Double tracking or doubling is an
audio recording
Sound recording and reproduction is the electrical, mechanical, electronic, or digital inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound 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
overdub
Overdubbing (also known as layering) is a technique used in audio recording in which audio tracks that have been pre-recorded are then played back and monitored, while simultaneously recording new, doubled, or augmented tracks onto one or more av ...
bing; 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 one of the performances hard left and the other hard right in the stereo field.
Automation
Artificial or
automatic double tracking, also known as ADT, was developed at
Abbey Road Studios by engineers recording
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developm ...
in the 1960s. It used variable speed
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
Analog or analogue may refer to:
Computing and electronics
* Analog signal, in which information is encoded in a continuous variable
** Analog device, an apparatus that operates on analog signals
*** Analog electronics, circuits which use analo ...
and
digital delay devices, which are capable of producing an effect called
doubling echo
Delay is an audio signal processing technique that records an input signal to a storage medium and then plays it back after a period of time. When the delayed playback is mixed with the live audio, it creates an echo-like effect, whereby the or ...
. The effect is used to give one singer a fuller sound.
Examples
Double tracking was pioneered by
Buddy Holly
Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959