Got a new video for you today.
In this one, I show you through the guitar tracks on one of the songs on my recent EP, and how I got them to sound nice and big, even though I only have a few tracks.
Check it out below:
Have any techniques for getting a huge guitar sound in your productions? Leave a comment below!
Indie Artist Lounge 
Nice job on the writing and arrangement for the various guitar parts – they work really well together. Definitely shows the benefit to writing complimentary parts with different voicings rather than layering the same notes/chords on top of each other. Congrats on the new EP release!
P.S.: If you’re able to demo Logic Pro X somehow, you might really like it. I waited a while to upgrade but I was really glad I did – I like it a lot more than 9. Certainly not a necessary upgrade as 9 works fine, but just something to consider. Enjoy!
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Hey,
Yeah man. Complementary, intentional parts always win in my mind. Great way to fill things up with less clutter.
Yeah I haven’t tried X yet. Party because I don’t have a compelling reason to, although I’m sure it has nice features. But also, I’m a little worried about Apple. Their market is in mobile devices, and over the years they’ve been paying less attention to their “pro” level software. They’ve gotten rid of Aperture (pro-level photo organization software) and even Final Cut is more tuned for Youtube-type videos in the latest version (or so I’ve heard). As much as I’m a fan of Apple in general, something about using a DAW that’s built by a mobile device company makes me a little nervous about where it’s going. So when I finally do upgrade from Logic 9, I’m not sure if I’ll stick with Logic, or if I’ll switch to something else (since I’ll have to learn new software anyway).
Anyway. Something to keep stewing over I guess 🙂
Alex
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Great advice Alex. Those different parts really stood out in the mix and with seven parts playing you can still hear each individual part. Very helpful video, I can see the benefit of carefully arranging parts together. Thanks.
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Thanks, Mark! Glad you liked it. It’s definitely worth your time to be intentional, do a bit of planning, and record parts that complement each other and have a clear purpose. You can get a lot more accomplished with less tracks that way 🙂
Alex
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Nice video. I’ve been making home demo recordings for a long time, but I’m actually working on my first EP now and hope to release it in a few months, so I will check out your other videos.
In addition to the tips you mentioned, here are a couple additional ideas that have worked well for me:
1. Combine a guitar with humbuckers and one with single coil pickups. As you mentioned in the video, the goal is to cover different areas of the frequency spectrum. Since each pickup has it’s own unique frequency bump, this is one way to help achieve that.
2. If playing open chords, use a capo! If you have a rhythm guitar part that is playing triads, an easy way to come up with a complementary part is to use a capo and play other open chords up the neck.
Also, I hear you on the Logic question. I use 9 currently and am worried that Apple might be in the process of dumbing down their software. That would be a shame since I love Logic and would hate to have to abandon it and start over with a different program.
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Hey,
Great tips!
Humbuckers vs. single-coil is a fantastic tip. I’ve had success with that as well. Also things like playing a solid body electric (like a Les Paul) and a hollow or semi-hollow (like a 335) can add flavour and texture as well.
I also love playing the same part on different areas on the neck. Really gives some good separation.
Yeah, I agree on not wanting to ditch Logic. But I do have to wonder. I think Logic 9 actually isn’t supported anymore on Yosemite, so I might have to end up making that decision sooner than I’d hoped… Hmmm….
Thanks for the comment! Good luck on your EP!
Alex
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