Two Channel Recordings For A Single, Stereo File: Please Explain

  • Thread starter Thread starter Mike Freze
  • Start date Start date
M

Mike Freze

New member
I believe I understand that when you "bounce" all your tracks in a project to a single, stero file during your final mixdown, that file is actually composed of two stereo channels (for left and right panned positions in the stereo field).

After your bounce then, is there actually two separate tracks your recording was bounced to (one for left pan field, one for right), or are the two channels blended together in a one, single track (file) after you bounce?

I've had people tell me to record things to two separate channels for panning purposes (far left, far right, etc.). If you are recording a single instrument track in Cubase LE, how do you separate the channels while recording? Do you have to record two different tracks at the same time to accommodate each channel (left for one track, right for another track), or can it all be done to one track only?

Mike Freze
 
It depends on your recorder. On one of mine, they are still 2 different tracks and I have to pan each one L and R and adjust each level slider, while on another one there is a 'track parameter' menu where I can assign track 1+2, 3+4. 5+6 etc as 'stereo track' and the little brain inside the thing figures out to use only 1 slider for the volume of both and hardpan the tracks L and R without me having to do it manually.

It amounts to the same thing. 'stereo' just means 2 tracks panned one to the left and one to the right. It will always be 2 tracks if its in stereo, but some recorders are now sophisticated enough with the amazing technology of being able to adjust the levels with a single control and automatically pan them for you so you don't have to go through all the work of turning a knob hard left or hard right. Yay for innovation I guess.
 
"File" and "track" - 2 different things. A stereo recording has 2 separate tracks, contained in one file. Whether it is WAV, MP3, or whatever format, if you open that file in your DAW, you will see two separate tracks (left and Right).
When recording a mono source, you record it onto a single track, then in mixdown, you can send it left, right, or a combination of both (panning). Your DAW then creates the left and right tracks based on the signals from the mixdown.
 
mjbphotos said:
"File" and "track" - 2 different things. A stereo recording has 2 separate tracks, contained in one file. Whether it is WAV, MP3, or whatever format, if you open that file in your DAW, you will see two separate tracks (left and Right).
When recording a mono source, you record it onto a single track, then in mixdown, you can send it left, right, or a combination of both (panning). Your DAW then creates the left and right tracks based on the signals from the mixdown.
Click to expand...

I know what you are saying, but just so it's not confusing to the OP...

When you are viewing a stereo track in your DAW...it may NOT look like "2 separate tracks"...maybe in some DAWs, but many will display a stereo track as single, visual track, but with just two sets of sound waves, one above the other.

With those "single" stereo tracks in your DAW...you don't turn the Pan knob left or right...you leave it in the center.

However, if your DAW is one that displays stereo tracks as two distinct visual tracks...then you would need to Pan them full Left/Right accordingly.
 
Think in terms of what you can hold in your hands.

A >file< is a file folder.
A >track< is a sheet of paper filled with 1s and 0s.

You have 2 tracks (sheets of paper) inside a container (file folder).
You could even have more.
 
Great, guys! Almost got it down now. So miroslav, I might see "two bands or sound waves" stacked on top of each other on my imported file (inside a new track I used to import it to). Those two bands are representing the stereo recorded track, then. If that's what you mean, great! If that's so, then can I actually separate those two bands and record them to two separate tracks again if I want to work on each individually? Or can you no longer do that once they are bounced to a single, stero track (file) on your hard drive?

Oh, and this: are two channels in a recorded stereo track actually two separate tracks on that one track (combined)?? I'm trying to get a handle on if CHANNELS are actually separate tracks or are they just panning positions of only one track?

Mike Freze
 
Mike Freze said:
Great, guys! Almost got it down now. So miroslav, I might see "two bands or sound waves" stacked on top of each other on my imported file (inside a new track I used to import it to). Those two bands are representing the stereo recorded track, then. If that's what you mean, great! If that's so, then can I actually separate those two bands and record them to two separate tracks again if I want to work on each individually? Or can you no longer do that once they are bounced to a single, stero track (file) on your hard drive?

Oh, and this: are two channels in a recorded stereo track actually two separate tracks on that one track (combined)?? I'm trying to get a handle on if CHANNELS are actually separate tracks or are they just panning positions of only one track?

Mike Freze
Click to expand...

I'm jumping into this a little late, but...

Some wav editors or DAW's will allow you to separate out the 2 channels of a stereo track into two separate mono files. Cubase does this with an option called Split Stereo.

The two channels inside a stereo track are indeed two separate tracks. Stereo means 'two'. You have stereo vision. Your left eye sees one thing, your right eye another. Put something in front of only one eye and the image will be different than the other eye. Same with audio, you have two ears. Cover up one and you'll hear something different than the other.

hth,
 
Thanks, Chili!! Now I understand: two channels ARE two separate tracks on the same track. It also helps to know you can often separate these channels out and create two new mono tracks from them. That would be very helpful if one needed to edit one or both of the channels (tracks) again without resorting to re-recording the entire track all over.

Mike Freze
 
If you actually record a source that is miked for stereo recording, and you get it as a single stereo track with two rows of sound waves...there's really no need/purpose to ever separate them so you can work on them individually. You want them to stay together as a stereo track.
Not sure why you might think separating them would ever be needed?

If however, you are recording a single, non-stereo source...like a guitar cab, and it ends up as a single "stereo" track with two rows of soundwaves...well, that's NOT stereo....and each of those sound waves is exactly the same as the other.
Yeah...most DAW's give you the option of splitting them appart...but that's NO different than if you had recored the guitar as a mono track with one sound wave...and then duplicating it in the DAW.

You need to first get past the concept of actually recording stereo sources with stereo mic setups....'cuz if you ain't doing that, all bets are off on calling anything you get in the DAW as "stereo" tracks. Two mono tracks don't make stereo...they make two mono tracks.

Some DAW's (for some stupid reason) are set by default to record everything as a stereo source (even if it isn't)...so you always end up with two sound waves (either stacked in one track or as two separate tracks).
That's kinda dumb that they do that...(my DAW will do that if I let it)...so you need to choose during tracking how you want the track to be recorded...as a single, mono wave file...or as a stereo track...but again, if you are not recording using a stereo mic technique it's NOT stereo. Even if you choose the "stereo tracks" option on your DAW...you will just end up with so-called stereo tracks, but the two sound waves are going to be identical...and you don't really need that unless you want two identical sound waves of the same thing...maybe to split and do different things with...but in that case, record mono, duplicate in the DAW and then knock yourself out.

The only thing I usually record in true stereo are my drum OH mics...which are a pair of mics set up in an Mid/Side stereo configuration. Everything else I record as mono tracks....though on rare occasion I've done stereo piano or acoustic guitar (also using a 2-mic stereo technique)...but it's rare.

Making any more sense...?
 
Yeah, Miroslav, makes GREAT sense! No wonder everyone says to record most takes in the "mono" choice in the recording program. You can get your stereo out of it later when you mix. I always thought (I'm sure others do) that just choosing the "stereo" option while recording any instgrument on a single track "makes" it a stereo recording. Obviously not UNLESS you hook up several mics to get a real stereo recording to begin with.

I also didn't realize you could "duplicate" a mono track later and pan each one left or right to get that stereo sound. Do you need to "bounce" the original mono track and the duplicated mono track together for it to become a single a stereo track??

Mike Freze
 
Mike Freze said:
I also didn't realize you could "duplicate" a mono track later and pan each one left or right to get that stereo sound.
Click to expand...

No. You misunderstood that. He was just saying that recording a mono source into a stereo track is the same thing as duplicating a mono track. It DOESN'T make it stereo.
 
Chili said:
Stereo means 'two'.
Click to expand...

Not that it helps the OP, but "stereo" actually means solid. Stereo sound includes anything with more than one channel of audio playback through at least two separated speakers, from normal 2-channel stereo, early 3-channel stereo that didn't become popular and all forms of quad and surround. The idea is that adding a second channel gives sound dimension which a single speaker can't produce. Going back to basic geometry, a single point has no dimension, two points define one dimension, three points define two dimensions and four points can define three dimensions (though most systems with more than three speakers just refine the 2-dimensional image).
 
Now we need to get into *string theory* and the adverse affects on audio. :D
 
moresound said:
Now we need to get into *string theory* and the adverse affects on audio. :D
Click to expand...

Is that the one that talks about the lenght of a G-string being directly proportional to the size of someone's ass...?


:)
 
Ha! Ha!! An anal-retentive guitar player! You can spot them in a minute.
 
I have a theory about that: if you shoot for a high C, you would be disproportionally off the mid point of the average asshole. You would have to come in at an angle perpendicular to a backdoor approach. If that doesn't work, pull your g-string out a bit til it reaches a high C and then you can coordinate the entry wound without upsetting the 0dB threshhold.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top