Vocals? Mono or Stereo

[Brother_N_t_]

Say I'm recording two acoustic guitar tracks (rhythm and lead) then want to throw vocals on it. When I go to mix or just to track it, should I go with mono or stereo? I was just wondering what you guys do or what's the best sound? Thanks.

Joe

 

[TexRoadkill]

Mono is pretty standard. Stereo micing vocals can be problematic. If you close mic then you get weird shifts in the stereo field unless the singer can keep their head perfectly still. If you mic at a distance then you get a very roomy sound which can work if you have a great room but it's usually not the type of in your face vocal sound that most people want.

 

[Brother_N_t_]

Ok, so say I've got two guitar tracks I want to use and a vocal. Would I Buss one guitar left, the other one right, then put the vocals on the third track Direct in mono? Or would I use the third track, buss it left and just bring it to mono for mixing? Wow, I really hope this makes sense. If it helps, I'm using a tascam 424 mkIII. Thanks for the reply. I'm going to try this out in a few minutes, but I guess it never hurts to ask.

God Bless,

Joe

 

[guttadaj]

There are no rules for this kind of thing, but what you suggest is a common approach. If you have 2 guitars and vocals, it's often the case that people will separate the guitars by panning one left and one right and lay the vocal track dead center. You don't necessarily want to pan the guitars 100% L or R - that would give a very wide stereo spread, which maybe you do want. Experiment with the placement. You might find it sounds better a little tighter - say with guits panned 20% L and 20% R. It usually is a good idea to try to achieve a good stereo balance, so if your guitars are at about the same level, you'll probably want to keep them panned around the same amount away from center. Of course, the ultimate rule for placement is put 'em where they sound good! So, try moving them around and see where they sound best to you.

 

[minofifa]

could there ever be phase problems when recording vocals in stereo? say if you used two mics and they were out of phase, could some of the vocals be lost or misrepresented?

 

[Farview]

could there ever be phase problems when recording vocals in stereo? say if you used two mics and they were out of phase, could some of the vocals be lost or misrepresented?

Yes, but you should hear that before you hit record and fix it.