Bad stereo sound

C

ChrisFromGreece

New member
Hello.

I'd like to learn the secret of stereo recording.

My own recording is brilliant but not instant stereo.

I record guitar in left channel, then I record guitar in right channel. The result is great, clean, atmospheric with a little delay. So its stereo, but in fact its a combination of two different mono.

If I try to mix channels so that BOTH GUITARS are in BOTH CHANNELS, the sound becomes dull, bad, loses atmosphere.

The same happens if I try to instantly record in stereo. The guitar doesnt sound clean if it's heard from both speakers.


So the strange thing is that if I record two different mono and then listen to them I have a great stereo result, but of course every guitar is separate than the other and only in one channel.

But if I try to record in stereo or mix both channels(full mix) it sounds bad. It sounds bad even if I copy paste channels.

The only time it sounds good is if I have two separate guitars recorded in separate channels.

Could it be that the line in of sound cards or amplifiers is monophonic? Is the reason of bad sound that mono is converted to stereo, when trying to record stereo with monophonic line in? But as I said even after, when I do full mix in stereo, it sounds bad.


So I have made good recordings, but they are double mono creating stereo atmosphere and the solos are only in one channel.

I record with cable running from the line out of my amplifier into the line in of my pc sound card.


So how do they instantly record good full stereo?

Thank you for your help!!
 
I have a personal interest on this subject. My mixes are less stereo (lack of ambiance) than I would like. I will certainly follow this thread...
 
The reason separate panned guitars sound better is because of the tiny differences in your performance(s). If you had the exact same performance through the same amp using the same pickups on the same guitar they would effectively become centered as a mono track.

What kind of amplifier are you using? I'm pretty sure you would get better results from micing your cabinet (assuming you've got one).

The way I do it is record one track with the bridge pickup of my guitar and pan it anywhere from 60-100%. Then record the other with the neck pickup and pan that one the other way.

If you want to get good results from a one-take stereo recording you're going to need two different sounding amps. But you're going to want to record twice for reasons mentioned.

I'm not sure this was related to your question at all, but that's my contribution :drunk:
 
dainbramage said:
The reason separate panned guitars sound better is because of the tiny differences in your performance(s). If you had the exact same performance through the same amp using the same pickups on the same guitar they would effectively become centered as a mono track.
Click to expand...

This is it! The combination of two separate performances, with subtle differences between them, is what you're hearing and liking. :)
 
Massive Master said:
Stereo is the difference between left and right. That's the whole point.
Click to expand...
+1

Even if you stereo mic a gitar cabinet, it would have to be something like a close mic and a distant mic, and it would never sound as big as two close miced performances panned wide.
 
Farview said:
Even if you stereo mic a gitar cabinet, it would have to be something like a close mic and a distant mic, and it would never sound as big as two close miced performances panned wide.
Click to expand...

Does it apply only for physical micing or it will still be true when using cab simulation like Amplitube for instances? It has a feature that allows you to change mic position and distance. It surely changes the tone but will it affect the stereo image?
 
YanKleber said:
Does it apply only for physical micing or it will still be true when using cab simulation like Amplitube for instances? It has a feature that allows you to change mic position and distance. It surely changes the tone but will it affect the stereo image?
Click to expand...

It is true for both.

One signal treated in different ways, whether miked up or via a simulator, will not sounds as spatially interesting as two performances panned wide.
 
YanKleber said:
Does it apply only for physical micing or it will still be true when using cab simulation like Amplitube for instances? It has a feature that allows you to change mic position and distance. It surely changes the tone but will it affect the stereo image?
Click to expand...

Yes, but when the only difference between two tracks is some processing they can interact in audible, unexpected and often unpleasant ways when recombined (played in mono, like on a phone speaker). This is especially true when there's a time difference between the two versions. Two separate guitar tracks don't really change much when combined to mono, and it's a bigger sound to begin with.
 
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