I'm swapping my home studio time for musician time with a couple of guys and they've got this straight-ahead rock thing going with bass, rhythm guitar and lead guitar. Does anybody have any tips about the best way to track and mix two overdriven guitars? I was thinking that maybe some kind of ducking compression or something on the rhythm would help when the lead guitar kicks in (is that the right term?). Of course, I don't have a unit that will do that. So as an aside, are there any plug-ins that will let me do ducking compression/limiting? Or is there some technique that I can use in Cakewalk or Cool-Edit to achieve the same effect? Nicholas Delonas Cult V Tracking two guitars...first look at the arrangements...are they a direct double? or do they breathe and work off each other. Second...look at the hardware...while you can often get away with the same amplifier for all of the sets of tracks you may record...it's best to have a variety available...a Marshall, a Fender, a (pick your favorite here)...two or more instruments is mandatory!! In the stuff I do, Rythm GTR-1 is generally the more important of the two RTH GTR tracks...it generally provides the meat and the main drive...RTH GTR-II is more often than not an embellishment and reinforcement of RTH GTR-I in my world...so take these comments from that perspective. I've found that a good Telecaster with (more importantly) someone that can play it really well (they play like no other guitar) is about as good as you're going to do for all kinds of rock and roll RTH GTR tracks...for heavier stuff, double it up, or add to it with a Les Paul...as far as Tele's go...the old Tele Customs rule...as far as Les Pauls go, the old Deluxe's with the small humbuckers seem to sound largest on a regular basis. As far as micing goes...I always use different mics and mic positions on all guitar tracks. Let's face it, even with the variations in instruments and amps...there isn't a ton of difference in the sound...it's smack dab in the middle of vocal range...and chances are really good that you're going to be using a condenser for vocals...ribbon mics (IMHO) are a guitar's best friend. An RCA BK-5 is a real favorite...and yes Virginia, you can jam them right into the grill of a half stack...a Coles 4038 is damned useful as well, but depending on the amps tone and volume...may not have the longest of life expectancy's...but recently I've been trying to blow up this Royer mic they sent me...and I haven't been able to yet. Which leads us to mic positioning...most 4x 12" cabinets focus (where you get all 4 speakers at once) between 18-24"s...obviously, move the mic back and forth until it gives it up for you...generally the logo plate is a good place to aim the mic...with the Royer I've been finding that as I turn the mic on and off axis to the cabinet, it's the best equalizer I've ever used on guitar. The 4038's don't seem to affect quite as dramatic a difference. I will often use a BK-5 in tandem with a few other mics...but mostly I do this when I'm in a hurry...4 speakers in a 4x 12" cab...4 mics...my first four of choice for close micing are the BK-5 (obviously), a Shure 57, A Sennheiser MD-421, and a Neumann KM-184. Phase (polarity) check all 4 first, then jam them all right in the grill...find a spot where each sounds OK on it's own (toward the speaker's surround a bit darker, toward the speakers center/dust cap a bit brighter) then mix and match combinations of the 4. The Neumann can take it, no, you won't stretch anything...and if you get the amp to sound right...it's instant Angus Young...no waiting. Use a really good/rich/almost a bit dark sounding mic pre. Fidelity isn't that important...it's guitar...guitars are attitude instruments...you want pretty? Use a piano; ...you want attitude, then it's guitar. Sooo, depth without mud is the key here. We want to avoid a whole lot of really high frequency shit...all that's there is amplifier noise, and other extraneous crap that will fuck with the air of the vocals...but we don't want to filter up there either...first it'll make our shit sound dull, second the phase anomaly isn't conducive to clarity and projection...so...a big fat sounding mic amp is clutch. Old germanium transistor based things with transformer inputs and outputs are my favorite...but the occasional old tube thingy or 1272 doesn't suck. Don't have one? Well whaddaya got? What can ya rent? As far as new stuff goes, the VT-737-SM works really well, and I've gotten some pretty bitchin' results with a Manley VoxBox too...especially when you find the "upper midrange spike" (that all guitars have) with the EQ on the 737...then side chain a couple extra "db" of that spike into the compressor on the 737...instant "under control"...with the VoxBox...you can use the two layers of compression/limiting for a really cool sound. Again, tailor it to the track, and make sure you reference it to everything else in context. I hate equalizers in recording to begin with...I really hate them for guitars...I'm gonna get phase distorted into a coma when famous mix dude gets his hands on the product...I don't need to hand in my homework that way...so I'm basically of the opinion that equalizers are the work of Satan in the tracking process in general...with that said (and I know that it's a minority perspective...so that's why I felt the need to say it)...mic placement is your best equalizer...a mic amp is perhaps you best bit of tonal/character enhancement...but we ain't done yet!!! A loud guitar is a pretty compressed signal...comes that way from the amp...the 6L6's or EL-34's get that luminous glow...and compress like a motherfucker...nature of the beast...however...a little more ain't gonna hurt nothin'. While the favorite for guitars is an RCA BA-6...chances are you don't have one lying around...in that case...find an Empirical Labs EL-8....or (don't shoot me Mr. Derr)...wait a little bit, because the "Trakker" from Crane Song is changing my life!! This "sumbitch" is my new Swiss Army knife!! And don't be subtle about it...use the tone and the reactions of the compressor to reinforce the part...sounds like an ambiguous statement...but if you play around and listen...it'll become immediately apparent when the compressor is reinforcing the the part, and when it's getting in the way. Which leads us to the ducking thing...back to one of my other favorite tricks...a good "room ambiance" track can often be your friend, especially if you have good ambiance in your room. When you add that to the close mic'ed guitar tone, you can end up with this massive wall of guitars!!! One that the bass can crawl under, and the drums can muscle their way through...but the vocals...shit, the vocals...how the fuck do ya get the damn vocal through this wall of guitar from hell? Get a really good, clean, transparent, audiophile (if there is such a thing) compressor with a side chain...and duck the guitar ambiance tracks off the lead vocal! Singer boy opens his big mouth...guitars clamp down to "Large"...singer boy shuts up...guitars go back to being a "XXL" with a whole lotta tattoo's... As from the nature of the question, I have a feeling that you won't be dealing with "famous mixer dude"...so you can do the ducking thing in post. Lately, when I have one of these to do, I've been getting the sound I like...and when I have a finished lead vocal track, and any other particularly important events on the tape...I'll run the ducking thing, and bounce all the RTH GTR's with ambiance, etc. to two tracks...which takes all the fun out of it for the famous mixer dude...and let's me hate the guitar sound less when the product hits the street. |
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