Artificial Double Tracking: Are there any plugins or softwares available to do the trick?

[gryfyx]

Its been utterly tiring and time consuming job to record a signal twice to double in length, or copy pasting the track into two to do ADT trick. There are so many ways to do this but all the tricks are manual and lately I'm tired of doing this in the conventional way. Its been long that Abbey studios did this with scissors and tapes but yet no revolutionary advancement has occurred. Digital recordings took the scissors and tapes away but still its very annoying when you do so much editing job and rely on copy paste kind of approach. I would be highly obliged if someone can tell me a couple (even a single will do) of plugs that do the trick without much hassle. Even if it cost more than Vienna Synth Library, I'll be more than happy to save money to invest in this.

Awright, just kidding, it doesnt have to be that ridiculously pricey.

[Tomás Mulcahy]

The trick with the Abbey Road version was that you could have the double ahead of the original. You don't need to copy a track, have you not thought of using a delay line? A short delay (with a little bit of modulation and an LPF to mimic tape) will do the trick. I think 50 ms or less is golden.

East West fab four has the effect built, in apparently modelled on the Abbey Road system. Don't know if ti can be applied as an effect on its own.

[BenLD]

If you're not completely anti-Waves....

Waves Doubler

I also got this free ADT plug from vacuumsound here
but haven't used it in anger yet.

Ben

[Persuazion]

IMO You need to put in the time and do it right. That's just me though, I enjoy it!

[The Elf]

I'm a bit bemused as to how tiring and time-consuming it is to record a second vocal pass, or to duplicate a track and apply a delay to it, or to add a short plug-in delay. It seems very quick and simple to me!

Are we talking about the same ADT? Or do you you mean (non-A) DT?

For DT, just get the vocalist to learn his part carefully and save you so much pain - after all, once upon a time we couldn't do all this editing! Work on the song in sections and if the vocalist doesn't get it right, just keep recording the section until he does.

[gryfyx]

Dear I know what you're saying, but what you're saying is not helping me at all. I didnt seek any help to explore or be explored through the details of the trick.

Idea is the whole game of using two separate buses and using two separate source track, i.e. first one copied and pasted into make the second parallel one, is time consuming. 5ms or 50ms is least my dilemma. I just want to know if their is an algorithm that do the whole editing job for me and then leave me to decide what delay or eq I design further. I hope you comprehend.

[gryfyx]

Thanks Ben, I'll look into the vacuumsound one and let you know how did I like it. Waves doubler looks very promising. Hey, by the way how, on earth, I didnt get waves doubler with the waves mercury collection?

[gryfyx]

I knew it would come up. Isnt it boring when you know that what you're doing will have to be done on some twenty more tracks? Hahaha.

[The Elf]

Idea is the whole game of using two separate buses and using two separate source track, i.e. first one copied and pasted into make the second parallel one, is time consuming.

I can't comment on your DAW, but for ADT in Cubase:
Right-click > Duplicate track.
Set track delay 50ms.
Done! Takes about 10 seconds!
And you can do this on 20 tracks simultaneously.

I must be misunderstanding something!

[gryfyx]

Are we talking about the same ADT? Or do you you mean (non-A) DT?

Yes.

I'm a bit bemused as to how tiring and time-consuming it is to record a second vocal pass, or to duplicate a track and apply a delay to it, or to add a short plug-in delay. It seems very quick and simple to me!

I do it so much that soon I find my life to be monotonous. Once I got so bored that I even skipped to do it, my ears started lying to me. Many people love to do it, I know. Editing is not 'Hey, this is so much fun' kind of thing to me.

[gryfyx]

[
And you can do this on 20 tracks simultaneously.

Simultaneously? How? How can I duplicate 20 tracks simultaneously and how can I apply separate delay time among most of them? Its not necessary that a guitar and vocal double tracking will have same delay time shift.

By the way it's Cubase, that I use.

* Edit -- Also, Elf, doing this way I'll still deal with more than one bus which can be a little too confusing when I'm dealing with so many tracks. I wanted a plug that can ease my life by doing a doubling job on the same bus and do most of such editing thing automated, and grant me the choice of delay time and some kind of filter or eq maybe. Because if a plug will do it I wont have both the separate tracks on my finger tips to apply separate eq to each. Thus a built in eq will be great.

I built one such plug in max, but I'm no pro programmer so mine suck more than any that I'll find anywhere.

Thanks anyways.

[Tomás Mulcahy]

I'd be interested to hear what twenty tracks of ADT sounds like...

[gryfyx]

I'd be interested to hear what twenty tracks of ADT sounds like...

Hahaha! Dear my work doesnt comprise of mixing those twenty ADT tracks at once. And twenty was a reference image, it could be more, mind it.

I'll explain - I bounce the loops after ADT which may or may not be used in the same project, or even by me. I might sell them off (separately). And to tell you the truth I almost always record in mono and then refurbish the missing stereo with a fake one (ADT). Everyone has their way of working on the projects, mine is such because the only thing that matters to me after music is speed. Handling twenty at a time and bouncing is my comfort zone so let that be. My inquiry is not about my workflow, I guess.

Moreover picking on is easy then knowing the solution and then providing it. Yet again I hope that you comprehend.

[The Elf]

Are we talking about the same ADT? Or do you you mean (non-A) DT?

Yes.

Errr... I'll assume you mean Automatic Double Tracking then, i.e. using a delay to simulate Double Tracking.

Simultaneously? How? How can I duplicate 20 tracks simultaneously?

Select the tracks on the Arrange page, right click => 'Duplicate Track'.

and how can I apply separate delay time among most of them?

Just tweak the track delay slider for each duplicated track. You can set them all to whatever you want. You can multi-select and use to edit multiple tracks, or you can use the copy/paste in the mixer.

EQ the delayed tracks to taste and you're done.

A few minutes work at most.

But 20 tracks of individually delayed ADT?!?! The mind boggles...

[Exalted Wombat]

The trouble with Artificial Double Tracking is that it IS artificial. Ultimately, you're getting the same recording twice. And it sounds like it. Why not try Real Double Tracking? It's an excellent technique, particularly for lead vocals. Performers seem to find it remarkably easy to duplicate a performance. And you'll be amazed at how three layers of even a quite pitchy vocal somehow even out the imperfections - no need for laborious correction of the more painful bits in AutoTune or Melodyne! (You didn't think the Auto settings in either program did anything useful I hope?

If what you want IS the classic ADT effect, how hard is it to duplicate a track and slide it around a bit? Or setup a Send effect loop with a delay plugin?

[gryfyx]

Thanks Elf. I remember that I told you earlier that I love you.

I seriously goof with Cubase at times. That would be helping me a lot. I still didnt know that we can select multiple tracks and duplicate them at once. A simple thing, maybe that's why I oversaw. I'm also looking for key shortcuts list for Cubase. I've heard there are many that are not listed in the manual. Would you know of any link?

By the way did you ever use waves doubler? Ben mentioned it earlier and it looks great. Can it do this job as well?

[gryfyx]

Why not try Real Double Tracking?

Real Double Tracking? You mean actually recording the same signal twice in two separate tracks? Or is it something else?

And you'll be amazed at how three layers of even a quite pitchy vocal somehow even out the imperfections - no need for laborious correction of the more painful bits in AutoTune or Melodyne!

What three layers? I googled 'real double tracking' and found nothing but an emulation of real double tracking that again is, I guess, ADT.

What is this technique?

[The Elf]

Thanks Elf. I remember that I told you earlier that I love you.

It's not you, it's me!

I seriously goof with Cubase at times. That would be helping me a lot. I still didnt know that we can select multiple tracks and duplicate them at once. A simple thing, maybe that's why I oversaw.

The standard Windows modifiers apply - to select contiguous items, to select non-contiguous items. It constantly amazes me how few people even know these basics in Windows, so not being aware in Cubase is forgivable.

I'm also looking for key shortcuts list for Cubase. I've heard there are many that are not listed in the manual. Would you know of any link?

The key commands are in the manual - it's complete as far as I know(?). You can create your own key commands - for example I have done this to create the repetitive 'select next/cut x 100' command required for heavy drum alignment sessions.

By the way did you ever use waves doubler? Ben mentioned it earlier and it looks great. Can it do this job as well?

ADT is such a simple effect to scratch up in seconds that a plug-in outside of Cubase's standard delays seems overkill to me. Maybe Waves Doubler does a lot more, but I can't say I've felt the need. Sometimes I add a stereoizing effect (harmoniser, chorus, flange) to a delayed track, but that's about it.

[The Elf]

There's also Autotune EVO, but I've not used it, so I can't comment.

I'm in the real DT camp TBH. I DT every vocal at least - often three or four tracks. Having these options is useful for double/triple/quad-tracking later in the process, or for further comping.

[Exalted Wombat]

Why not try Real Double Tracking?

Real Double Tracking? You mean actually recording the same signal twice in two separate tracks? Or is it something else?

And you'll be amazed at how three layers of even a quite pitchy vocal somehow even out the imperfections - no need for laborious correction of the more painful bits in AutoTune or Melodyne!

What three layers? I googled 'real double tracking' and found nothing but an emulation of real double tracking that again is, I guess, ADT.

What is this technique?

Er...just in case you aren't joking....
No, you MUST be joking! Double tracking. Record it twice. (Three times can be better for vocals.)

Maybe you don't record - you construct from samples? In that case I can understand the confusion.

[Shambolic Charm]

http://www.vacuumsound.de/plugins.html

[gryfyx]

Er...just in case you aren't joking....
No, you MUST be joking! Double tracking. Record it twice. (Three times can be better for vocals.)

Maybe you don't record - you construct from samples? In that case I can understand the confusion.

I'm egoistic. The art of sampling is by far my least favorite until the sample was previously recorded by me. So no, I dont construct from samples. The only time I used someone else's sample was in the free disk with a magazine, and its only use was just the playback that I did to see what they give in royalty free sections. I am not joking Laurence, I seriously dont know what is real double tracking, maybe I know the process but the term doesnt ring a bell. For vocals I do use M/S recording, and anyways vocals have never been my regular game in my past experience. But soon I think it will be regular. My confusion can be because I never had a standard way of certified music education (I was just self educated), and that in India this industry is more pessimistic than anywhere else. The recording companies limit themselves to a language that easily fills their pocket, and tried their level best to change the trend, but even in the cities like Mumbai, people are as rigid as stone. Now please tell me, what is Real Double Tracking.

[JamesSimpson]

Record the vocal take.

Start again, record it to the same phrasing as the other.

I tend to treat both differently in the mix, a bit of subtle distortion, sat underneath. Roll off the top.

Thickens it up great.

Some singers can do this perfectly, some cannot.

[COMATOSE]

The trick with the Abbey Road version was that you could have the double ahead of the original. You don't need to copy a track, have you not thought of using a delay line?

Wrong!

If you go way back in the history then Les Paul and Buddy Holly were doing it in a manual way. Most of the early Beatles tracks had a reputation of real hard work and many retakes, until Ken Townsend devised the automatic double tracking thing. Many critics who claimed to be born with golden ears criticized the adt technique in comparison to manual, so on Lennon's wish their later albums were having both the techniques appearing juxtaposed to each other. Listen to 'Revolver', a good example. The single 'I am the walrus' is also a good example.

I never found any peculiar difference in manual and dual echo. Its just a dogma.

[gryfyx]

I use izotope trash for the distortion, and I've tried the trick that you stated and I must agree that it is too tough to achieve a nice sounding thickness with the distortion in parallel, but it is still easier then a direct insert effect. For distortion I use send. Flange is a better effect for ADT. And so as opposite equalizing. I dont know what to call it but its something like you put the similar attributes of EQ on both the copies and if one goes up on a frequency the other goes down on the same frequency. I mean on the high pitch spectrum.

Thanks everyone! This topic is very interesting, if more is there then please share.