Mono/stereo problem in recording and afterwards!!!

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Farview said:
A drum set will be in stereo. Each drum will be miced and recorded on a mono track. The kick and snare will be panned to the center. The toms will be slightly panned left and right of center.the two overheads will be panned wide. You.will hear the hat on one side and the ride on the other.

If you only have one vocal, it will be panned center. If you have background vocals or stacks of vocals, the individual parts will generally be panned all over the place.

Stereo is what gives the sense of space of the mix. This is created by the differences in what you hear on the left and right. If there is no difference between the signals on the left and right, it's mono, even if the sound is coming from both speakers.
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I think youre right. I have noticed what you say in the drums of my soundblaster card.

I think Soundblaster has arranged the drums as you say, so they're instantly recorded stereo. Also I have a sony voice-recorder that records my voice in stereo perfectly. Here there should also be a preset of the company.

For guitar to be instantly recorded stereo(instead of making it stereo later), there should be a preset of the equipment I use?
 
mixsit said:
Are there two different questions going here? The opening post was 'copy and paste -to create 'stereo but sounding bad, but also you are double tracking? (-recording several versions and picking the best for the stereo effect?
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Hi.

Yes, because I still dont know how to created good "stereo", I make what you call "double tracking".

I make a 1st recording. Then I make a 2nd recording and send it to the opposite channel. Is this a "stereo" or "pseudo-stereo" result?

It generally sounds good, the only drawback is that I have solo parts only in the right channel.

Can you provide any stereo techniques for putting a guitar on the other channel?
 
Man, you need to study up on your basics first.

Not trying to be blunt and mean, but trying to help..

Just your basic concept of stereo is all confused.
Once you really grasp that, then you can move forward.

You want us to explain it all to you, but then doubt the information you are given.

The only way to really get it all understood is with some study and experience.

It's good that you are experimenting. I'll give you that.
As long as you dont give up, you'll get it.
 
Farview said:
A drum set will be in stereo. Each drum will be miced and recorded on a mono track. The kick and snare will be panned to the center. The toms will be slightly panned left and right of center.the two overheads will be panned wide. You.will hear the hat on one side and the ride on the other.

If you only have one vocal, it will be panned center. If you have background vocals or stacks of vocals, the individual parts will generally be panned all over the place.

Stereo is what gives the sense of space of the mix. This is created by the differences in what you hear on the left and right. If there is no difference between the signals on the left and right, it's mono, even if the sound is coming from both speakers.
Click to expand...

Read the above. Over and over again.

Listen to music you know and like and analyze and take it apart in your mind.

See how the above information applies.
 
ChrisFromGreece said:
Hi.

Yes, because I still dont know how to created good "stereo", I make what you call "double tracking".

I make a 1st recording. Then I make a 2nd recording and send it to the opposite channel. Is this a "stereo" or "pseudo-stereo" result?

It generally sounds good, the only drawback is that I have solo parts only in the right channel.
Click to expand...
Okay, here is an easy explanation. You have two ears, the reason why you naturally hear in "stereo" is that a sound source arrives at each ear at a sightly different time, due to their placement on each side of your head. That is how we are able to discern the direction of a sound, this time difference between the ears. The same thing happens when you set up two microphones to capture a sound. It arrives at each microphone at different times, if they are panned hard left and right then this time differential creates a sense of space in the sound, and sometimes also causes something called phase cancellation if they are combined to a mono signal. Let's just leave that alone for now. When you double-track guitars this is not stereo, but it simulates a sort of stereo effect as the slight differences in performance make for a more interesting sound. Now, this is typically only used for rhythm guitar, so instead of playing the lead when it is time, you just put down the backing rhythm. And play the lead track separately on another track. This is where things like delay and reverb can be very interesting in terms of creating a sense of space and width. You could try feeding a delay with the lead guitar, and panning it to one side while the lead stays in the middle. And also feeding a reverb from the lead, and panning it on the other side. Or lots of combinations and positions of these techniques, just experiment as there are no rules. You could also take the line out of your amp, and then also set up a microphone some distance from the amp, and try various panning with these sources as they will have the time diffeence created by the microphone set up further from the amp. Most DAWs also have stereo simulation, you could try putting that on a mono guitar. Or run it through a stereo chorus. Another cool trick is to use what is known as a ping pong delay, most delays have this setting as a preset, it will give you left and right motion to give the listener the feeling of space. Abandon the idea of a "true sound". the minute you record something it is no longer true. Instead, it is a recording. Understood?
 
ChrisFromGreece said:
Hi.

Yes, because I still dont know how to created good "stereo", I make what you call "double tracking".

I make a 1st recording. Then I make a 2nd recording and send it to the opposite channel. Is this a "stereo" or "pseudo-stereo" result?

It generally sounds good, the only drawback is that I have solo parts only in the right channel.

Can you provide any stereo techniques for putting a guitar on the other channel?
Click to expand...
Read the above. Over and over again.

Listen to music you know and like and analyze and take it apart in your mind.

See how the above information applies.
Click to expand...
Maybe we'll go back a little farther than that even.

There is the two audio paths- and tracks, combined to make what we call a 'stereo track'. I.e. two hardware or software channels -controlled under a single 'ganged pair of volume pots for example. And then the two tracks of audio flowing through them.
But so far the exact same thing can be done with two mono channels.

It is the content that says whether the sound is stereo or is mono.

The same thing recorded -and played at equal volumes on a pair of mono tracks, or a 'stereo track, is mono sound. Right up the center mono.
Change something in the audio of one of the tracks, you have (some) stereo effect.

One can say the term 'true stereo' is reserved for capture of actual image of something as it is in a space.
But for our purposes here -a wide or stereo effected guitar part, 'double tracking, or copy/panning and then altering it for the effect, one is not more 'pseudo than the other.
In either case doing any of this, using a 'stereo track is a waste (double/redundant data), confuses the issue and is harder to work with. (Mono tracks you pan and treat them as you please.
 
You still.haven't told us what daw software you are using. We also don't know what you.are using for an interface. If you told us that, we could give you specific instructions for your situation.
 
jjinvegas said:
When you double-track guitars this is not stereo, but it simulates a sort of stereo effect as the slight differences in performance make for a more interesting sound. Now, this is typically only used for rhythm guitar, so instead of playing the lead when it is time, you just put down the backing rhythm. And play the lead track separately on another track.
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Thanks for the other interesting info!

I just wanted to focus upon what you say here.

I dont use bass, so I have 2 guitars. The one on the left is what you call rythm guitar. The one on the right is what you call lead. Most of the time lead guitar plays the same with the rythm, instead of some variations, solo parts or instances where I play the same riff as the rythm but at a higher pitch.

Yes, I make it atmospheric that way, creating stereo.

Now, here are the 2 problems
1) I dont have much problem with the rythm guitar, since lead guitar most of the time plays what the rythm(on the opposite channel).
But when it comes to solo parts of the lead guitar, they are heard only on the right speaker.

2)I tried to create stereo, for example making the reverb of a guitar into the opposite channel, but since there is already another guitar on the opposite channel, it is overshadowed.

The result is wet, but I dont here the altered guitar on the opposite channel, since there is already another there which sounds louder. I hear something but its very low and is overshadowed.

I tried to do it with solos too. They sounded wet instead of dry, but I coudnt hear them on the opposite channel, since rythm guitar already existed there.

Do you have any idea that solves this?

Thank you!
 
Farview said:
You still.haven't told us what daw software you are using. We also don't know what you.are using for an interface. If you told us that, we could give you specific instructions for your situation.
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I told you it has no meaning. A simple program called Soundblaster Creative Recorder where you hit record and you record wavs! Lol, that simple! I choose the best quality, wav stereo 44100khz

I also run it on Win98! Lol! Is that a problem?

If you choose stereo recording, while what you record is mono, theres no problem. You'll have a stereo file with one channel full and the other empty.
 
For your solo ( lead) problem here is one solution

1st ryth guitar in left channel
2nd guitar ( the one you call lead) in right channel.

When it comes to the actual lead (solo) part, don't do it on the 2nd guitar.

Continue playing ryth. Keep them both panned left and right.

Now do a new track for just the solo. Pan that in the middle where the vocal would be.

See, they take turns, the singer gets center stage, and when the guitar solo comes in, now it gets center stage.
Also the solo is not in the right channel, and you dont have empty space in the right channel
Use reverb to flavor to taste.
 
Wait a second!

Soundblaster creative recorder? ??

I looked it up. It seems you can only record 1stereo track. Is this true??
Or can you record multiple tracks?

Lets get real basic. Are you wanting to record songs? Or just play around with some guitar parts?

Could you actually record multiple instruments????

Giitar bass, drums, keyboards etc.

If I'm correct, soundblaster only has the ability to record 2 tracks and is designed for recording tapes, cds but not actual multitrack recording.
Oh, and windows 98 had been outdated for some time now.

Your problem may just be not having the tools to properly record.
:D
 
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I have no problem with equipment and programs.

I can record as many tracks as I want. Also even Cool Edit Pro 2 allows up to 128 tracks!

I just want to record one track per time, I dont care to record at once 2 guitars. This is for 2 guys playing at the same time and generally for a group. I can do it if I use adapters, but Im not an octapus right now! I play and record 1 guitar.

I will see how the solo sounds if I make it centered.

I asked the other guy about the panning. Well as I said, when I make a reverb or generally altered version of a guitar onto the opposite channel, I cant hear it! A 2nd guitar already exists in the other channel and it sounds much much louder than the altered one. It overshadows what I try to put.

I still get the impression that guitars are separate on separate channels. Now, they're just more wet. Before they were completely dry.

If I make a reverb of 1st guitar(on the left) onto the other channel(on the right) I cant hear anything as long as a 2nd guitar exists onto the right channel.

Im afraid that if I make the reverb louder, the song will sound bad and chaotic.
 
ChrisFromGreece said:
I told you it has no meaning. A simple program called Soundblaster Creative Recorder where you hit record and you record wavs! Lol, that simple! I choose the best quality, wav stereo 44100khz

I also run it on Win98! Lol! Is that a problem?

If you choose stereo recording, while what you record is mono, theres no problem. You'll have a stereo file with one channel full and the other empty.
Click to expand...
It does have a meaning. You are making assumptions about music production based on how your daw is set up to work. What you.are using isn't really a daw. It is designed to let people transfer cassettes or other things into digital files. It isn't for music production. That would explain why everything we say about recording to a mono track and panning them seems to not make sense to you.

Download reaper and start working with software that is designed for what you are trying to do.

Anyway... what happens most of the time is two rhythm tracks are recorded and panned left and right. If you want one to have different chord voicing, that's fine. Then all the melody and lead parts are played on a 3rd track and pan it to the center.

The lead track doesn't play all the way through the song, there is only something playing when there is a lead.
 
Record using cool edit. Record to MONO tracks. You are playi g one guitar at a time, the guitar is a mono instrument, record it to a mono track.

When you use mono tracks, the mixer will have a pan control on the track that allows you to place that track as far right or left as you want. None of this copy and paste stuff.
 
Wow...I have a headache after reading this thread.

ChrisfromGreece, you are way out in left field on all of this. You need to forget everything you think you know and study up on the most basic aspects of tracking and production. Start from scratch. It's way too broad a topic to just have it spelled out for you in here.
 
Yeah, I said that earlier too. Imagine my headache. I've been posting since early on. Lol


Deep breath.......... I'm done

Good luck to everyone and the OP too.
:D

Ps. Is there the possibility that Chrisfromgreece is a previously banned member, just coming back to fvk with everyone?????
 
I'm pretty sure that between making assumptions about music production based on software that isn't designed for music production and the strong possibility that English is his second language, he is sincere. Just confused.
 
Farview said:
Record using cool edit. Record to MONO tracks. You are playi g one guitar at a time, the guitar is a mono instrument, record it to a mono track.

When you use mono tracks, the mixer will have a pan control on the track that allows you to place that track as far right or left as you want. None of this copy and paste stuff.
Click to expand...

I use CoolEdiPro afterwards for correcting and mixing the tracks.

Recording is simple and you can do it even with a 100kb program.

I dont understand why you say theres a difference if I record in mono or stereo file, since one way or another we will have one channel full of music. If I record in mono, only a channel will appear. If I record in stereo file, I will also have a 2nd channel(this one empty) in which I can pan or copy the 1st and make what you call "stereo".

Can you answer to my question? As I said when I try to make stereo, theres already a 2nd guitar onto the channel that receives the altered 1st guitar(reverbed, equalized etc). So I dont hear anything from the altered guitar.

Lets say I make the reverb of 1st guitar(left channel) onto the right channel. This is what you call stereo. But theres already a 2nd guitar onto the right channel, so I cant hear the reverbed altered 1st guitar on the right channel, because the 2nd guitar is louder.
 
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