Wish Doubler

If Cliff's giant brain could be applied to creating a block that would allow guitarists to effectively double track in one take - there wouldn't be one guitarist or studio in the world who wouldn't buy an Axe-Fx. Just think of all the time saved in the studio... The box would pay for itself in one application.

It would essentially be the greatest time saver ever developed for guitarists. And - given that many of us are not talented enough to double track leads and other really fast lines - it would open up a world of possibilities for us mediocre humans with less than perfect meter.

Cliff - you heard us on the cab block and you knocked it out of the park.

Now it's time for the doubler...
 
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There are several ways you can approximate a double-tracked sound. Each way involves separation.
  1. Separation in time — use a delay;
  2. Separation in space — pan left/right;
  3. Separation in frequency — use pitch shift/detune;
  4. Separation in tone — use different amp and cab sims, different effects...the sky is the limit.
Each of these things will help you get closer to a double-tracked sound, but there's no perfect substitute for actually recording a part twice.
 
If there was one effect block I could add to the AXE 3 it would easily be an extensive doubler like the TC Electronic Mimiq pedal or Widener effect of the MCabinet VST by Melda Productions that does a beautiful job of doubling the guitar field by changing the phase of individual frequencies in both left and right channels.

I do very little recording...I mainly want this for live playing. Ya, a big, BIG +1
 
Has any one tried this?

Yes. As Rex said above, there are various ways you can take identical L and R channels and apply effects to make them different, thus making a mono track sound stereo. This is just another one of those techniques.

However, that's not an emulation of double tracked guitars. In other words, true double tracked guitars don't sound big because one channel has the phase flipped or a chorus applied or one side delayed or pitch shifted or have complementary comb filters. They sound big because of varying and complex temporal and dynamics changes. The Mimiq and Kemper Doubler attempt to emulate that complex effect and are different than simple stereoizing techniques like phase/chorus/pitch/delay. Simple stereoizing can be a pleasing effect, but that's not an emulation of double tracked guitars.
 
Yes. As Rex said above, there are various ways you can take identical L and R channels and apply effects to make them different, thus making a mono track sound stereo. This is just another one of those techniques.

However, that's not an emulation of double tracked guitars. In other words, true double tracked guitars don't sound big because one channel has the phase flipped or a chorus applied or one side delayed or pitch shifted or have complementary comb filters. They sound big because of varying and complex temporal and dynamics changes. The Mimiq and Kemper Doubler attempt to emulate that complex effect and are different than simple stereoizing techniques like phase/chorus/pitch/delay. Simple stereoizing can be a pleasing effect, but that's not an emulation of double tracked guitars.
THIS ^


+1
 
+1 on the mimic-ish for live use - Lukather uses a mimic live (but I'm pretty sure he is still mono).

For recording:
Don't sell you last tube amp. I "double track" now in 1 take by recording my FM9 at the same time as my mic'd amp. My guitar goes into a splitter with one side into FM9 and the other straight into my 2C+. I grab a DI out of the FM9 at Out 3 that gets tracked at the same time just in case I want a third option later.

You can do plenty in a good DAW with a duplicate DI take by adjusting/quantizing the DI audio clip. But it will take a capable DAW. I use Cubase Pro 12 which can do this easily. I haven't automated it yet with a macro/script, but I plan to try eventually.

Regardless, what @Rex said is exactly true - even the DAW approach is no substitute for just tracking it again. It is impossible to play it the same way twice (thrice, etc.). That is what makes double, triple, ... tracking sound so much bigger. You can cheat a little with effects and by time shifting sliced audio clips.
 
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