Big Guitars - Double Tracking

Double tracking guitars is the process of recording your guitar part on one track and playing the exact same part on another track. There are a few variations of this. 

Audio samples and snapshots of these techniques can be found Here  (link opens in new window) To properly hear this difference you will need Stereo speakers or headphones.

COPY / PASTE METHOD

Record your first part on track (A). Then Copy / Paste (A) on to a new track (B). Now you have the identical part on 2 tracks. You will hear a boost in volume but once you export your track, it will sound the same as a single track so you have to take it a step further. Next you want to pan them apart so you don't have 2 guitars on top of each other. Imagine a stack of coins, you can only see the top coin but you know there are more. Now if you were to spread them out in front of you, you'd see more clearly what amount you had. Same with panning your guitars. For example, if you pan (A) to the left and (B) to the right all of a sudden you will hear 2 guitars covering more "ear space." There are several degrees. "0" which is center and "-64" is far left or "+64" is far right. Before you hear this difference you have to offset your tracks.

To offset take track (B) and move it slightly along your track line. It is best to do this with magnification or zooming in on the tracks. (refer to your software manual and you will find a zoom option) Once you have zoomed in on your tracks, you can click-hold one track (B) and move it so that it is not perfectly in line with (A). This will create even more "ear space" and make your guitars sound more full, and increase the stereo effect. Let your ear be your guide. If it doesn't sound right, move it a bit more, or less.

TROUBLESHOOTING 

You may experience your track automatically jumping to a specific point, rather than the small increment you want. This is called SNAPPING. Your program will allow you to turn this on or off. In Garage Band, under the Control menu, it is simply called "Snap to Grid." In Cubase you will find a button at the top, when lit, snapping is on. (pictured below)

The benefits of Snapping is to line things up directly to a bar or beat but when you are doing slight movements. Turn it off.

PLAY IT TWICE

Randy Rhoads often played his tracks 2,3 or 4 times to get a huge guitar sound. Some love it, others...not so much. I loved his playing but I am personally not fond of the recording method. He had the talent to nail it each time. If you don't it will sound sloppy so you have to really know your part. For this method simply record track (A), then record your part again on track (B). You could offset them as above but often your playing won't be spot on so the offset may not be necessary. 

TROUBLESHOOTING

If your tracks still sound thin you may want to try:

• Changing the sound of (B) so it sounds like 2 guitar players. Even switching pickups may do the trick.
• Don't play the part exact. If you loosen up (B) you end up filling more "ear space." This requires a bit of pre-practice unless you are a good improv musician.
• Try using a different guitar, if you did a track (A) with electric, use acoustic for (B). If you do this you may want to loosen up the track as mentioned above.
• By "loosen" I mean play counter rhythms, A different, but complimenting strumming pattern.

I prefer recording 2 different parts. I find that it fills the space so much better but when you have a heavy riff that begs to be huge, double it or copy/paste/offset.

Audio samples and snapshots of these techniques can be found Here 

(Link opens in new window) To properly hear this difference you will need stereo speakers or headphones.

Using Garage Band for Pro use.

Can you use Garage Band for pro use? YES.

Most pro's will say NO. Cool pro's will say, if you ha

ve a good song, the platform (program) isn't important. In conversation with various recording artists I hear them often say that Garage Band 

is good for demos. I say go further. All the way.

I have used Garage Band, Mac's free application that comes with your Mac, to deliver music scores for television. I must admit I waited by the phone after uploading the finished files, completely from GarageBand, thinking they'd call and say "we can't use this, when are you going to send the pro version." I never got the call. I never even got feedback. A few days later I saw the show on TV with my cues. Then I got a cheque in the mail. Can you use GarageBand for pro use? I did and I continue to do so. Not only does it sound great but it is so user friendly. 

Once I finished the recording I used the following export settings, found under GarageBand>Preferences>Advanced. I had it set for 

Auto Normalization. That basically increases the overall volume to it's maximum level, and the Audio Resolution set at Best which is the highest setting offered. At the time of these cues, I was recording directly into the 1/8" input on the back of the Mac via a Eurorack desktop mixer. On your Mac, the default input bit rate is 16. At the time I never realized that you could change the bit rate to 24.

 

To change the bit rate to/from 16 or 24 you have to go into your Applications>Utilities>Audio Midi Setup. Select the Audio Device tab and you will see the option to change your Input source, Format and 2

ch-16 or 2ch-24, which is your bit rate. I found a great link that explains the difference between Bit Rates and Formats. tweakheadz.com

I will say that I have already used Garage Band on portions of the album. As I get closer to the release I will explain which portions, and how I went about doing so. There will also be a blog on exporting individual tracks from GarageBand into another program like Cubase.  Till then, if you use Garage Band for pro use, don't tell them. They probably won't even know.

 

Outside the buck$ video example - Where Bridges Lay

In addition to my blog "Thinking outside the buck$ (part1)". I have done various music cues for cinematographer Tim Dashwood. In turn, he was testing a lens and offered to shoot a music video for me. No money was spent and the end result was a high definition video.

Think outside the buck$ (Part 1)

When I make independent films, I work within my means. I look in my closet at the things I own and say "how can I make a film with what I own?" Take it a step further and say "who do I know that owns this?" 

Since I film and edit video, I can offer services to musicians for little or no charge and in turn they'll play on my album or lend me some gear. 

Don't be the musician asking for everything and giving nothing in return. It may work first time around but after that people will be less inclined to help you. If you are just starting out and feel that you haven't anything to really offer anyone, seek out a mentor or your school's music teacher. Most music teachers have been there, done that. 

Look up "how to" tutorials on the net. Google any topic and your bound to get several useful results. In the past, some companies offered smaller versions of their recording software as a free download. Some music stores will offer free sample CD's of trial versions. Many bands have recorded great things using much  less than what we have today. Don't be greedy, be resourceful.

Remember that tambourine your Mom bought you that you thought you'd never use. It can be a perfect addition to a track that is lacking in the percussion department. Make a shaker out of a paper bag and some rice or beans. A good friend of mine (D'arcy McGilligan) once recorded a tapped Tim Horton's coffee cup with a pencil to enhance a bass drum.

Buy the cheapest strings at the music store. Usually they are supplied by a "name" brand. You don't need a massive amp to record. You can often get by, plugging directly into your computer. (more details on this in future blogs). After each session, pinch an old T-shirt and run it along each string. It will keep your strings shiny and long lasting.

Don't have a tuner? Your North American phone's dial tone buzzes an F (3rd fret, D string or 1st Fret either E string). Record E,B,G,D,A,E onto your phone or load it onto your iPod. Play it back when you need to tune.

For a cool effect, hold any playback device, like the earpiece of your phone, against your guitar pickup. If someone is talking, it will come through distorted on your amp. 

You're independent. No one is really waiting for your release (family and friends don't count) so take your time. If you are doing something that is out of the norm or against the grain you are probably on to something cool.

There are so many things available to you where you won't spend a dime. Think outside the buck$. 

DR coated strings review

You choose the colour of your guitar so why not the colour of your strings? When I saw that DR had released coated strings I knew I had to try. Peacock Blue would look great on my black guitar. Let's be honest, the look of your guitar is important to. When I presented my new strings the reaction was unanimous. Cooool. Where did you get them? How much were they? No one asked if they were any good.

Review

You can buy them at most guitar stores. I payed about 10 US. I bought the 10 13 17 26 36 46 Electric Peacock Blue. The packaging boasts Handmade coated strings. At first I loved them. Very smooth, no drag on your fingers and they looked cool. After a few days of solid playing, the coating starts to wear off and that is where I lost interest. As you play, it feels like little bits of grit or dirt and you can see the steel string where the coating wore off. They look cool, feel great at first, a bit pricey and the wear happens quite quickly. 

If I was endorsed or had the money to change my strings every session or gig I may consider switching from my regular GHS Boomers Custom Lites. Till then, I'll look a little less cool.

**1/2 out of *****

Tie a String around your finger...or leave the pack in your case.

I am using a few guitars to record. A Hollow body wants different strings than a Gibson electric. An acoustic needs something different than the classical. One song calls for drop tunings, lowering the pitch of a standard tuned guitar, and another calls for up tuning, raising the pitch. A jazzy songs wants heavier strings while the rock song wants something thin or light. Nylon, Bronze, Nickel and the list goes on.

Problem. Recording is a busy job for the desktop musician. We take on several roles so we have to be organized. I have gone through several packs of strings for various reasons and often forget what is currently on the guitar. 

Solution. When you change strings, leave the empty pack in your guitar case. When you change them, recycle the old package and place the new package in your case. If you loved the strings that currently have on, the only way to get em' back is to know the gauge and brand. You could even do a string review in your blog after you've jammed them for a while. Choosing what strings you use is a whole other blog.