# Double tracking > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Double_tracking > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Double_tracking.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_tracking > Source revision: 1344457342 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) This article is about the sound recording technique. For the use of two tracks on a railway line, see [double track](/source/Double_track). **Double tracking** or **doubling** is an [audio recording](/source/Audio_recording) technique in which a performer sings or plays along with their own prerecorded performance, usually to produce a stronger or bigger sound than can be obtained with a single voice or instrument. It is a form of [overdubbing](/source/Overdub); the distinction comes from the doubling of a part, as opposed to recording a different part to go with the first. The effect can be further enhanced by [panning](/source/Panning_(audio)) one of the performances hard left and the other hard right in the stereo field. ## Principle In [rock](/source/Rock_music) and [metal](/source/Heavy_metal_music) music, it is very common to double-track guitars to achieve a massive sound.[1] In the case of distorted electric guitars, one part is recorded and then the same part is recorded twice; both are then [panned](/source/Panning_(audio)) left and right. The small variations in attack and timing in each performance create two distinct guitar tracks, which give a large stereo image.[2] Different guitars, amps, cabinets and microphones can be used to get a different sound on the left and on the right.[2] In certain cases, guitars can even be recorded four times; this method is called quad tracking.[2] ## Automatic double tracking Artificial or [automatic double tracking](/source/Automatic_double_tracking), also known as ADT, was developed at [Abbey Road Studios](/source/Abbey_Road_Studios) by engineers recording [The Beatles](/source/The_Beatles) in the 1960s. The effect is used to give one singer a fuller sound. It used variable speed [tape recorders](/source/Tape_recorders) connected in such a way as to mimic the effect created by double tracking. ADT produced a unique sound that could be imitated but not precisely duplicated by later [analog](/source/Analog_delay) and [digital delay](/source/Digital_delay) devices, which are capable of producing an effect called [doubling echo](/source/Doubling_echo). Automatic double tracking does not yield the same results as a real recording of two separate tracks panned left and right: the listener still perceives it as one doubled unique track.[2] ## Examples Double tracking was pioneered by [Buddy Holly](/source/Buddy_Holly).[3] [John Lennon](/source/John_Lennon) particularly enjoyed using the technique for his vocals while in the Beatles. Lennon's post-Beatles albums frequently employed doubling echo on his vocals in place of the ADT. Some critics complained that the effect gave the impression that Lennon recorded all his vocals in a bathroom, but some performers, like [Black Francis](/source/Black_Francis) and [Paul Simon](/source/Paul_Simon), value the rich [echo chamber](/source/Echo_chamber) sound that it produces.[citation needed] [Paul McCartney](/source/Paul_McCartney) also commonly used this technique for his vocals while in the Beatles. Another notable example of double tracking can be seen in the 1991 hit album *[Nevermind](/source/Nevermind),* where producer [Butch Vig](/source/Butch_Vig) would often double the vocals of lead singer [Kurt Cobain](/source/Kurt_Cobain) and several electric guitars to create a "sound big enough" as Vig once put it in an interview.[4] ## See also - [Multitrack recording](/source/Multitrack_recording) - [Bleed-through](/source/Bleed-through) ## References 1. Dowsett, Peter (2015-10-16). [*Audio Production Tips: Getting the Sound Right at the Source*](https://books.google.fr/books?id=T8-9CgAAQBAJ&pg=PA397). CRC Press. pp. 396–397. ISBN 978-1-317-61421-0. 1. Mynett, Mark (2017-03-27). [*Metal Music Manual: Producing, Engineering, Mixing, and Mastering Contemporary Heavy Music*](https://www.google.fr/books/edition/Metal_Music_Manual/dTslDwAAQBAJ?hl=fr&gbpv=1&dq=double+tracking+stereo&pg=PA135). Taylor & Francis. pp. 135–137. ISBN 978-1-317-61106-6. 1. Scott D. Lipscomb. ["Buddy Holly"](http://www.lipscomb.umn.edu/rock/docs/pres_brief/133a/Group%203%20-%20Buddy%20Holly.pdf). *History & Styles of Rock*. Retrieved 17 January 2026.[self-published source?] 1. [*Recording Nirvana: Drain You (Butch Vig Breaks It Down In The Studio)*](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRK6c7uXvJE). Retrieved 2024-04-12. – via www.youtube.com. ## External links - Sauravb (September 2021). ["Comprehensive guide to double tracking"](https://www.vstnation.com/recording-techniques-double-tracking-guitars/). *Vstnation.* - Paul White (April 2009). ["Double-tracking Vocals"](https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/double-tracking-vocals). *Sound on Sound* --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Double tracking](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_tracking) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_tracking?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.