Mixdown to 2 tracks help!!!!

S

SillySillyStacy

New member
Hi everyone! I just started on PTMP and Pro tools all together. OK OK digital recording all together is new to me but I am reading and trying hard. I dont think this is actually a pro tools question so I am asking it here. I am just gonna get to it and ask what is very probably a dumb question or 2.

I have 10 tracks recorded. All are mono. I want to make an MP3 and see how it sounds and go from there.
Question 1..... I understand I can send the output to any interface out or buss. But if I am trying to mix down to a Left and Right version of a song do I set all for 1-2 outs as a stereo?
That doesnt make sense and I dont think it is right but I am clearly missing something.
I actually can use 10 outs and listen to them separately but that doesnt help mastering it.
If the tracks are recorded in mono how can I pan them at all after they are recorded? If I do send them all to stero outs (1-2) I do get the pan option....
Am I going about this the right way?


THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!!!!!!

Stacy
 
You use the PAN controls on each channel to place the sound somewhere between left and right, depending on where you want the sound to appear in the mix...

More basic Mixing info here --> Mixing 101
 
Blue Bear Sound said:
You use the PAN controls on each channel to place the sound somewhere between left and right, depending on where you want the sound to appear in the mix...

THANK YOU Blue Bear for the advice and the great link!
I do understand about the pan to go left and right but my question is in getting there......
If the track is recorded in mono (lets say a guitar), there is no option to pan on that track Do I set the out puts for each track as 1 and 2 (stereo) ??? Thats the only way I get an option to pan.
That is what makes sense to me. But I wanted to ask too.

Thanks again
Click to expand...
 
Oh I see -- in Cubase, you have to select the output buss of where you want to send the track, so I suspect it's similar in PT....

If the output buss you select is not stereo, then you won't be able to pan the track, but if you select your main stereo output buss (or any 2-ch buss), then the PAN controls will be enabled.
 
Hi Stacy,

This actually is a Pro Tools question, but this is a good place to post it either way.

Do you already know how to assign outputs for each track? Sounds like you do and that you are doing things correctly- so you probably know some or all of what I'm about to say.

To mix down to your final stereo mix, all of your tracks should be assigned to 1-2. Even though they are mono tracks this will give you a pan control for them. I typically create a master track, as well, to have a set of meters on everything that's going though 1-2.

The actual mixdown process is really simple- in the File menu is a "Bounce to Disk" (I think- something like that). That opens up a dialog box for you to select the format of the final file(s). If you're going for an mp3 I'd bounce to a 16 bit stereo interleaved file (with a dither plug set to 16 bit on the master channel if its a 24 bit session). Pick where you want the file to go...and voila! Sit back and enjoy your tune as it plays back and creates a stereo mix file.

Or mute it and go get some coffee. At that point I'm usually ready for a break and some silence. ;) Take that stereo file to whatever program you're using to make mp3's (iTunes is free and does a decent job if you don't have one) and you're good to go.

Anyway, that's for mixing in the computer. If you're using an analog mixer for mixing it gets a bit more complex.

Take care,
Chris
 
Ok so far so good.....
Now a new question/prob...

I have tracks recorded. I have all the sends to stereo for mix down (1 and 2) on my analog board which is connected to a power amp as seperate channels. As I pan the tracks I can hear a change but even if I send a signal all the way left or right I can still hear it on both speakers.
Should I be panning the analog mixer left for channel 1 and right for channel 2? I know that doesnt effect the mixdown but when I do that I do get panning that lets me hear a guitar for example thats panned right, only in the right speaker (which is what I want)
But is that right? Should the playback coming into the board on channel 1 and 2 be panned??????
I hope I am explaing this right

Thank you :)
 
If you are monitoring through your mixer (which I think you are- your speakers are hooked up to the mixer, yes?) then yes- you have to pan your mixer channels left and right. The idea is to make the mixer playback *exactly* what Pro Tools is feeding it- so the left and right channels have to be panned left and right.

While we're looking at the mixer, also make sure that any EQ's are OFF or set to zero cut/boost. The mixer's EQ's also won't register in the mixdown and you don't want to be making mixing decisions listening through the EQ.

Take care,
Chris
 
Ok I get that and had a feeling thats what I was supposed to do. (panning the mixer left and panning it right while mixing.
Ok now I ask this just to help me understand..... If I am listening to a cd via the computer or even an mp3 or even a radio broadcast, I should then pan the left and right back to center? Is that correct?

Thank you SOOO much
 
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