Difference between Double Tracker & Delay Widener?

  • I've been anxiously awaiting the official release of the latest OS so I could try the double tracker. For quite some time now, I've been using the Delay Widener set to an intensity of 20 ms to help give some real spacial separation in my in-ears. I run everything in stereo for live performances and using the widener doesn't really have much of an effect out front, but make my in-ears sound/feel better.


    The one thing I wasn't crazy about with the widener is that if I have reverbs or especially delays after it, some of the definition in those either get lost or there is a LITTLE bit of phasey sound in the reverbs. I'm assuming this is because the delay widener is causing the signal to hit the delays and reverbs at slightly different times, so they end up sort of washing over each other.


    I was hoping the Double Tracker might fix that. But after installing it, I honestly don't hear any difference between the Double Tracker and the Delay Widener in terms of effect or getting rid of the phasey stuff. I created a track in Reaper going back and forth between the 2 effects and I couldn't hear any difference at all. Obviously, with the Double Tracker, you can turn up the detune effect, but that sounds worse to me because it sounds almost like a slow panning effect from time to time rather than a detune.


    Just wondering what everyone else's opinions are of this effect so far and if there really is any actual difference between the DT or the DW. For me, I think I'm just going to leave the DW on my rigs since there isn't any noticeable benefit to switching to the Double Tracker.


    And to be clear, I'm not complaining. The Delay Widener allowed me to get rid of the Mimiq pedal I was using in my rig. The Mimic made the in-ears sound great too, but it had a noticeable negative impact on the tone coming from FOH. So either way, I'm happy. Just wondering what the real difference is here between these two effects. Is it just the ability to adjust the detuning and stereo field to 200% (which also negatively impacts the tone)?

  • I use a very light verb which usually can only be heard if the guitar is soloed. Once the drums and bass kick in then it's just the delay that's heard. So I don't find it an issue in that respect. But there are other issues using DT that you have to compensate for like the 2db volume difference from channel to channel which may not always be a bad thing depending on how the other instruments are panned.

    Larry Mar @ Lonegun Studios. Neither one famous yet.

  • The wideners are most useful for imitating double tracked rhythm guitars. Unless it is a specific effect, I don't find reverb to be useful in a live situation on rhythm parts. It only serves to blur the sound and you are playing into a room anyway.


    The delay widener is a fixed delay on the opposite side from the original signal. Mimiq/Double tracker probably has some variation in the delay time and pitch to give the impression of 2 guitarists. Both are subject to problems if the FOH isn't working in full stereo.

    Karl


    Kemper Rack OS 9.0.5 - Mac OS X 12.6.7

    Edited once, last by karlic ().