Stereo vs. Mono

A

AlinMV

New member
What kinds of instruments do you record in Stereo and what do you record in Mono? How does recording in stereo affect your ability to pan the track? Why record anything in stereo?

I could use your input!! If this is too newbie of a question, or if it's too complicated to deal with, and there are good articles on this topic, I would appreciate the url!

Thanks

Albert:)
 
In a typical four-piece band set up, a common procedure is to have the drums, guitars, and back vocals in stereo, while the bass, vocals, and solo instruments are in mono.

There are really no rules to which instruments are recorded in stereo or mono. The above is just one basic example of what is heard in modern pop/rock.

You would gain more information by using the search function on this bbs. Try “mono” and “stereo” as your key words.

Cy
 
some examples of things recorded in stereo are drum overheads, acoustic guitar,piano, background vocals.....recorded with 2 mics, giving a left and right perspective....of course, if you record in stereo to 2 separate tracks, you can pan them anywhere you want....both hard left, but that will defeat the purpose.....hard left and hard right....10:00 and 2:00....10:00 and 4:00....countless variations....it will depend on what you are going after in a mix and what role you want the track to play......

why record in stereo...it just brings out the natural sound of certain instruments and gives it a bigger sound.....
 
Stereo is cool!

Stereo sounds better than mono if you have enough tracks i didnt so i recorded drums mono and played with the pan knob when the tom toms did a fill it sounded cool.

LAPLANDER
 
I think in listening there's a natural need for symmetry. So in using stereo, it's best to use things you can "balance out." So I use it on guitars when I record two tracks of guitar, then pan one to the left and one to the right so that it balances out. Same with vocals (typically just on back-up vocals, with the lead in the middle). I wouldn't do bass in stereo usually because I wouldn't normally do more than one track of bass, and it would sound weird to have the bass all the way on the right. Unless, of course, you're the Ramones, in which case you pan the guitar hard right and the bass hard left, which is still a balance of sorts. Obviously this is a pretty basic idea, so play with it.
 
Something else to consider. In a dense mix, stereo tracks can either get lost in the wash or even add to the mush. Case in point: if you had a tune with lots of stereo keys and guitars and such and you're trying to find a place for a stereo acoustic guitar to sit, it could get lost.
 
Thanks for all the replies

Track Rat said:
Something else to consider. In a dense mix, stereo tracks can either get lost in the wash or even add to the mush. Case in point: if you had a tune with lots of stereo keys and guitars and such and you're trying to find a place for a stereo acoustic guitar to sit, it could get lost.
Click to expand...

My experience has been just that: when I record (mostly keyboards) in stereo, the field seems to get busy with parts, especially in dense mixes. There is little or no separation left between instruments unless I hard pan them, which defeats the point after all!!

I suppose it all comes down what how you want your mix to sound, and which instruments should take up more space in your mix than others, and where you want it to sit in the mix . . .

Albert
 
One thing to keep in mind, too much sterio (panned hard left/right) can end up in a mix that sounds mono because all of the instruments will be in the center of the mix! Somtimes a mix needs a mono guitar paned to one side to separate the instruments.

What would I use sterio for? Well, drum overheads for one. But generally I use it to give a sense of space to an instrument. If you know you want an instrument to be to one side of the overall mix, but want it to have that sterio space try this: Set up your sterio mics, but don't play the instrument directly in the center of them. Sit off to the side and try to physically place yourself where you want the instrument to be panned in the mix. Then you can pan the sterio tracks hard left/right and already have your instrument off to the side you want it to be on. Edit: You might not want to use that technique unless you have a great sounding room because it kind of rules out most close mic-ing techniques. However, if you do have a great sounding room, go for it. You might also want to try recording multiple accoustic musicians in sterio that way. You can make your whole mix by just moving musicians in relation to the sterio microphones. Placing them left or right will obviously place them further left or right in the mix, and moving them closer to the mics gets a louder more intimate tone while moving them further away gets more space. I've heard great albums mixed entirely in the physical world moving musicians around! Listen to Bela Fleck's Tabula Rasa or Medeski Martain and Wood's Tonic to hear what can be done with sterio mics and musician placement alone.
 
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Don't confuse panning a mono signal with recording a stereo track. I don't nessasarilly keep a mono track panned up the center. Creating a stereo image in a mix is the goal. Use your ears. You'll know when things are getting out of control.:D
 
What are you recording with

What are you recording with, and how many tracks do you have available? This will help us make suggestions for stereo or mono choices.

Sincerely;

Dom Franco:p
 
DP

Thanks Dom for the question: I am recording with a Mac G4 500 MP; using Digital Performer 2.72. As far as tracks, I have been able to play back as many as 38 tracks without a hitch. So, in essence I have as many tracks as I need.

My typical songs have about 15 -25 tracks, using midi or sampled drums; keyboard parts; and bass and lead guitars. The kind of music I play can be described as Blues/Jazz/Dance!

thanks

Albert
 
One thought....you could make a list of the instruments for each track of a typical song and what function they are playing (main rhythm, lead line, filler, etc), maybe we can make some panning suggestions......

David Gibson's book "The Art of Mixing" goes into detail about panning as teaches you how to visualize tracks in a mix....from what I learned, with 15-25 tracks, and especially when you get up to 25, you wont be able to do much as far as fattening track with delays and reverbs because their isnt much room and everything will go to mush....EQ will play a big part to help evry part get its own place in the mix.....
 
That other member (above) is right, Stereo is Cool.

But Mono is simple, clean, 'roots-y' and 'retro'.

Stereo vs Mono. Both are good, but which is better?

A lot depends on what sound you're looking for, at the time, which may vary over time, and yes, it also depends on your available number of tracks.

It's basically a matter of opinion, with no 'right' answer.

Personally, over time, I've typically mixed or recorded to stereo, whenever possible, but I've also used Mono quite a bit, to my great satisfaction. I'm not fixed in one camp, but my most recent mixes have been to Mono. I like both, Stereo and Mono.

Mono's definitely simpler, and it fits in well with my "keep it simple" ethic.
 
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