Guitar recording: 1 guitar with 2 amps and quadtracked ?

[MicSlut666]

I will be recording guitars next weekend.

The band only has one guitar player. I want to use 2 different amps and blend them together. Each cab will be miced with 2 mics.

What do you suggest for tracking method? Would you do 2 takes with AMP A and then switch to AMP B and do 2 takes again? Or would you use an amp splitter and run both amps simultaneously and only double track. Each method will give you 8 guitar tracks in total. I think Method B with running the Amps simultaneously will give me a much tighter tone.

I want to make shure everything is in phase . Is it the right way to put the first mic at cab A and align all other mics on cab A and B to this first placed mic?

When mixing where do you put the amps when only one guitar is in the band?

Amp 1, Amp 1 <-------->Amp 2, Amp 2?

or

Amp 1, Amp 2 <-------> Amp 1, Amp 2?


Would you give each amp its on side at the stereo image or would you share each stereo side with both amps?

[ltemma74]

So the goal is tight and big (for one guitar). I will assume that you are limited to 4 tracks total....

I think the best results can be obtained from doing separate takes...however, this requires an ultra-prepared guitar player. If the guitarist can't really match his performances tightly, than you could be doing more harm than good.

Another option is to split the signal to both amps and blend the two mikes prior to hitting tape, so you will have two tracks per take. The first track will be amp A with the mics blended and the second track will be amp B with the mics blended. This is going to be tight because it's one performance. The only sacrifice is you need to blend the mics ahead of time. If you take care of mic placement and phasing and you should be good to go.

Then you can have the guitar player do a second pass using the same setup. Maybe different mics on different amps, but the same general idea. If the guitarist nails it, then you've got your gold. If not, then at least you've got the previous take with both amps performed tightly.

Just an idea in case the guitarist isn't able to perform tight twice in a row.

Re panning, for rock, I like to pan pretty hard left and right. So in the example I gave you, the first tracks are typically 95% left and 70% right then the next two 95% right and 70% left. In that example from left to right I'd mix up the amps -- hard left Amp A, mid left Amp B, mid right Amp A, hard right Amp B. But that's just a starting point. It's really easy to twist a panning nob, so mess around for a minute and listen - something almost always sounds better.

[druhms]

You got the right idea with 2 amps and 2 mics per cab. Buss all 4 signals to one track. Cut it, then double it. Phase is a real issue with a beefy gtr tone. Take the time and check the phase between the 2 mics on one cab, then the other. Then, check the phase between both pairs of mics. Mix to taste and send to tape. Try not to rely on eq. Use your mic selection, speaker selection and mic placement.
Druhms

[slaves666]

Depending on the style of music, there are a few ways to do it.

For a more rock feel.....

Track the left with amp 1 and guitar 1

Track the right with amp 2 and guitar 2

For other tracks switch it up for different tones

For metal....

Track amp 1 and 2 Left....with guitar 1

Track amp 1 and 2 Right ....with guitar 1

For other tracks use same amp setup with guitar 2

[Bruno5150]

i would go with choice nº2... split and record both amps at once... then get a second take...

even for good guitar players, it´s a lot of work to get many take to sound correct with each other.,,,

[MicSlut666]

Thanks for feedback so far .

Style will be Hardcore/Metalcore/Metal guitar.

[vespiz]

Just to note, if the guitarist is not that good, quad-tracking guitars will be a mess. But if he's tight, then try it. Sometimes it works, sometimes not, because it still might be too full and not tight enough. It really depends on the songs.

But remember that it's easier to delete tracks than to try and recreate them later!

[Absolute]

Originally Posted by vespiz

Just to note, if the guitarist is not that good, quad-tracking guitars will be a mess.

Thats not always true. In fact so much of todays metal is so easy a monkey could play those riffs. They are just the same riffs played over and over. Very rarely do you any rhythms that require any real skill. Playing it twice actually covers up mistakes in many cases. Any abrubt stops are usually just cropped with a few mouse clicks in the DAW.

If you look at rhythms played by great guitarists its usually played only once or once on each side. It cant be doubled because it looses its feel. An example would be EVH who plays his part once or John Petrucci of Dream Theater who plays it once on the left and once on the right--in his case he does use a splitter so your hearing a blend many times.

So its say..played once into 2 amps on the right--and then same deal on the other side.

Plain and simple...go by the part

If its ripe with feel you dont want to double it on both sides(4 tracks played 4 times)
If its monkey riffs you can double it as many time as you want. For the first song try both methods and see which sounds better for the part.

[big country]

could always flip the phase , by rewiring a guitar cable

Btw : its nice to hear people wanting to record in quad

my five channel recording axe

[Unclenny]

Originally Posted by Absolute

If you look at rhythms played by great guitarists its usually played only once or once on each side.

Hey!! I play my guit tracks once only!

Of course, that's because I'd step all over myself if I tried to play the same thing twice.

Seriously though, there's a lot to be said for the mojo of one track played with feeling. I split my signal and go into two (sometimes three) small amps.

Hey Matt........looks as if that guit a' yers might pick up the space station on a clear day.

[druhms]

Remember that doubling parts does not produce the same effect as cutting with 2 or more amps at once.

Druhms

[Kenny M]

I use 2 amps 2 mics per cab as my normal rig. Just take the time to phase align all the mics and bus them to one track. Double, triple, quadruple, etc. to whatever works for you. For me, cutting each amp and each mic to separate tracks is almost always un-needed and usually makes for a mess when it comes time to mix. Get the sound that you really like with the blend of all the mics and amps and commit it to the track right away.

Combining all that can be a really huge sound if you take the time to get all your mics in phase. I start with one mic and then will record with a second one and zoom way into the waveform. I'll move that second mic until I get those waveforms to line up and then move to the next amp and mic, etc. It sounds tedious, but after doing it a few times I get the mics pretty close to where they need to be with the initial setup. A quick check and a tweak or two with mic positioning and I'm good to go. I can setup four of my amps and have them all lined up in about ten minutes now.

[DannyMac]

R U tracking like this for options or thick tones. If the later and he/she can play well then do take on take (vox doubleing in effect)