I'm just starting out recording with a small set up at home. Mic'd my guitar amp with an sm57 and it's running through a focusrite Scarlett solo. It sounds great but I'd love to get a heavier/fuller/thicker/deeper tone. Adding my bass track does make it sound a lot better.

Wondering how many guitar tracks I should record, or how many I should copy, and what are the best ways to pan them out.

4 separately played tracks?
2 separately played tracks, each copied for a total of 4 tracks?
2 tracks good enough?

Pan one hard left, one hard right, and the other two panned slightly left and right?

Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

Unfortunately I didn't invest in an audio interface where I can use 2 mics at once for the amp, and also can't afford a nice condensor mic right now either haha.

I know this depends on my amp too, but surely there would be tips/rules for any amp used.

Some internet searching should get you the answers you want, dude. But, here's my opinion since you posted this.
4 tracks is a bit of overkill, especially to attempt to replicate properly live, if that's something to be concerned with.

I recommend two tracks maximum, and a common but often great way to get the sound you want is as follows:

1. Downtune - I nearly always play in Drop C or Drop D, as it always works best with my selections and the music I make. If you want to get really Djent about it, get a 7 string and B tune. Even on higher treble settings it's pretty damn thick with the right distortion filter.

2. Mic -ing - I see you use Shure, which are a pretty decent all around brand for what you seem to be doing, but I personally prefer Sennheiser. Better dynamic range I think, great prices for the budget recording artist, and pretty versatile between recording, PA and live, and feedback filtering.

3. For amps, depends on your style, the song, the other instruments or sounds, etc. There's no real magic formula except what fits that situation, etc, and yes, indeed the amp. (I love Blackstar. Highly recommended for price efficiency) (Though I think we all want an analog Marshall Tube amp. <3 Definitely gets a girl rocking (in my case)

All in all, you want everything balanced, and too many deviations from a great dynamic range can cause popping, and unexpected recording feedback when mixing.

Maybe just thicker strings? Check these
https://musicsquare.co.uk/107547_Fender-Super-Nickel-Plated-Steel-250H-electric-guitar-strings-1252.html
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/EXL145--daddario-exl145-nickel-wound-heavy-electric-strings
You can also do something different. If You're recording a riff for example, record the same riff one more time and add it to Your track. Don't copy and paste, but record the same thing one more time. It works for me. Sometimes I record riff 2 times, and take first track to left channel and second to the right channel.

Written by fable on 14.10.2018 at 18:52

You can also do something different. If You're recording a riff for example, record the same riff one more time and add it to Your track. Don't copy and paste, but record the same thing one more time. It works for me. Sometimes I record riff 2 times, and take first track to left channel and second to the right channel.

That's what I do as well, sometimes I even add a quieter third track in the middle. I also mess about with the tone, but just a little bit. I use Bias FX and keep the same FX, but change the amps in Bias AMP. Experimenting like that helps me get pretty much the exact sound I desire.

Good set of strings is a good choice, but before recording I recommend using string cleaner for more natural sound. These are great
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/6582--dunlop-6582-ultraglide-2oz
https://musicsquare.co.uk/107800_GHS-Fast-Fret-String-Cleaner-Conditioner.html

I use two, partially pan left and right and okay with this. 4 tracks seem too much.