Stereo vs. Mono

[rnuk]

ok, this may sound a bit silly, but it's something that i have never really figured out. I am not a big fan of panning, but i would like to understand it a bit more.

What is the advantage (or even, why) of recording in stereo as opposed to mono?

surely with a mono track you can still send the sound from left to right?

geddit?

 

[slabrock]

What is the advantage (or even, why) of recording in stereo as opposed to mono?

You get a third dimension (Left - Right) to those two you already have (High - Low and Front - Back)

It also helps you to define the size of the sound. Music has to sound spatially right, meaning that something intimate and small probably doesn't sound right in an arena size sound image, and vice versa. A real stereo gives a better image of space.

(Of course it still makes a great effect, though, if those things clash; remember Madonna's version of Don't Cry for Me, Argentina, or anything by Edith Piaf...)

Live room is the best and most natural reverb there ever was.

Here's some. There's more to come, i'm sure.

Slabrock

 

[FattMusiek]

ok, this may sound a bit silly, but it's something that i have never really figured out. I am not a big fan of panning, but i would like to understand it a bit more.

What is the advantage (or even, why) of recording in stereo as opposed to mono?

surely with a mono track you can still send the sound from left to right?

geddit?

Dude...panning rocks. OK?!

 

[dachay2tnr]

I think you guys may have missed the point of what he is asking. He asked about “recording” in stereo.

AFAIK there are two reasons to record in stereo. The first has to do with the instrument you are recording. If the instrument has a “natural width” to it, such as a piano, you might want to record in stereo to capture that width. What I mean is that if you are actually sitting at a piano, you will hear the low keys on your left, the mid keys in the center, and the high keys on your right. If you record in mono all the sound will emanate from a single point. You can, of course, pan that source left or right, but it will still come from a single point. Therefore if you are looking for an "intimate" piano sound, you probably want to record it in stereo. If you are going more for a concert stage sound, than mono is probably OK (since from a distance the sound will seem to come from a more localized point anyway).

The other reason to record in stereo is simply to use it as an effect.

 

[willovercome]

sometimes i record acoustic guitars in stereo with more bass in one mic than in the other. then when i pan them L and R the frequencies are seperated, and the sound is cool. other times i record with two mics just to have two options when it comes time to mix. i guess that's not really stereo, but similiar idea.

 

[slabrock]

I think you guys may have missed the point of what he is asking. He asked about “recording” in stereo.

Yes, and i understood. Recording in stereo, as opposed to recording in mono and panning it to stereo.

Those mentioned were my reasons. I really don't have very many, when we're talking about a single instrument.

A full orchestra is another thing....

Slabrock