giving a guitar a larger stereo image?
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Posted on Apr 20, 2008 04:20 pm
skeg0
www.dorian-music.co.uk
Member Since: Apr 04, 2008
Hello all,
I have a question regarding not just a guitar but any instrument really.. btu for now ill stick to guitar! When i record a guitar, it never has as much "coverage" across the mix's stereo image as commercially recorded music.. and in order to compensate i have to record two seperate tracks of the same part and pan them left and right.. is this normal practice or is there a way to make the guitar sound fuller and cover a wider portion of the image? would the answer be to increase the stereo image of the track in question? if so, can anyone recommend any plugins?
Reason I ask is because i am working on an acoustic track with one main guitar riff in it, but unless I play in exact time in both my left and right tracks, I hear string hits at different times whcih doesnt sound too good!
Cheers for any comments!
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Apr 20, 2008 04:43 pm That's how I do it, man. Of course there really isn't any practice that I know of. People use different plug-ins and techniques. You've just got to do it a lot of times until you get the timing just right. Another way to do it, but sounds odd at times, is to copy the track, paste it to another, then reverse the phase of it. While, panning it hard, of course.
Apr 20, 2008 05:19 pm Hey man, its called 'double tracking' and most every commercial artist since The Beatles has used it! For a fuller sound, try layering 2, 4, 6 of the same lines and panning left and right.
For your acoustic track, I'd try to copy and paste the original file onto a new track. Pan the original left, the copy right, but slightly delay it (drag it forward) a couple of milliseconds. See how you like it and experiment with the delay time.
Another option would be to use a 'stereo micing' technique. Those are all covered in the 'tips' section of HRC.
www.homerecordingconnecti...at&cat_id=1
Oh, and search KVRaudio.com for 'stereo expanders'. They use phase and delay to increase the percieved width of the stereo field.
skeg0www.dorian-music.co.ukMember
Since: Apr 04, 2008
Apr 21, 2008 07:45 am thanks for that guys, the clarifies a lot.
I have tried the phase reversing thing but ran into problems with radio play - i think maybe their compressors squashed things together a bit and it resulted in the opposite phase in the waves cancelling each other out so volume was lost almost completely! unless i did it wrong though!
Does it matter whether you use mono or stereo tracks for this? I used to record just mono and pan left and right etc, but now ive been doing stereo and panning it - is this pointless if the track is panned either hard left or hard right? When layering multiple tracks should i use mono?
Thanks guys! ill have a search for stereo expanders, and try adding the small delay.. does anyone have any recommendations for plugins?
Dematrixhttp://www.reverbnation.com/2ndgMember
Since: Nov 27, 2007
Apr 21, 2008 07:52 am check out my profile under "guitars 6"
thats 6 guitars panned left and right, none duplicated all played seperate.
i think by memory panned 80, 54, 39. L/R
you gotta learn 'exactly" what ya going to play so you dont hear any wrong notes or rythym.
CptTrippsCzar of Turd PolishMember
Since: Jun 20, 2006
Apr 21, 2008 12:46 pm Double\Triple it is. A delay set around -15ms L and 15ms R can thicken up a single take, but nowhere near as much as just double trackin it.
BeerHunterwww.TheLondonProject.caMember
Since: Feb 07, 2005
Apr 21, 2008 01:03 pm Yes, playing it through a couple times is much better than just C&P of the original track. If you are doing the C&P thing, the delay should be less that 31ms in order to maintain "fusion". Any delay longer than 31ms will appear as a destinct delay.
TallChapAnswer:On a good day, lipstick.Member
Since: Jun 24, 2004
Apr 21, 2008 05:09 pm Colonel: Kudos on catching the acoustic thing. I just about killed myself before I worked that one out.
Skeg0: I've found that mono tracks work so much better when doubled/tripled. I get myself into a mess of mud with stereo takes.
Also, many here are now using amp/cab emulators (POD etc.) for their guitar tracks. The sounds they can make are pretty thick, and there are some patches where you really just don't need the extra and a single stereo track works great....
Tim NUh, at least one more time . . .Member
Since: Feb 07, 2007
Apr 21, 2008 10:27 pm Yeah, I second Tall Chap's response. You don't need to double up tracks all the time--I've used amp simulators exclusively, and recorded guitars (electric) with reverb or other effects getting their own tracks. All the tracks are then mixed to what sounds best for the song. For acoustics, try yourself on a six, with another player doubling the rhythm on a 12 string (I've been forced to try this, but I'm not complaining--the other guitarist in the group only plays 12, and usually as a rhythm player). Other players are always going to sound a little different, and this works out great in the end.
