recording in mono?

[brickstone]

What is the difference of recording in mono instead of stereo? is there a big quality difference or is it just preference? I am asking because the computer I 'm recording on has a small hard drive and I need all the space I can get and if you record in mono your saving alot .thanks!!!!!

 

[bennychico11]

one microphone=mono
two microphones=stereo

you use two microphones when trying to capture a stereo source...in other words, a source that has sounds coming from multiple places (ie. drums, guitar, a large choir, etc.)

There isn't necessarily a quality difference. Since humans listen in stereo, some instruments benefit more from recording them in stereo.

 

[XLR]

Depends what you're recording. Many sources can be recorded just fine in mono. But accepting a major limitation in your production methods due to file storage space doesn't make sense to me - hard drives are very cheap. Just get additional storage.

And Benny's right about stereo. Stereo doesn't mean better quality sound. It just means attempting to recreate a left/right soundstage. In fact, it seems that sometimes a preoccupation with stereo mic'ing has the opposite effect on quality... like when an acoustic guitarist is budgeting for mic's and buys a pair of lesser quality mic's instead of one better sounding mic.

Tim

 

[legionserial]

I record everything in mono, unless its something that really needs to be in stereo.

For example, guitars, all in mono, 4 mono tracks, then afterwards I pan 2 left 2 right. You dont want guitars in stereo unless they have a stereo effect. You record the same guitar to both left and right at once and it will sound a bit sucky by comparison. Also it would sound no different if you just recorded it in mono and just copied it, using one copy left one copy right. It wouldn't sound too great tho.

Same with drums, Snare in mono, bass drum in mono, ride in mono, crash in mono, hi hat in mono, each tom in mono. Then you set the pan for each one afterwards. Gives you a little more versatility with panning. If you record an entire drumkit as one stereo file, and you decide your hi hat is a little too far to the left for example, there's nothing you can do about it. Record everything as a mono source and it gives you the most versatility for panning afterwards. Same goes with guitar.

Although, if you had a guitar with, say, a stereo chorus effect, and you wanted to keep the stereo effect, then you would record in stereo. Although again, if you recorded 2 mono instead, 1 for the left signal, and one for the right, again you would have a little more versatility.

Its basically all about the source. If the source is a mono source, then you don't need to record it in stereo. That includes drums obviously if you think of each drum piece as 1 mono source.

None of that would impose any limitations. However recording in stereo may in that you can't mess with it afterwards as much.

 

[jndietz]

Like legionserial, I record everything in mono. Especially since it allows me to record more tracks at once into Audition But I do it for the same reasons, too. It gives for more versatility when panning in the mixing process...

 

[Ironklad Audio]

You dont want guitars in stereo unless they have a stereo effect. You record the same guitar to both left and right at once and it will sound a bit sucky by comparison.

not always true...i'm a big fan of putting 2 different mics on a single guitar cab, and then panning them L/R...maybe putting a millisecond or 2 delay on one side if needed, and voila, fatty guitar tone

throw in a room mic a couple feet back, and things start getting even better!

 

[legionserial]

not always true...i'm a big fan of putting 2 different mics on a single guitar cab, and then panning them L/R...maybe putting a millisecond or 2 delay on one side if needed, and voila, fatty guitar tone

throw in a room mic a couple feet back, and things start getting even better!

Oh yeah totally, but in that case left and right are not exactly the same, with different mics and the delay. My point was that if you were to put exactly the same guitar track on the left and right, with the same mic and no delay, it would sound a little screwy. And recording 1 mono source onto both channels of a stereo track would have exactly that effect.