Originally Posted By: Byron Dickens
Originally Posted By: etcjoe
Technology has reached the point that the bands that have recorded some pretty intricate music with way more parts than people need tracks to sound like the band people are there to hear. It is only common sense to have the tracks there to support the songs. Is it cheating? I guess that is a point of view. Using 40 tracks and overdubs is cheating too then....


Thing is, of those "40 tracks," that's not 40 different parts. 10 - 12 of them are often drum mics. The bass often has a DI in addition to the miked amp.

Guitars might have 2 mics on the cabinet and possibly a room mic and a DI too. Often those parts are doubled.

There might be several different takes of a guitar solo so the producer can pick the best one. Possibly several takes of other parts as well.

It all adds up quickly.


I was actually referring to parts and not tracks specifically. There are recorded songs with 4 to 5 guitar parts, all played by the same guitarist doing overdubs. It is almost impossible to recreate that live. That was my point. Sorry I confused anyone.

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