RayneOfHavik
New member
what are some of your guys's techniques in creating a final version of your vocal mix, making your monos to stereo's?, or do u?
Stereo Vocals
- Thread starter RayneOfHavik
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Bobbsy
Boring Old Git
You can't make a mono recording into "real" stereo. A single mic recording a single voice onto a mono channel is mono--doubling it up is just 2 channel mono.
However, when you have multiple mono channels (lets say a lead vocal, a lead guitar, a rhythm guitar and some backing vocals, you can pan these around the mix to create a pseudo stereo sound stage--which is what the vast majority of stereo recordings do. It would be typical to put the lead vocal central, the lead guitar slightly to one side, rhythm guitar slightly to the other and maybe multitrack the backing vocals so you can spread them right across the recording. Panning gives a more pleasing sound when you listen on stereo speakers or headphones and also helps provide separation within your mix where several things are at similar frequencies.
However, that's just an example--there are no rules. Do what sounds good.
However, when you have multiple mono channels (lets say a lead vocal, a lead guitar, a rhythm guitar and some backing vocals, you can pan these around the mix to create a pseudo stereo sound stage--which is what the vast majority of stereo recordings do. It would be typical to put the lead vocal central, the lead guitar slightly to one side, rhythm guitar slightly to the other and maybe multitrack the backing vocals so you can spread them right across the recording. Panning gives a more pleasing sound when you listen on stereo speakers or headphones and also helps provide separation within your mix where several things are at similar frequencies.
However, that's just an example--there are no rules. Do what sounds good.
RayneOfHavik
New member
well yea i kno that.. but i use somewhat different of a technique. maybe its overkill? for example. specifically with vocals in pro tools. lets say i have 3 mono takes. ill center one, pan the other two. for my own liking, ill bus the center (main) to one aux, apply my goods, and bus the other two (backups) to a different aux and apply those goods. even though theyre panned and appear as a "stereo sound", because they are in both .. ears i guess. converting them into stereo, to me sounds better. how i do this, is after my mixing seems legit and im ready to finalize, i change my main vocal aux output, and its sends outputs, to an open bus. i create a stereo track, make the input on the stereo track the SAME bus, that i just changed my aux's too, and arm it for record. record it, and it just plays and records my selected aux's into a stereo form. i do this for each VOX AUX that i have, so i end up with only a few stereo tracks in the end. then i apply a limiter to the stereo tracks, so it applies to everything as a whole, to save cpu and ultimately ends up having a unique "stereo" sound. sometimes its fantastic sounding, sometimes i lose quality. kinda off n on. just curious is anyone does something similiar. or not. if so, what is it they do?
Chili
Site Moderator
Yeah, there's absolutely no reason to bounce them down to a stereo track. If you find any benefit from doing so, it's probably psycho-acoustics.
For any of my stuff, one vocal take (I hate double takes on lead vocal), smash the hell out of it with a compressor and add a tiny bit of delay and/or reverb. Done.
Background vocals, I may or may not double up. Roll off highs and lows, compress to heaven and back and let er rip.
For any of my stuff, one vocal take (I hate double takes on lead vocal), smash the hell out of it with a compressor and add a tiny bit of delay and/or reverb. Done.
Background vocals, I may or may not double up. Roll off highs and lows, compress to heaven and back and let er rip.
Bobbsy
Boring Old Git
Exactly as mjbphotos says. If you're simply converting a mono track to a stereo one, the result is 2 channel mono, not stereo.
However, even though I've read your description several times, I must admit to still getting lost. However, I'm wondering if all the processing you're doing (especially playing back a track and recording it to another one) may be introducing phase errors which would end up creating some kind of
"pseudo stereo". Similarly, if you apply certain stereo effects to a mono channel, they deliberately introduce phase errors to artificially simulate true stereo.
Anyway, in answer to your question, no I don't do similar. I certainly do pan harmonies or backing vocals (even if multi tracked by the same person to either edge of the stereo field. I'll also, just occasionally, add effects that play with the phase to artificially widen the stereo field on certain tracks. I use Audition now at home and it has specific effects to do this. I haven't used PT since my working days more than a decade ago but my memory is that it had similar facilities--it might be worth looking for them and having a play. You may find you can get the sort of sound you like but in a more controllable manner. FYI, in Audition they're called "Graphic Phase Shifter" and "Stereo Expander"--obviously they won't necessarily be the same in PT but you may find similar names.
One final caution--these pseudo stereo effects are best used sparingly. If used to much they start to sound more like a science fiction effect than a nice stereo sound.
However, even though I've read your description several times, I must admit to still getting lost. However, I'm wondering if all the processing you're doing (especially playing back a track and recording it to another one) may be introducing phase errors which would end up creating some kind of
"pseudo stereo". Similarly, if you apply certain stereo effects to a mono channel, they deliberately introduce phase errors to artificially simulate true stereo.
Anyway, in answer to your question, no I don't do similar. I certainly do pan harmonies or backing vocals (even if multi tracked by the same person to either edge of the stereo field. I'll also, just occasionally, add effects that play with the phase to artificially widen the stereo field on certain tracks. I use Audition now at home and it has specific effects to do this. I haven't used PT since my working days more than a decade ago but my memory is that it had similar facilities--it might be worth looking for them and having a play. You may find you can get the sort of sound you like but in a more controllable manner. FYI, in Audition they're called "Graphic Phase Shifter" and "Stereo Expander"--obviously they won't necessarily be the same in PT but you may find similar names.
One final caution--these pseudo stereo effects are best used sparingly. If used to much they start to sound more like a science fiction effect than a nice stereo sound.
ido1957
9K Gold Member
I've recorded several mono tracks of backups and panned them left/right for a wide sound. I've mixed them down to a single stereo track and exported it for use in someone's song (on their DAW). So yes I have done it. The better way is to keep them on single tracks for more mixing flexibility as you're limited when you make a stereo track. So yes you can do it to reduce processing but it's not as flexible.
Compared to a traditional sub groups mixing/processing and routing on the way to the main bus, that presumably is the only benni' to bouncing them down to new tracks.
Otherwise the end result ought to be (if you want it to be..) the same.