If you're late by awhile, it doesn't matter. Your strings may last twice this long, or more. They will continue to wear and you can continue to use them, as long as they don't break.

How often do professional guitarists change strings

A professional who plays every day will probably change their strings every three or four gigs. Guitarists who sweat a lot, or play in smoky clubs, or spend hours a day playing, especially playing aggressively, will need to change their strings more often than a player who doesn't.

Is it better to record guitar in stereo

Choosing whether to record your guitar in mono or stereo is important to understand because it can have a big impact on your choices later on. The best practice is to record guitar in mono. If you want to record using multiple microphones, record each microphone in a separate track and record each one in mono.

Should all my tracks be in mono

And it's a very important thing. You should mix in mono before you add any EQ, compression, or other plugins. And you should do this with every mix if you want an industry-standard track. And your DAW will have a mono button, possibly on or near the master track.

Did Van Halen double track

A stylistic decision to not double-track

Take Eddie Van Halen's guitar on Van Halen's debut record, where all the guitars are single-tracked.