Six Detuned Acoustic Guitars for Natural Chorusing – Experimental Technique

Today, we’re back at Rax Trax Recording in Chicago with engineer Noam Wallenberg for a look at how to achieve a massive acoustic guitar sound by combining a set of detuned tracks.

Here are some examples how you can achieve unique sounds with some studio gear, a little imagination and a total disregard for practicality and efficiency. The concept is a variation on a technique employed by Alan Parsons with Pink Floyd and others. Parsons would record a track with a slightly lower-than-normal tape speed and then double that with a track at a slightly higher one.

The two tracks would then be spread wide in the mix, creating a naturally chorused tone. For our implementation, we’re taking things a bit further with six distinct guitar tracks all playing the same part but with slightly different tunings, each getting a bit further away from the standard A440.

Source: https://reverb.com/news/experimental-recording-techniques-layer-detuned-acoustic-tracks-for-a-big-guitar-sound