Automatic Double Tracking - Overview

Overview

As early as the 1950s, it was discovered that double tracking the lead vocal in a song gave it a fuller, more appealing sound, especially for singers with weak or light voices. Use of this technique became possible with the advent of magnetic tape for use in sound recording. Originally, a pair of single-track (or "mono") tape recorders were used to produce the effect; later, multitrack tape machines were used. Early exponents of this technique were Les Paul and Buddy Holly. Before the development of ADT, it was necessary to either record the vocal track twice on two different tracks of a multitrack tape, or to record the vocal first on one tape, then again on a second tape while simultaneously copying the first to the second—a process that could be both tedious and exacting, and might require several takes. After the development of ADT, this process became known as "manual double tracking".