Old 07-30-2008, 12:26 PM   #1
1dell
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Default Stereo or Mono

I just learned earlier this year that I should record instruments in mono as well as vocals because it "sits in the mix better". Is there anything I SHOULD record in stereo?
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Old 07-30-2008, 12:43 PM   #2
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Maybe the sound of the room you're in ...
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Old 07-30-2008, 12:45 PM   #3
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Sometimes it's good to record keyboards and guitar pedals (after they've been through a DI) in stereo.
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Old 07-30-2008, 12:55 PM   #4
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Here is the real answer... it depends... what do you want the instrument to sound like in the mix? For instance, sometimes a piano or acoustic guitar part works best mono and sometimes it works best in stereo. There are no hard and fast rules for this really.
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Old 07-30-2008, 02:34 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bubbagump View Post
Here is the real answer... it depends... what do you want the instrument to sound like in the mix? For instance, sometimes a piano or acoustic guitar part works best mono and sometimes it works best in stereo. There are no hard and fast rules for this really.
+1
Although there is/was an industry accepted standard for main vocals in mono. That's why there's so many vocal removal programs out there.
They wouldn't work if the vocals were offset a bit, and they don't work always anyway due to certain types of reverbs applied to mono tracks.
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Old 07-30-2008, 06:26 PM   #6
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So in otherwords I should record stereo and if it should be mono then I can bump the stereo track down to mono
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Old 07-31-2008, 05:08 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 1dell View Post
So in otherwords I should record stereo and if it should be mono then I can bump the stereo track down to mono
Well, actually the other way around....record mono, but if your content is stereo, decide if you want it stereo or not, if you do, then record it stereo.
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Old 07-31-2008, 05:12 AM   #8
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I record drum tracks in stereo. I usually record acoustic guitar and acoustic piano in stereo. I record single vocals in mono. I record electric bass and electric guitar in mono (unless I'm recording a stereo guitar rig or maybe panning a distant room mic off to one side and a close amp mic to the other, but that's not really stereo anyway).

Sometimes I set the artist(s) up in one room and record them in live in stereo. This seems to work better for acoustic acts than amplified bands, but you never know.
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