Pro Tools 10: stereo vs. mono tracks

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pb23r

New member
Hi all... i have a question concerning setting up a PT10 session.

In these YouTube vids re. setting up a PT session Pro Tools 10 Tutorial: Session Set Up (part 1) - YouTube and Pro Tools 10 Tutorial: Session Set Up (part 2) - YouTube, the host demonstrates his "buss template". Learned a lot from these vids and have already incorporated. I was wondering why he would have created stereo tracks for what are typically mono inputs e.g. microphone, be it on vocal or guitar or whoever. He did specify the bass tracks as mono. I understand that midi is a different kettle of fish...

If i was to use this template (seems like a good time saver to me), and i set-up the audio tracks as mono, should the busses that "sum" say four drum mics, should they be mono too? Under what circumstances would i create stereo audio tracks? Or the output busses?

Please be nice, i am self taught by this forum, books, YouTube and mostly trial and error!!

Tks!
 
It all depends what you want to do, but take drums for example.

Kick,snare, oh l and oh r are all likely to be mono,

but if i want to send them to a bus, it'll be a stereo bus.

A mono bus would sum everything to one channel of audio. No matter where you panned your individual tracks, they'll all come out dead centre (or wherever the bus pan is set).

A stereo bus has two inputs and outputs, and two pan knobs; It's basically two mono buses tied together.
As such, it can then accurately process the stereo image that you're putting into it.
If you a stereo bus to it's widest stereo pan setting, then the individual contributing tracks will retain their stereo position.



pb23r said:
I was wondering why he would have created stereo tracks for what are typically mono inputs e.g. microphone, be it on vocal or guitar or whoever. He did specify the bass tracks as mono.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure why he'd do that.
Tbh i think he's made a mistake, or has a bad habit, because there's no need to do that.

Even if you have a mono source recorded to a mono audio track, pro tools will allow you to add stereo effects to it and will automatically change your output to stereo, if you choose to to that.

I guess doing it his way will probably use 2x as much hdd space because for every mono source, you're recording it, and the equivalent length of silence too.
 
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