Think it does depend on the track......How many do you think pulp fiction had???,,,,,,,
I could use about 12 on my drums alone...but i use reason so contain them all in ONE conbinator...so hence turning 12 tracks into one in the sequencer (which makes things easier to keep on top of)
I only ever use one for mu subs.....But my subs are processed to fuck, before being laid down.
---------- Post added at 13:49 ---------- Previous post was at 13:09 ----------
Let me break it down a bit.....
drums.....i usually starta track by creating a drum patten.....i always start with kicks
kicks.....x3 layered (1 low, 1 mid rang-ish, one snappy sounding) then process the 3 together until ive got a nice sounding punchy kick...so thats three layers straight way
snares....X2-4.....depends on the sound...but always never use less than two....i just load up two random snares and play about with them until i like it, then i add a long snare (sssshhhh) and add a slight reverb and echo thats barely noticable to add depth to the overall sound.....then i may add another snare or clap as the track progresses to add variationto the tune......so thats another 2-5 tracks.
Then i always add 2 amen breaks...ive got a low sounding one that i always layer in my drums to thicken up the mix....then i'll go throught some preset amens until i find one that fits in the mix and process until the drums fuse nicely....so another 2 tracks here...thats upto 10 tracks already.
Next i'll add another break, one with plenty of top end (hats, rims, perc, etc)....ill drop out the kick and snare slightly so as not to overpower the drums so far, then cut the lows and beef up the top end a bit......another track.
Then theres a track for crashes, reverse crashes, a mini rise before the drops.....this could be another 2-5 tracks.
............So as you can see just the drums alone could be up to 20 tracks.
But if your happy with a sound and its only 2tracks dont add tracks for the sake of it.....theres no rules......i could make 30 track drum patten and thena one track sub and it'll sound fine.....or maybe 5 track bassline (synths, sub, saws ect) and use one track for a lead or melody
My effects use a lot of tracks also....i always think effects are often over-looked in importance.....Theres loads of threads on drums, breaks, subs ect....but not many on effects, i think the right effects can make the difference between a killer and a shitter.