Lessons

Lesson Info

Tracking Quads

So we've just completed tracking some rhythms with the wonderful 5150 and Mesa Duel Rect combo which is a pretty classic combo. Mr. Browne here is well known for being a master with his POD XT. And so I don't think that it would really be a Monuments recording without getting some of his sounds that are his own on here. So we're gonna do some guitar quads for the rhythms in certain spots that just bring out their signature sound. Do you wanna say anything about what you've done here because a lot of people really want that sound. Well they can get it. I've actually uploaded all of the tones to UKM. Yeah. It is, yeah actually you can download all those for a small fee, but it's practically all in the hands, what we were talking about earlier. Yeah, how long did it take you to get the PODs to sound that good just because I think when a lot of people hear Monuments for instance they don't, it blows their mind that those guitar tones are coming out of a POD. At least five years. ...

Just like constantly playing around with different sounds and knowing what to do afterwards because obviously there's some pretty harsh frequencies on the top end of the POD that a lot of people complain about, it's just knowing which ones to cut and which ones to leave in. But that's like any guitar tonally isn't it? Yeah, exactly. It's just learning the piece of equipment to the fullest. Well I'm a big supporter of Line 6, so I started using PODs back when they first came out. And a lot of people talked a lot of trash about them and I always got great sounds. And I just came to the conclusion that it's all in the hands and ears of the user. Exactly, it is, yeah, definitely, I agree with that. I actually think that the Line 6 products are better than a lot of the more expensive modelers out there. I agree too. You just have to know how to use it. Exactly, yeah. So with that let's use it. Let's use it yeah. Alright, so. Just to go over it, I guess I should probably mention what model we're using for this as well. Sure. And it's just the big bottom model which is obviously a big part of the whole sound of this genre, it's kind of what started all of it. All of the big ones have used this model. Like everything from you know Periphery, TesseracT, us. Even before that, Fellsilent, our old band with me and Acle. We all started on this tone. Do you know what amp it's supposed to be modeling? It's modeled after a dual rectifier. Okay. Yeah. Well I never thought that models actually sound like the real thing. Not to say that they're better or worse. No. They're just different. It's definitely got its own flavor to anything but yeah. It still sounds good. Alright so. What I had in mind, but I'm interested to hear what you would have in mind is to emphasize some of the more characteristic elements of some of these riffs to bring those tones out. I think maybe we should quad entire choruses possibly. But on other riffs like this verse I think maybe we should get like the (humming) for instance. Yeah we could try that. Or we could try quading the whole thing too. (laughing) We might be here for a very long time if we do that. Yeah, quading is a very tough thing to get right. Okay so how would you like to hear this? Is it like we were doing before? (guitar strumming) That sounds cool. Okay, cool. (guitar strumming) That's a great tone. You wanna hear the other guitars too? Alright, great. Well here it goes, let's see what happens. Each one (humming) is that what you want? Yeah, well let's get that going through here. And then let's make a decision on if that's cool or not or if there's something particular you can do. (metronome beeping) (metal music) So yeah I thought that was pretty sweet. It will be. But you added, you added, you did more than I had originally anticipated but I like that. I'll do it again. It's almost like you did all the opens and the slides. Basically, yeah. Maybe do that, do the opens, the slides, and then leave out the rest. Okay, yeah we can do that. Alright cool, you ready? (metronome beeping) (metal music) That's really cool. Cool. You wanna double that? Yeah. Alright ready? (metronome beeping) (metal music) Alright so the thing that I should point out and I'm gonna make a group right here, we'll call it volume group. Can I tune quickly? Sure. I'm making a mix only group for the two POD tracks, then I can control all the little inserts I put on there as well as the volume and the mute. I have a separate group for the records. You can see my, the tracks where you can hear his POD has the same volume and plug in controls, but when I hit record, I get the DI and the track I wanna record onto. So what I wanted to say was while we're tracking those are gonna be kinda loud, but in reality they're supposed to be blended in and we might not keep all of these but it's more supposed to be just a texture. (metal music) That sounds pretty cool. Sounds cool. Yeah. Emphasizes the tightness of the riff as well. Yeah exactly, I think we should do that throughout. So like I said, while we're tracking it's gonna be loud so we can hear it, but in reality it's just meant to be subtly in there to emphasize tightness of the riff and bring out the heavier parts. Okay so. You want me to record the whole chorus though right? No, let's do the same thing. Okay. Same scheme. Let me see if I can work this out then. Okay, well let me just run you through it and. Yeah. Okay ready? Yup. (metal music) That's pretty cool. Sounds great. Alright cool. Alright tune up and I'll give you, I'll make sure signal goes through. (guitar strumming) So can I copy first verse onto the second verse for this? Yup, but it's the second half isn't it? Is it? Yeah, okay. Second half twice. Got it. (guitar strumming) Alright we'll see if that's right. I believe you but, let's just see, okay. (metal music) Then this part you want (guitar strumming) you just want the (humming) don't you. Let me listen to the riff real quick. (metal music) Yeah that opens. Ready? (metal music) I made too many at the end, I need to do the last one again. This one right here? Yeah I did three instead of two. Okay. (metal music) Okay, double that. Ready? Yup. (metal music) That one was off. Which one was it? Actually the original one looks early. The original one's on time? Is it? Yeah look at the DI. Alright yeah okay fine. Yes okay alright, punch you in for that. Yeah okay. Ready? (metal music) That sounds pretty cool. (guitar strumming) Nice. (guitar strumming) Nothing like a really out of tune guitar. So I'm gonna copy paste the chorus alright. Let's just listen against this chorus and make sure. (metal music) I gotta repeat it, right, it does a repeat? It does. Cool. It was sounding cool though. Is the ending different? No the ending, yeah the ending is. Okay so we're gonna have to punch that in. That's where Olly will come in. Olly. Let's make sure it's cool up until there. (metal music) Alright so we need Olly to play that. (guitar strumming) Yeah. Let's finish your parts and then we'll have Olly come in. Okay that's fine, yeah. Next part in the original chord, and there's like an octave higher of the version. So the first half was just two and then I put an octave of both halves again so it's like. (guitar strumming) Like that. In the bridge? Yeah. Okay. Let me see what the original was. (metal music) So can we do then two sets of layers? One that's just what we've been doing? (guitar strumming) Yeah, do that first. We'll just keep that across this track. Okay, yeah. And then on another set of tracks, we'll do a higher octave. Okay. Okay, ready? Yup. (metal music) Do you wanna just do the first half of that and then go into the octave version? Or do you want that throughout the whole thing? Throughout the whole thing? You can copy and paste that. Okay, well then let's double it. There's C and P. Yeah I want these two tracks right here to be just this thing, then just this thing we're doing now, the low layers for the whole song. And then I'll make more tracks for when we do upper octaves. Ready? Yeah. (metal music) And that you can copy paste, or I can. (guitar scratching) I like that, it's a good song. Yeah can we put that note in. Yeah I think that was probably my favorite song right there. (metal music) Sounds nice, alright. Let's continue on and I'll do that bit on the end. (metal music) Looks like you're good up until that point. Yeah. Yeah can we punch in from there, that spot? Okay. Yeah we can punch in. So like (metal music) there? Yeah. Kind of, okay. A little bit earlier maybe. In that realm. (metal music) Okay I just need to do that. I guess I'll cut out of the chord. Okay just the last one. The second half was better than the first so maybe we can copy and paste that. Yeah. And then I'll-- And then you'll do the Gojira? (guitar strumming) So you played the second half right? Yeah. Okay cool. Let's see. (metal music) Okay so you wanna do this ending guy? I can just do the track first and then do the endings at the same time. Okay you wanna double? Alright, double? Yup. Alright. (metal music) Just do that in chord like that. (guitar strumming) Okay. (guitar strumming) That's gonna be cool, alright you ready? Yeah. Oh wait let me make sure that I know where it happens. (guitar strumming) (metal music) So it's (metal music) it's on that? Okay so it's (metal music) got it. Alright cool. (guitar strumming) Ready? Yeah. (metal music) How does that one sound? (metal music) Nice. Yeah. Okay so, oh that's a different tempo. Yeah so same chorus though. It's actually not a different tempo but. Alright. No it's 140, and that one's 145. Oh right yeah. (guitar strumming) Okay. (guitar strumming) This is the kinda thing you can't do with bad guitar players on a record because being able to separate riffs like that, just separate key parts of a riff, it will make a lesser guitar player's head explode. It's making my head explode right now. Yeah it doesn't sound like it. It's looking just fine. It's really difficult to do. It is. I'm actually really impressed. Ready? Yup. (metal music) The end riff's gonna be agonizing. That's okay, we're not there yet. Let's double what you just did. Yeah okay. Alright ready? Yup. (metal music) Okay. And then what'd you want for this part? Because I don't think any of this really needs it. What is the last riff? (guitar strumming) I think just the. (humming) (guitar strumming) Not even the chord. (guitar strumming) Not even the high notes. (guitar strumming) Yup, yeah that's all I need. Okay. And I'm even on the fence about the higher upper note there. Okay, well I'll put it in there, you can always cut it out can't you? I don't know how, okay are you ready? (metal music) Let's try doubling that. Alright ready? (guitar strumming) Yup. Okay. (metal music) Cool. It's really really hard. I can imagine. (metal music) Yeah, it's cool. Let's do it. Alright, ready? Yeah. Alright cool. (metal music) Alright, double that. And also let me just say that one of the reasons that I'm not so focused on it being exactly dead on tight with the original guitars, I mean it's tight enough but the reason I'm not being insane about it is because these are actually just gonna be really quiet, they're just a texture. If these were meant to be regular quads, then we would be going insane making sure that they were exactly like the originals. We'd probably go over the originals if we quad tracks with them. Yeah, oh yeah, absolutely. As well at the same time. Alright you ready? Yup. (metal music) Olly, once I check this, you're up. (metal music) Hi. So what'd you gotta do? You have to do that ending, that one ending? Is that what you're doing, this thing? (metal music) Just that? Yeah. (guitar strumming) We did the original to a click so let's do this onto a click, you ready? Yeah. Okay. (guitar strumming) Hang on, is it? (guitar strumming) Can you give me the, which one is it? It's this one. (metal music) Can I get that in a bit more context. No. Okay. (metal music) And you just want me to loop it? Yup. (guitar strumming) (metronome beeping and guitar strumming) You got it already. Congratulations. Cheers man. Hey you win the prize. Here you go. (guitar strumming) You don't think they sound whack? At the volume that they're gonna be at, I think they're gonna be just fine. They're literally just there to help make it pop a little. (metal music) So they're gonna be at this volume pretty much. (metal music) Yeah. That sounds great. Thank you. Thank him. Does he have another part, or do you, or what's? I've gotta do that octave thing. Oh, he's gonna take a solo with this right? Okay, cool. Can I just play all 12 notes at once? Okay so octave thing, let's use a different guitar. Yeah I'm gonna use my other one. Okay. I like to use different guitars for different types of layers because it's much easier to mix that way. If I need to get separation, there's already gonna be a natural separation because each guitar sounds different. If you use the same guitars for all different types of parts, you're gonna be fighting in the mix to have them each be heard. The same thing applies for cabinets and heads and everything we try to get as many different types of sounds as possible. So should I make you two more tracks? Yes please. Sure. Also the reason that I'm doing one type of track at a time is so that you know when with these low layers I can have one EQ for those, and not have to worry about changing it or anything, you know set it and forget that. But now we're gonna be doing an upper octave, get a unique sound for that, and set it and forget it. So any upper octave stuff, those will all be on the same track. This makes my life easier. Okay this is just like one part right? Yeah it's just this. (guitar strumming) Then we're done. Okay, cool. That's only the second half of the bridge. Oh okay cool, the bridge repeat. Alright, cool. Alright, you ready? Yup. (metal music) I couldn't hear it at first. That's alright. I had to turn it up so I don't know if you played it well or not. (guitar strumming) How did you feel about it? Of course I played it well. Okay great, then double it. I actually have no idea if I played it well. Okay then let's hear it. (metal music) That sounds great. Yeah. (guitar strumming) Okay ready? Yup. (metal music) Yeah, that was cool. Yeah, and so just turn it down a little bit, so we'll see what, yeah. Is it supposed to be like a lead or just a layer? No it's meant to like go wider. Wider, got it. Yeah. Okay. So say if you're, my main guitars are normally between 80 and 90% of the distance. And then I have a further one that comes in and out and it makes it wider as opposed to the thickening if that makes sense. Okay got it. So kinda. Obviously everyone works differently but that's kind of, well I use quad track and four. What are you using there? I'm just gonna widen it just for fun. Alright, okay, cool. Then we're done with rhythm guitars? Yeah, this is not necessarily what I would do in the mix, but just for the sake of hearing it wider like you said, why not. (metal music) Those toms sound great at the end of that. Yeah. Yeah don't they. Yeah, it's gonna be good stuff. It's that D112. That's all it is. Giving it the egg. Alright cool, well done with rhythms. Yeah. Great, great work.