A "Shoestring" mix for a passive summing mixer like Folcrom

[Saudade]

A lot of goods things have been said about how a Folcrom like device will let users add the appropriate "flavour" to their mixdown just by switching preamps hooked up to the L/R.

I am planning such a setup and lusting for preamps that will cost me WAY too much (eg. Great River stuff) UNLESS I get a single channel model.

Which means I have to run the mixdown from my DAW twice, one for the L buss and then R buss, then record it into two separate mono tracks back into my DAW (Cubase SX 2).

Then what would be a better solution? One, use a wave editor to combine the two mono files into a stereo file (would that affect the panning or stereo image?), or Two, bounce the two mono tracks panned hard left and right into a stereo interleaved file (wouldn't that subject the final stereo master to the imperfections of DAW bouncing and summing, which the whole purpose of this exercise seeks to avoid?)

What is the way to go without any degration to the final stereo file?

Also, extracting the following paragraph from a Feb 2004 EQ magazine review of Presonus Eureka by Greg Rule:

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".......The owner’s manual provides suggested settings for vocals, guitars, keys, and drums, but one thing they don’t talk about is running complete mixes through it. Obviously Eureka is a mono channel strip, but in a pinch you could try using it for “shoestring” mix processing by running left and right channels through it one at a time, then realigning the tracks in your DAW. ....."
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Why is there a need to "realign" the tracks? Would playing back the same mix (given no settings are changed) twice consecutively result in sample shifting? And how do I know how much to shift it back? By looking at the waveforms? Something more scientific?

What's the workaround on this?

I need to know going one channel at a time works, cos I intend to do shoestring mixes by buying different flavour preamps: Grace 101, API 212L, Great River MP-1NV, Joemeek MQ3 etc..........yummmy.....

[Wiggy Neve Slut]

What's the workaround on this?

Save your money for a stereo preamp!!!!!

Doing it one track at a time is asking for all sorts of problems namely phase alignment.. its aslo a pain in the ass !!!!!

Wiggy

Thats too much torture.

The point of mixing tools is to be able to HEAR THEM WHILE YOU ARE MIXING!



Dont do this,

Stereo or nothing!

[Killahurts]

This trick never works. I tried it with Vipre once and lined them up in the DAW, etc. Either mono side sounded BIGGER than the stereo.

Jules and Wiggy are right, don't torture yourself, save the money and get a stereo unit.

[Boogle]

Also you'll find that if you run a mix using analog devices more than once it's never exactly the same each time -(just examine the waveforms), even if you haven't changed a thing. Don't ask me why it just is!?