To record or not record in stereo, that is the question?

Big 3rd · 24th March 2005

I want to know what techniques you guys are using as far as when tracking.

Say you have some tracks that you have arranged coming from your motif or roland rackmount. At the time you have a piano or bass that you are about to track. Now the way you have it pre-arranged is the piano or bass is not a mono bass or piano, it has its own stereo effect ( stereo, delay, flanger, phase shift) that cannot be made dry within the unit. And this IS the piano (or bass) that you like, so there isn't any other sound that you want for this particular section of your arrangement.

Do you use two tracks (a stereo track) and record it as is? Do you buss both the left and right channels to a single track, record, and make your own stereo field via fxs? Or do you take on one of the stereo channels (lets say the left) and make your own stereo field via fxs? What if you liked a particular sound, it was in stereo but unable to be made mono within the unit, and you wanted it to be mono in the arrangement of your mix? I'm really interested in what you suggest because usually things like the bass is recorded mono. But I want to know if the bass was stereo and it's recorded mono, will this take away some of its essence, bottom, and will it sound right? What is some of your techniques? What about the drums (kicks, snares, and etc.)?

Let me know what's being done out there.

thethrillfactor · 24th March 2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big 3rd

(kicks, snares, and etc.)?

Let me know what's being done out there.

Piano,strings and synths in stereo.

Drums(Kicks,snares,hats),bass in mono.

Percussion it depends.

CaliBrian · 24th March 2005

I've been recording synths/drum machines/electronic basses in stereo. I record guitar and vocals in mono. If I were to record a dry song with no effects, then I would probably want everything in mono.

MAProTulz · 25th March 2005

One thing to watch out for with tracking synths in stereo is that a lot of the patches and FX are set up to be hard panned full L-R. When you get a bunch of these tracks on top of eachother you end up with a "big mono" sound.

If the instrument sounds the way you'd like it to out of the box, and summing it to mono doesn't totally trash that sound, you could print it that way and then add your own spatial effects. My new favorite trick has been using a wireless transmitter (it's helpful to have a video gear collection sometimes

) and pump my tracks into my living room with a mic and track that as a chamber reverb. Sounds WAY better than any artifical reverb in my price range.

Or maybe you can play around with the panning on the output of your synth. My ancient Yamaha TG55 can do that, so you can have some things fully wide and some other things not necessarily mono but not spread as wide in the soundstage.

wallace · 25th March 2005

Sometimes it's nice to double track synths and pan instead of recording in stereo. It seems a little bit bigger and more dynamic if there is a slight variation in the playing between the sides.

Jason Poulin · 25th March 2005

I often take mono tracks run through a chorus/flange/delay unit and pan dry side on left and wet on right.

Not complete right or left but wherever it's place sounds best in the image.

Jason

DAWgEAR · 26th March 2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by MAProTulz

Otitis Media

OT: Love your name!

24th March 2005	#1
Big 3rd Lives for gear Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Detroit, WHAT!!! Posts: 3,881 Thread Starter	To record or not record in stereo, that is the question? I want to know what techniques you guys are using as far as when tracking. Say you have some tracks that you have arranged coming from your motif or roland rackmount. At the time you have a piano or bass that you are about to track. Now the way you have it pre-arranged is the piano or bass is not a mono bass or piano, it has its own stereo effect ( stereo, delay, flanger, phase shift) that cannot be made dry within the unit. And this IS the piano (or bass) that you like, so there isn't any other sound that you want for this particular section of your arrangement. Do you use two tracks (a stereo track) and record it as is? Do you buss both the left and right channels to a single track, record, and make your own stereo field via fxs? Or do you take on one of the stereo channels (lets say the left) and make your own stereo field via fxs? What if you liked a particular sound, it was in stereo but unable to be made mono within the unit, and you wanted it to be mono in the arrangement of your mix? I'm really interested in what you suggest because usually things like the bass is recorded mono. But I want to know if the bass was stereo and it's recorded mono, will this take away some of its essence, bottom, and will it sound right? What is some of your techniques? What about the drums (kicks, snares, and etc.)? Let me know what's being done out there.

25th March 2005	#4
MAProTulz Gear maniac Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: MA, USA Posts: 182	One thing to watch out for with tracking synths in stereo is that a lot of the patches and FX are set up to be hard panned full L-R. When you get a bunch of these tracks on top of eachother you end up with a "big mono" sound. If the instrument sounds the way you'd like it to out of the box, and summing it to mono doesn't totally trash that sound, you could print it that way and then add your own spatial effects. My new favorite trick has been using a wireless transmitter (it's helpful to have a video gear collection sometimes ) and pump my tracks into my living room with a mic and track that as a chamber reverb. Sounds WAY better than any artifical reverb in my price range. Or maybe you can play around with the panning on the output of your synth. My ancient Yamaha TG55 can do that, so you can have some things fully wide and some other things not necessarily mono but not spread as wide in the soundstage. __________________ Dan Roth Otitis Media otitis-media.net

25th March 2005	#6
Jason Poulin Lives for gear Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Sudbury, On. Canada Posts: 1,769	I often take mono tracks run through a chorus/flange/delay unit and pan dry side on left and wet on right. Not complete right or left but wherever it's place sounds best in the image. Jason __________________ If it don't sound like a record... don't press record

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24th March 2005	#3
CaliBrian Gear Head Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Southern California Posts: 31	I've been recording synths/drum machines/electronic basses in stereo. I record guitar and vocals in mono. If I were to record a dry song with no effects, then I would probably want everything in mono.

25th March 2005	#5
wallace Lives for gear Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 1,086	Sometimes it's nice to double track synths and pan instead of recording in stereo. It seems a little bit bigger and more dynamic if there is a slight variation in the playing between the sides.