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NathanPonzar
New member
Alright, I normally record digitally, but I have used a 4-track cassette recorder (Tascam PortaStudio 414) a considerable amount of time when I was first starting out. I don't have that recorder anymore and have been looking into getting another cheap tape recorder for doing some "guitar and vocals only" versions of my songs, which I usually record in full band.
Anyways, I have came across some interesting looking machines on ebay (stereo and 4 track) but some of them confuse me as far as the stereo image/panning of the machine. See, on the tascam I had, you would record on to tracks 1,3 panned to L and 2,4 to R, to get it to sit cleaner on the tape. But once recorded and you went to the playback mode, you could adjust them as normal and either have them centered or L or R.
On a lot of the 2 track recorders I am looking at, on the unit, the tracks are labeled Left and Right. I have read about people using some of these units to be able to record vocals and guitar by recording one to the L channel and one to the R.
So, I have more specific info below and links to certain machines, but in case you don't want to read any more, my question is basically this:
Is it possible to make recordings on machines such as these where you record separate microphones and signal sources, one to the L channel/track and the other to the R channel/track, and have them be centered in the mix, or is it inevitable in such a machine that (using guitar and vox as example) you are going to have guitar in 1 ear only and vox in another? If there is a way to center them, what is it?
See the attached pictures labeled with 133 to see this unit.
My question is, if you playback in stereo, wouldn't you hear the guitar only in 1 ear and the vocals in the other? There does not seem to be a means of pan adjustment.
Also, this conundrum exists in some four track recorders as well. See the attached "Peavey MCR-4S"
In the owners manual (last attachment labeled "Peaveyrecorder..."), it states that can monitor either 2 or 4 tracks at once, and that tracks 1, 3 will be heard only in the left earpiece and tracks 2, 4 will be heard in the right ear piece. This seems silly because it doesn't seem very useful to have a machine that records each track hard left or hard right, so that you have guitar in 1 ear and vocals in the other. Actually, I doubt this is the case, I just don't understand the way it operates.
If someone could enlighten me in this confusion, that would be much appreciated.
Thanks all.
Anyways, I have came across some interesting looking machines on ebay (stereo and 4 track) but some of them confuse me as far as the stereo image/panning of the machine. See, on the tascam I had, you would record on to tracks 1,3 panned to L and 2,4 to R, to get it to sit cleaner on the tape. But once recorded and you went to the playback mode, you could adjust them as normal and either have them centered or L or R.
On a lot of the 2 track recorders I am looking at, on the unit, the tracks are labeled Left and Right. I have read about people using some of these units to be able to record vocals and guitar by recording one to the L channel and one to the R.
So, I have more specific info below and links to certain machines, but in case you don't want to read any more, my question is basically this:
Is it possible to make recordings on machines such as these where you record separate microphones and signal sources, one to the L channel/track and the other to the R channel/track, and have them be centered in the mix, or is it inevitable in such a machine that (using guitar and vox as example) you are going to have guitar in 1 ear only and vox in another? If there is a way to center them, what is it?
See the attached pictures labeled with 133 to see this unit.
My question is, if you playback in stereo, wouldn't you hear the guitar only in 1 ear and the vocals in the other? There does not seem to be a means of pan adjustment.
Also, this conundrum exists in some four track recorders as well. See the attached "Peavey MCR-4S"
In the owners manual (last attachment labeled "Peaveyrecorder..."), it states that can monitor either 2 or 4 tracks at once, and that tracks 1, 3 will be heard only in the left earpiece and tracks 2, 4 will be heard in the right ear piece. This seems silly because it doesn't seem very useful to have a machine that records each track hard left or hard right, so that you have guitar in 1 ear and vocals in the other. Actually, I doubt this is the case, I just don't understand the way it operates.
If someone could enlighten me in this confusion, that would be much appreciated.
Thanks all.
