Lets talk Stereo recording

[Papanate]

This is just stream of conscious meanderings...

Record a mono track of guitar - clone it to another track - than EQ the second track put a small 3 ms time delay on and pan the two tracks hard left and hard right -
Is it stereo?

You record an Acoustic guitar witha SDC and LDC pointed at different places -place each on it's own track - is it a stereo recording or is it dual mono?

You record the same Acoustic guitar in a Mid Side configuration - going to one stereo track - what do you end up with?

You have reverb patched to a mono track - it goes to a bus- the Reverb is mono in - stereo out - is the reverb true stereo or dual mono?

I of course have my own ideas but am curious what the HomeRecording Cognoscenti say....

 

[rob aylestone]

I think in my head - and I totally align with asking the question - the M/S is the only 'real' stereo capture, the others are generating a stereo field, without that sound ever being in the room? Does that make sense?

 

[Steenamaroo]

That's one of those, ask ten people get ten answers.

I tend to refer to anything that creates or captures a deliberate left/right image from the same source, whether 'correct' or accurate or not, stereo.
I'm happy enough reaching for a stereo chorus pedal, or using a stereo reverb plugin.
I'm also happy enough calling x/y or spaced pair, or whatever, a stereo recording.

Complimentary microphones for tone isn't the same thing so "I recorded it with two microphones" works here,
and recording a source twice isn't the same thing so that's double-tracking.

Your clone and delay scenario is, to me, a stereo effect but 'effect' is important, since there's no attempt to recreate left/right information that happened.

People get in to debates about "true" or "real" stereo but I never see them follow it through.
If you're going to do that you need to take into account the playback system.
There's not much point simulating ear position with microphones if I'm listening on speakers.

Take mid/side, for example. Listening on headphones a 45degree left, or right, sound is completely absent in the other side.
That's pretty unnatural and wouldn't happen in person, but it also won't happen when listening on speakers.
The technique 'working' on speakers relies, in part, on the listeners acoustic environment, though, so is that better?
It gets complicated fast.

 

[RFR]

I think in my head - and I totally align with asking the question - the M/S is the only 'real' stereo capture, the others are generating a stereo field, without that sound ever being in the room? Does that make sense?

I get what you’re saying. Makes sense.

Don’t know about the scientific validity of my view on stereo, but here I go. You can just label it as opinion.

Stereo has a lot to do with your location to and distance from the source. Let’s take Pink Floyd’s Dark Side album. A very ‘stereo rich’ record. Especially with wearing headphones.

You can have an absolutely great stereo system and be in your listening room having a grand old time enjoying the stereo effects. The farther you get away from the source, the more it collapses to Mono.


You can be in Times Square in New York City. While in that crowd you might be experiencing 5.1 Dolby sound.

You get away from the masses all you have is a. Murmur of sound in Mono.


Anyway, my opinions and I’m sticking to em.