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How and Why to Double Guitar Parts When Recording

mercredi 29 mai 2019, 14:00 , par Sweetwater inSync
If you have a killer guitar track but you just need more of it, the easiest thing to do is double it! There are a number of ways to do it, and they all yield slightly different results. Of course, the goal is to better serve the song and the final mix, so let’s start with a list of reasons why you would want to double a guitar part.
Why Double a Guitar Part?

Add definition: Clean strums, single lines, and muted rhythms can stand out more in a mix without having to be turned up.
More depth: A doubled part takes on a more complex sonic character when you blend differing tones. Try a different guitar, amp, effects, speaker cabinet, microphone, or any combination to deepen a tone.
Create a stereo image: Something as simple as taking a single guitar track and adding a stereo effect like ping-pong delay or panning modulation can move a guitar part across the stereo field, giving it extra dimension, such as the Waves H-Delay or Enigma plug-ins.
Fill sonic space: If you want a single guitar part to rule a song, just double the same part and hard-pan the parts left and right. This trick goes way back with rock and metal bands that have one guitarist. Listen to Randy Rhoads on Ozzy Osbourne’s first two solo records or Dimebag Darrell with Pantera for some serious double- (and sometimes triple!) tracked riffage.

From roughly the same era, compare this to Eddie Van Halen, who often recorded a single guitar pass, switching between lead and rhythm parts. Listen to the differences in how the guitars fit in the mix and what the overall mixes sound like.
From this century, a really obvious example is the intro to “The Walk” by Periphery. Each part is panned to opposite sides and played individually and then together. In this case, there are two guitarists in the band, but they’re both playing the same riff. You get to hear each performance separately and then together and the dynamic effect it has on the overall mix.

If you want to record two tracks at once and commit to your stereo sound choice, go for it! Whether you’re using amps, DI, or both, here are some pedals that will help you split your signal in an interesting way.

Strymon Deco — your guitar running through two analog tape machines, and you can control every function including saturation, modulation, stereo spread, and wobble. From subtle to extreme, this pedal is made for double-tracking.
Electro-Harmonix Grand Canyon — a wide range of great-sounding delays and one of the most useful features I’ve ever seen on a delay pedal: a Ping-Pong button. If you like the delay you’ve just created and want to hear it moving in stereo, press a button — done! Love it!
Eventide H9 — a sound-sculpting toolbox. Most often you think of the effects on the extreme end of its range, but using it subtly is equally great thanks to the H9’s sonic quality and tweakability. 

How to Double a Guitar Part
Here’s a list of four different methods for doubling guitars, and they all give slightly different results.

Copy/paste a performance onto another available track and modify the processing of the second track.
Along with your original performance through an amp, record a DI track directly from your guitar and re-amp that.
Bus a mono guitar track to a stereo effect.
Create another performance of the same part. Doing this will give you microseconds of inconsistencies in timing, attack, release, and dynamics that create feel, groove, and the intangible human factor.

To hear the differences between a copy/paste or DI track and a second performance of the same part, try this:

Play a single guitar performance
Duplicate (copy/paste) that performance to a second track and mute it
Play a second performance of the same part, as precisely as possible
When you’re satisfied, mute it
Listen to the original track soloed
Unmute the duplicated (copy/paste) track, and pan the two tracks at 35% Left and 35% Right with the volume levels equal between the two and listen
Do the same with the second performance and mute the copy/paste track

Notice the sonic differences between the copy/paste track and the second performance. Understanding these differences will help you decide when it’s appropriate to duplicate a track or actually record a second performance.
For more variety, try wider or narrower panning. Also try lowering the volume of the second track. Big changes happen when you use two different sounds. Try changing mics, cabinets, amps, effects, guitars, or any combination of these elements.
This experiment is all about how doubling will affect your final mix and the song as a whole. The best way to hear this in action is to try these steps on a song with full production. Listen to the guitars in the way I’ve outlined with the other tracks muted, then unmute the other tracks and hear how the guitar(s) sit in the mix. This is where panning, balance between the two parts, and choice of sounds are critical. 
Some Doubling Tricks
Here are a few random doubling tricks I’ve used in my studio career.

For more information about alternate tunings, check out Mitch Gallagher’s 4 Cool New Guitar Tunings.

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.
To get more attack without the girth, double an electric guitar part with an acoustic guitar. I’ve even doubled with an unplugged electric guitar with a mic for the same effect.
Changing only the speaker cabinet or mic on a doubled electric part is an easy way to give your double a bit of depth without fundamentally altering the overall guitar sound in the mix.
If you want the double to have dynamic range, vary the performances in the sections of the song that are dynamically lower. For example, in a verse section of a song, have the two parts “talk” to each other by having one guitar part play on the first half of the bar and the other play on the back half. Then on the song’s chorus, have both guitars play the same part for maximum dynamic impact.

I hope this article gets you thinking about all the options you have when recording guitar parts. The ease of home recording and capturing great guitar tones gives your imagination and creativity an awesome outlet. As always, the ultimate goal is to make more music!

If you need help selecting a guitar, either acoustic or electric, give your Sweetwater Sales Engineer a call at (800) 222-4700.
The post How and Why to Double Guitar Parts When Recording appeared first on inSync.
https://www.sweetwater.com/insync/double-guitar-parts-recording/
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ven. 29 mars - 13:11 CET