Force mono output of mp3 backing tracks when resampling before import?

Snagglegoof

New member
I've been playing around with recording over karaoke tracks. The tracks come in mp3 format at 44100Hz.

But, everyone recommends recording in 48kHz. So, I convert them to 48kHz before importing them into my DAW, Ardour 6.

I've also been told to record vocals in mono.

When I convert these mp3 files using SoundConverter there is an option to force mono output.

My question is, should I also convert the backing tracks to mono for any reason? They seem fine as-is so this is probably a silly question.

Thanks
 
I don't see any reason to convert the backing tracks to mono. I also don't see much benefit to upsampling to 48kHz. Since mp3 files have already undergone a certain amount of degradation, I would add as little additional processing as possible. If you're just "playing around" with vocal recording, the difference between 48kHz and 44.1kHz should be mostly irrelevant.
 
I don't see any reason to convert the backing tracks to mono. I also don't see much benefit to upsampling to 48kHz. Since mp3 files have already undergone a certain amount of degradation, I would add as little additional processing as possible. If you're just "playing around" with vocal recording, the difference between 48kHz and 44.1kHz should be mostly irrelevant.

Thank you! No need to make them mono. Yes!

I was told to record at 48kHz to make mastering easier later. Apparently 48kHz is the standard for online platforms and if I ever want to upload anything it helps to have recorded at the higher sample rate. Also the DAW complains if I don't use files that match the session sample rate.

Seems like the best thing would be to get a better source of backing tracks. But, maybe nobody can tell the difference anyway? How confusing.
 
Thank you! No need to make them mono. Yes!

I was told to record at 48kHz to make mastering easier later. Apparently 48kHz is the standard for online platforms and if I ever want to upload anything it helps to have recorded at the higher sample rate. Also the DAW complains if I don't use files that match the session sample rate.

Seems like the best thing would be to get a better source of backing tracks. But, maybe nobody can tell the difference anyway? How confusing.

If someone absolutely must have a 48kHz file, you should be able to export/bounce/render the mix into the target format. Overall, the sample rate is probably not the biggest issue in your process. I'd be more worried about recompressing mp3 audio, which will happen if you upload it to a streaming service. Yes, better quality backing tracks would make it all less problematic.
 
If someone absolutely must have a 48kHz file, you should be able to export/bounce/render the mix into the target format. Overall, the sample rate is probably not the biggest issue in your process. I'd be more worried about recompressing mp3 audio, which will happen if you upload it to a streaming service. Yes, better quality backing tracks would make it all less problematic.

Well, I'm making video now, for the audio to accompany. Video seems to use 48kHz so I guess now I'm somebody who wants it?

It seems to work fine to convert them to match the project. Ardour 6 even does it automatically now.

I think you're saying that once I go to turn these into mp3s again to share, I may get problems?

What if I put them in videos? And, my apologies if these are newbie questions. I still don't completely understand how any of this works.
 
It's not ideal, but it's not automatically horrible. I'd put it in the category of "avoid if possible, do if necessary, don't stress too much unless you can hear a problem."
 
Back
Top