Double Tracking "Hack" - 5 Minute Licks

[@zoomosis]

Even lazier: have another guitarist record it for you

[@peterharvin2775]

"Laziness" is a prime motivator to find a quicker and easier way to work it. So hats off to your laziness. That's a slick trick.

[@angrytroll27]

How about a vid on double tracking leads and blending/mixing the tracks ?

[@kevinhughes2103]

More production videos like this please!

[@mikefairchild5059]

Back in the days of 4-track cassette recording, I would run both outputs of a stereo delay, set as low as I could get it, into separate channels for cheap double tracking.

[@nicolasaraistrujak208]

hello! how do you set up the other settings on your delay pedal for double tracking? Im starting to try the doubletrack and I don't know how I set up the feedback, rate and mix on my delay pedal.

[@dantahoua]

I always do that for backing vocals, even on production track! :)

[@drosspunter]

That is a really great tip. Thanks. And thanks for posting your blocks on the forum.

[@Smittefar1]

When I do recordings like this - I usually loop the recording and record multiple takes (the first take is rarely good enough for a short riff, I need a few playthroughs to find my groove). The trick (for me) is to keep going, when you feel like, you get the first one. The next ones will come easier and easier, and you can split them into as many 'tracks' as you want. Fun fact, I recorded a double tracked 4-voice (vocal) harmony like this - it sounded massive, and it was for a Britney cover :D

[@MikeSalopek]

What a novel idea, I don't know why I didn't think of something as simple as this before myself. Love it love it love it and love the format. You're a genius, I don't care what the rest of the guys in ragdoll say about you lol /joke /joke

[@Poepopdestoep]

Awesome!

[@LeonTodd]

Thanks!

[@Jamie383]

You're too modest, Leon. You're working smart, not hard. I tip my cap, sir!

[@dver4624]

FANTASTIC idea. Cheers, Leon. Love to the cat.

[@azerty1235931]

Wait whaaat ?! This is effing cool and genius, saves time and sounds really good (to me) !

[@wolfsdenmusic9404]

Haven't done it with guitar, but have done it with vocals. For background vocal harmony parts, I only had 3 tracks, but wanted a much thicker wall of sound. So basically did this trick grabbing bits from other parts and stacking them up. Worked out great.

[@peik5569]

I have an even lazier way to quad track! Simply play the riff once on one track, then copy paste the product onto three other tracks. Eq them all slightly differently and then zoom way in and move the other tracks forwards by a few milliseconds! Also pan guitars to taste :P It’s not an ideal way of recording by any means but has saved me a bunch of time making demos of songs

[@LeonTodd]

"manual phase adjustment technique" :P

[@Terribleguitarist89]

Even better, toss some splits in the track and slightly shift each chunk... then again at that point you might as well just rerecord haha

[@iutchube]

But the laziest of all ways of "double tracking" is doing the stereo delay between 30 and 50 ms thing. It's as lazy as one can get before dying of laziness 😆

[@nicolasaraistrujak208]

hello! how do you set up the other settings on your delay pedal for double tracking? Im starting to try the doubletrack and I don't know how I set up the feedback, rate and mix on my delay pedal.

[@vestebansbloodbox3130]

Oh damn... ok yeah this is actually brilliant! I've always just slightly moved one track on one channel to the right a tiny, tiny bit. But that's still fairly sterile. This is a great idea!

[@stewartkeyes2511]

Great idea. I'd never considered this!

[@dhrandy]

This is great! Never thought about doing it this way.

[@iutchube]

Perfect! Curious thing is that I've done this before editing/correcting previously recorded stuff but had never thought of using it this way. 😆🤦‍♂️

[@rowanmurphy5239]

Not sure why it would need to be better. Sounds great like this.

[@Dooogz]

Hiya .. I have a hack in Pro Tools ... take one side of the stereo (well, dual mono) guitar track, and nudge it forward or back by (say) a few 10's of milliseconds. It might be a poofteenth off the beat, but you end up with a big chorused type sound. I usually drop the level of one side a db or two, and pan the reverb a bit as well. Try it out!

[@ribbyT408]

Genius! Definitely stealing this 😂

[@msteele0]

I've done this many times. Works perfectly.

[@heavybrett-al4082]

Cool little idea👍

[@bileshake]

I recently found a hack where using way down tuned guitars sometimes there's parts that are too quick to sound clean in the recording. I record another pass for just the quick part, trim it up nice and tight drop it over the rythm track.

[@yanossnicklefritz7064]

You can also just do what you're doing recording it to two tracks and than just mod them each differently with IR's, effects and eq. I know you don't get the sonic doubling where the difference in playing it over give them a harmony effect, but I think that's over stated with guitars.

[@casey4830]

I’ve seen Misha from Periphery do this a few times on YT. Saves a lot of time when trying to get something down quickly to save an idea.

[@search895]

I do this a lot when sketching songs.

[@firemanmick]

No such thing as lazy.... just clever.

[@iutchube]

True

[@SCOTT-ki3ve]

Its also great in a pinch if you realize later something needs to be doubled and the artist is gone, or a piece of a track gets erased

[@LeonTodd]

This!

[@bartnettle]

Yes I love it when you get inspired and your capturing "lightening in a bottle"! IF you don't it can get stale or lost. My trick is to make takes count as the magic happens. Simply pull up your other similar preset for the second take of a few bars and you can really go for tonal separation and if inspired you can make the second take the main rhythm track. I am also aware that when your eager to solo the same tonality doubled washes out flaws and thins the rhythm down which ca make a solo part cut thru but really it just makes your tracks a thin wall of mush if ever mono'd. Have you ever wished a recording you worked on had the spark of the original demo? Just take the care to make it into a finished product quickly by having templates and shortcuts for the recording engineer hats you wear so inspiration and magic are preserved without impatience turning it into a forgettable archive that gets redone, remorphed to death and only sometimes resurrected Remember to "catch the lightening in a bottle" for prosperity. If it is for your bandmates it is best to make a crappy sounding version so there is purpose. LOL Funny how you can just fall in love with playing a part. The classic recordings were all done in single all the way thru takes, that is how good you had to be. Your time saver does have a place for sure!

[@FestivusMayberry]

This is genius!

[@Cinnemax77]

Leon qq: when playing live, how would you yourself simulate this from your board of getting two tracks sound like you did on your recording but in a live setting thx Bill

[@ch3nz3n]

Misha M does this same sort of thing from time to time. #AintNothingWrongWithIt

[@kronie19]

Hey LT. What did you use to program the drums with?

[@V8LC100]

I bought the TC Mimiq for instant lazy double tracking. Has 2 outputs 1 for each channel and you can alter a couple of parameters. Does the Axe FX do anything similar Leon?

[@JDESTR0Y]

Record one track, make an empty track, copy take, paste in new empty track, align perfect, left right them, zoom in way far. Pull one just off even from the other and it will sound doubled

[@ROKZLEON]

For demos... I record one track in stereo, then duplicate the tracks, then turn the dups down and pan in 45 degrees. #lazyrockdemos

[@EdgardCoello]

Synergy be/bb vs morgan Ac module, please!!

[@rockstarjazzcat]

Hey, it serves the music. Cheers, D

[@Guitarpch1]

clever!

[@Poepopdestoep]

Also, if you use a stereo cab (axefx two different cabs) and record 2 mono (L and R) tracks and then do this trick you get even more seperation.

[@LeonTodd]

Aaaaaaahhh even better!

[@tobins6800]

Always catch a dry track. If you want to double it, use an amp sim or different amp sime and IR.

[@AHGrayLensman]

Does this qualify as more or less lazy than using a Mimiq in stereo? (Asking for a friend.)

[@judgegroovyman]

Haha I think this is the same lazy (but I applaud lazy). The Mimiq looks really cool and I bet it would actually sound better than this. P.S. ive done this trick too :)

[@kuzWich]

Might look lazy, but is sure legit enough. Especially minding how much editing is usually done during production nowadays )) My lazy ways in case I wanna get more of that "doubletrack" feel is merely a copy paste + some ms (up to 20ms works ok) of delay on one of the tracks. Some chorus won't hurt either most of the time;)

[@nicolasaraistrujak208]

hello! how do you set up the other settings on your delay pedal for double tracking? Im starting to try the doubletrack and I don't know how I set up the feedback, rate and mix on my delay pedal.

[@astoryk]

I've using this method from years now and works really good, except if some moment of the song never repeats

[@astoryk]

When I work with bands with really low budget, or a guitar player no tight enough, I record the whole song in just one track. Then do the editing and once edited, I duplicate the track and on the second track I swap verse 1 for verse 2, chorus 1 for chorus 2, bridge 1 for bridge 2, and so on. Or if it's a long part that only appears once, I do exactly as you did on the video swapping repetitions of the riff. As I said, the only problem is when a part never repeats, but I fix it recording real dual track only of these parts. Is a good solution, much better than fake ADT with the miliseconds trick that is a pain in the ass in mono

[@megadave9941]

Totally off subject but I just got my new fm3 I haven't slept in 2 days this thing is amazing hi buddy ,🙏✌️🤘

[@LeonTodd]

Nice 👍

[@VadimBln]

Well, you're a sly one! 🤣🤣🤣👍👍👍

[@victorbicudo1374]

been doing that for 20 years LOL. i call it "X" pasting. works well with unexperienced artists. they double track it without knowing.

[@LeonTodd]

Hahaha i love that term for it!

[@MusicianinMe.]

Hehehe.. I thought I was the only one doing this

[@jupjuck]

Sigh Sorry Leon I knew exactly what you were gonna do.... Andy Shannahan showed us this in a music class in 2014 with an acoustic guitar.... I dunno if it's me or the algorithm

[@thevishyfishy]

question: how is this lazy? you're still playing it twice with two different performances. its literally exactly what double tracking is, right? to get further stereo sound you can just run each DI into a different amp sim.

[@froebelrebello51]

Why 4 dislikes?

[@yvesacj]

lazy you just stay in bed........