Double Tracking

[caption id="attachment_1314" align="alignright" width="300"] Double tracking is essentially exactly what it sounds like -- recording the same part twice and panning each out to opposite sides.[/caption] A normal complaint with many guitarists and home studio musicians trying to record that old six-string is that often times the guitar parts are just not as big as they’d hoped for. And what exactly is a big guitar sound anyway? Is it something so prominent that it stands out above the rest of the mix? Maybe it’s something that most people will hear as full? The way to achieve that big sound is by way of double tracking. Even if you’re not one of those people aiming for something “big,” double tracking in a studio setting is a widely used technique that has been around since pretty much the beginning of the professional recording studio. Producers working with traditional “big bands” or full orchestras would regularly double up on the horn section in order to give it a much more complete feel. Pop artists such as the Beatles used it time and time again on not just their instruments but their vocals as well.   Continue reading →