Can't seem to fill up my tracks

[Avianer]

When I record, i feel like the song feels empty. It doesn't feel full. I've even tried adding thick pads in the song. still not cutting it. Also, any tips on how to make my guitar sound better? I have an option of using a Shure SM57 or a Audix i5 on a Peavey Classic 30 with a strat. I'm just recording stuff for my church record.

[albee1952]

A few ideas to try: play each track twice(doubling) and use each mic on one of the two tracks for rhythm. As the Classic 30 is an open-back amp, mic it front and back(just mute the back mic while you record). After you track it, stick a plugin on the rear track and polarity reverse it. Now mix the two tracks (front mic and rear mic) and see what you get with different balances of the two(zoom way in if you want to slip the rear mic track to line up perfectly with the front mic). Don't forget that sometimes, LESS IS MORE. So don't feel compelled to add dozens of tracks unless it helps the song.

[Stiff]

Wow... This is near impossible to answer without hearing what you got and what you're aiming for. Albee is right about doubling, this is done with many instruments, not least guitars... But I think more importantly you should look at the overall arrangement.

What style of music are we talking about BTW?

[Avianer]

I'll be recording church music like Chris Tomlin, or David Crowder. Very simple mix. Or more of a secular point of style, probably something like John mayer's room for squares.

[shultzee13]

Ace Frehley from Kiss actually had his guitar tracks stacked 24 times for "Detroit Rock City"
Pretty crazy uh? I actually stack everything when I record in Pro Tools. It makes everything sound so much fuller. Just duplicate the tracks after you record the takes you like. I think you'll be amazed at how much better it sounds. Pan one guitar track to the left, one to the right and then drive the 3rd one straight up center. It's very, very full sounding.

[davegibbon]

Behold the power of the "Pad". If you have Xpand!, try mucking around with some subtle pads. They don't have to be loud, just sit them back in the mix. If you find the right one, you can almost blend it so that it sounds like it's the tail of your guitar sound.

Dave

[audiogeekzine]

Ace Frehley from Kiss actually had his guitar tracks stacked 24 times for "Detroit Rock City"
Pretty crazy uh? I actually stack everything when I record in Pro Tools. It makes everything sound so much fuller. Just duplicate the tracks after you record the takes you like. I think you'll be amazed at how much better it sounds. Pan one guitar track to the left, one to the right and then drive the 3rd one straight up center. It's very, very full sounding.

you must be joking.
Right?
I hope you're joking because I laughed at what you said.


Duplicating tracks is no substitute for double tracking.
What you've accomplished with the method you've described is made a mono sound louder. Its not stereo just because it comes out of two speakers! Its not fatter because it's louder!

[yamlan]

Do you have drum loops and/or percussions playing with the live drum tracks. Programs like Stylus RMX have tons of filler loops to play under the live drums. This really adds flavor and depth to an arrangement.

Is the bass line dull? In other words, is the bass going 1-2-3-4 or 1-thicka-2-thicka-3-digada-4? You'd be surprised how much just changing the bass feel can fill up a particular arrangement. Same for the drums.

Adding subtle delays to arpeggios can help fill up the arrangement.

Record the guitar twice, straight the first time then vary the strumming on the same part the second time. Pan both parts left and right in the mix. Works sometimes.

You said you are producing music for your church. What is Christian music without lush string arrangements? Try playing 4ths and 5ths on top of the keyboard chords. Alternate between low and high notes.


I produce various styles of music. It happens all the time where an arrangement may seem empty until the vocals are recorded. Many times a song that I thought was empty ended up needing something taking out once the vocals chimed in. Once I get the core instruments laid down, I try to get the singer(s) to record a rough track. Then I finish the arrangement around the vocals - many times I find that it is already done once the vocals are recorded.

[Eless]

I'll be recording church music like Chris Tomlin, or David Crowder. Very simple mix.

If you're trying to make it sound like Tomlin or Crowder... "simple" isn't what you're looking for. The "big-hitters" in praise and worship music are very big on drum loops, synth lines, arpeggiators, and other such "fillers." Specifically Crowder. In his band, the drummer is always doing very simple beats, and the drum machine really picks up the slack. With Tomlin, there is a lot of synth pads.

The other thing that both of these artists are huge on is COMPRESSION. HEAVY, HEAVY, HEAVY COMPRESSION!!! I know some guys on the board are probably going to be pretty upset about suggesting HUGE amounts of compression, but it's what gives them their sound. The lead vocal and the snare are the most obvious, but the acoustic guitar gets quite a bit as well. Listen to Crowder's "Illuminate" with a pair of headphones and listen to his vowels in the lead vocals and you'll hear what I'm talking about.

What kind of instrumentation do you have? I'm very into praise and worship music. I'm in a P&W band, and have recorded several projects for this type of music. If you'd like, I could listen to it and give some more specific pointers. Private message me if you want.

Cory

[Eless]

Listen to Crowder's "Illuminate" with a pair of headphones and listen to his vowels in the lead vocals and you'll hear what I'm talking about.

...his consonants... not his vowels. it was a long day yesterday... sometimes basic English skills escape me.

Cory