A puzzle

[patsy]

So I had the problem of only a mono signal yesterday when I used a mono adapter. Now I've found a stereo adapter and things aren't much better. Here are the different configurations of cable connections I've tried:

1) Mic - Balanced XLR to 1/4" Jack cable - Preamp - Patch cable - Stereo adapter - Computer = MONO

2) Mic - Unbalanced XLR to 1/4" Jack cable - Preamp - Patch cable - Stereo adapter - Computer = MONO

3) Mic - Balanced XLR to 1/4" Jack cable - Preamp - Unbalanced 1/4" to XLR - Stereo adapter - Computer = MONO

4) Mic - Unbalanced XLR to 1/4" Jack cable - Preamp - Balanced 1/4" to XLR - Stereo adapter - Computer = STEREO!!! but the sound is not good... like having 2 separate mono sounds from different directions rather than stereo...

Please someone tell me what might be wrong? I don't want to keep going out to buy different bits that don't work!

My Patch cable is a standard Guitar lead type thing. This also only has "one notch" like a mono cable. Is this the problem?

And the Balanced and Unbalanced output/input thing? Why does it work one way and not the other?

Sorry so many questions... I realised I really haven't a clue...

Thanks.

 

[Cazzbar]

not quite sure what your problem is, as a microphone is a mono instrument, record it in mono

if you want a stereo effect, then record a couple of takes, and pan one a bit left and the other a bit right

 

[patsy]

not quite sure what your problem is, as a microphone is a mono instrument, record it in mono

if you want a stereo effect, then record a couple of takes, and pan one a bit left and the other a bit right

I knew I wasn't explaining myself very well...

The only way I can hear what's going on is by recording my tests using my chosen software Adobe Audition. In Audition, as in other software I've seen, you have 2 parallel sections for each track. What I'm getting with "mono" is only sound on the top section, which is for Left. Right is blank, there is nothing. Of course when I listen to the playback with my headphones there is only sound in my Left ear too.

 

[Cazzbar]

Ah, it's only recording on the left channel

It looks like the software is expecting a stereo signal, whereas you're only supplying it with a mono signal. That's not a problem with the cables or adaptors, you just need to tell the software you're gonna be feeding it a mono signal, if you can! (I've never used the adobe program)

 

[patsy]

This is so strange cos I've been recording for over a year with my old makeshift preamp and never had any problems until I switched to a proper tube preamp.

Actually all this started when I bought a new mic, which caused me to buy a new cable because I was getting bad distortions with high notes, which caused me to buy the preamp because the new cable didn't work with the old preamp etc etc... Just keep buying new things hoping it would fix the last problem. I think I should return everything and go back to my original setup...

 

[Cazzbar]

don't panic lol

On all the recording software I've used, you just specify whether you want to record in mono or stereo

When I'm recording my stereo electric piano, I have two cables plugged into my soundcard and I select 'Stereo' in my recording software. This produces (as you say) two tracks, the top one for left channel and the bottom one for right channel

When I'm recording mono vocals, I only have one cable plugged into my soundcard and I select 'Mono' in my recording software. This time instead of two tracks top and bottom, I get one big track! And this single track plays out of my left speaker and right speaker.

So, I'm not sure how you had it working before (!) but it looks like you've bought some nice gear, so it's just a case of if you're recording in Mono (which you are with a microphone) your software needs to switch from Stereo mode (which it's in at the moment) to Mono mode.

Maybe it's time to get your hands on some better recording software now, N-Track is free and used by squillions of people.

 

[patsy]

Thanks for your replies Cazz! But this is most odd... Yes, I can get the sound in the middle if I convert the track mono, I just don't understand why I need to do this now. Maybe it's just my software not liking this setup, which was really really odd, I never knew they were so intelligent... I tried this same setup on my mac software and I get 2 tracks.

Anyway, thanks for the advice. I guess I'll just have to live with it as it is for the moment until I work out how to use a different software or something!