Stereo or Mono?

T

Top20Burnout

New member
I normally record mono tracks in the interest of saving disk space. I have occasionally recorded tracks in stereo, but I usually can't tell any difference in the finished mix.

Does tracking in stereo make the final mix fuller, stronger, louder...? If so, what are the logical/mathematical reasons for this? Which parts of the mix (guitars, vox, etc.) benefit or suffer most from tracking in stereo?

Any thoughts?
 
It only helps if you give it a stereo source. Are you micing in stereo or just recording one mono source to 2 tracks? That is not stereo.
 
Tex -

I've miked in stereo the few times I've tried it with acoustic guitar. But, like I said, I didn't notice any real difference once the guitar was thrown into the mix.

Of course, I have much better equipment now, and I'll be doing a lot of experimenting.

So, is tracking in stereo really worth the extra effort?
 
I like to use stereo mics for any source that really needs 'space' to show off the detail. I will usually 2 or more mics on acoustic instruments but I don't always go for a traditional stereo image. Sometimes it's cool to have one mic close and another room mic a few feet away.

Sometimes 2 overdubs with mono micing are better than one stereo track. Sometimes I like to do 2 overdubs with stereo tracks.

It's pretty much a judgement call and it just depends on the source and it's place in the recording.
 
You might not hear much difference between stereo and mono acoustic if the guitar is buried in a dense mix, but surely you would hear the difference on a solo guitar recording, or just guitar and vocals, for example. Same would be true with piano. Mono might be fine for background rock and roll rhythm tracks, but stereo would be much nicer on a solo ballad or a classical sonata.

Stereo drums are nice - it's great to hear the tom fills moving from one side to the other. One of my favorite tricks is to use stereo on hand percussion, and then encourage the percussionist to do "live-panning" by moving from mic to mic. It can be a cool effect to hear shakers, rattles, or chimes starting in one speaker and moving to the other. Sure, you could always add automated panning at mix-time - but this way the musician is in control, and it becomes an organic part of the performance.

I'm sure everyone has their own favorite situations for using stereo tracking - string sections, background vocals, etc.
 
Thanks y'all, for the input. I'm trying (naturally) to get as close to a commercial sound as possible with my gear, and thought that maybe one secret involved stereo tracking.

I'm programming my (stereo) drums for the time being, and that definitely makes a huge difference in a lot of ways.

Most of my mixes are relatively dense - two or three guitars, bass, drums, sometimes a pad, sometimes a fiddle, piano, lead vox, and several backup vocal parts.

Guess for now I'll stick to my MO, as you suggest, using using stereo tracks mainly for simple guitar/vocal mixes.
 
Along these lines, does anyone have any suggestions for opening up a mono acoustic guitar track recorded to a single mic? Delays, reverbs, etc? This is for songs with just a single acoustic guitar and vocal. Mics are a MXL 603s (guitar) and a MXL 2001 (vocal). No double-tracking. I have access to Cool Edit Pro for mixing.

Thanks.
 
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