Talk:Overdubbing

Needs reworking
I am suggesting reworking our dubbing articles. Please see discussion at Talk:Dubbing. -- Infrogmation 18:02, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

Confusion: overdubbing vs mutiple tracking vs sweetening
In the United States, the unions SAG and AFTRA seem to call overdubbing "multiple tracking" in their rules. http://www.sagaftra.org/node/1475. See also this pdf with definitions: AFTRA INFORMATION REGARDING "MULTIPLE TRACKING" VS. "SWEETENING"

 AFTRA Definitions:

Tracking, or "multiple tracking", means singing the same part again on a new track (electronic doubling is also considered tracking).

For film and television, tracking is called "overdubbing".

Sweetening means singing a new part, like a harmony, background vocal part, etc. on a new track."

 Music Dictionary Wyatt, Keith Schroeder, Carl 2008 Hal Leonard Corporation Milwaukee Wisconsin 978-1-4234-4110-6

p 66 multitracking. Recording each voice or instrument on a separate track to eventually mix them together.

p 71 overdub, overdubbing. To record a track on top of another track.

sweetening (slang). In recording, to add instrumental parts (such as strings) or effects (such as reverb) to create a more lush sound.

The Music Business. 3rd Revised Edition. Weissman, Dick 1979, 2003 Three Rivers Press, NYC 0-609-81013-8

p 40 "The next step was the introduction of 2-track tape recorders, quickly followed by 3- and then 4-track machines by the early 1960s. With these multitrack machines, by recording in the sync mode, which is marked on the machine, the new information could be put onto other tracks of the same tape withot any loss of fidelity in adding generations, as was necessary in overdubbing. This the way modern recording is done. Although the process is called sel synchronization, many people still refer to it as overdubbing. . . . Today 24-track studios are common, and 32- and 48-tracks are also being manufactured."

5Q5's post continued: Wikipedia has the articles Multitrack recording and History of multitrack recording, the latter which states "Multi-track recording differs from overdubbing and sound on sound because it records separate signals to individual tracks. Sound on sound which Les Paul invented adds a new performance to an existing recording by placing a second playback head in front of the erase head to play back the existing track before erasing it and re-recording a new track."

This is too confusing to me, as it is possible we are dealing with obsolete terms. Music is not my beat. I still don't know what it's called when you hear a singer's voice on a song sung in perfect harmony with themselves, sometimes for just seconds as an added effect. Multitracking, overdubbing, sweetening? Sigh. 5Q5 (talk) 15:36, 21 March 2013 (UTC)

Reorganization by recording formats as a possible rewrite strategy
This seems already a quite useful article, but the history of 'overdubs' (and I use the term broadly and inclusively, I admit) might be best considered in terms of each format of recording. For example: -Cylinder recordings were, at first, recorded to other cylinder machines to be re-recorded (dubbed?) before being sold to the general public. -Edison Diamond disc recordings that were first obtained acoustically (without electrical microphones) were later re-released with electrically recorded orchestra backing. This could be considered a dub. This is partly represented in the article at the time of this comment, but perhaps could be expanded on. -Fully electrically recordings on 78 rpm discs were generally one take, but exceptions are surely there before L.P's. Most frequently people mention Les Paul as recording to one 78 rpm record, then playing along with that recording to record another disc recording as the birth of multi-track or dub recording. This may or may not be the case, but Les Paul seems to have had quite an effect on how often this process is applied. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.114.180.198 (talk) 05:45, 1 June 2013 (UTC)

Patti Page - With My Eyes Wide Open I'm Dreaming
The sentence about Patti Page quoted four times on her record as vocalist has a "citation needed" flag. But it took a very quick "Images" search to verify it (several photos are around of the original Mercury vinyl - and even the CD -, with the detail clear on the label). 213.254.2.58 (talk) 18:53, 23 August 2015 (UTC)

People need to know difference between double-track vs harmonisation
Whoever wrote the following sentence don't know tf they're talking about (last sentence, first paragraph under Examples): "They would effectively harmonize with their own vocals, like a choir but with just one voice."

Double-tracking the lead vox isn't the same as overdubbing a harmonising layer. Double-tracking is typically roughly the same part (ie., same note and delivery/phrasing, although sometimes you can do a 'loose double-track' where the phrasing is varied slightly on the second layer). Harmonisation is a different note altogether.

Whoever wrote this - learn your shit and go back to school

outdated
The paragraph that says overdubbing can "today" be done on a PC with an audio card needs an update since audio is done on a chip. Do audio chips come with software that allows overdubbing or do you have to buy separate software? 100.15.127.199 (talk) 14:15, 18 January 2021 (UTC)

Ew
Hola Ahmed el dwiki (talk) 02:24, 20 July 2022 (UTC)