MONO.... my rule of thumb is....if the source is a mono source, you should record it in mono.

Most instruments and voices are mono. Instruments that can be stereo include drum kits and piano.... things like individual drums, trumpet, flute, sax, and even guitar tend to work well in mono.

You gain nothing by recording a mono source to a stereo track. You effectively waste hard drive space.

You can simulate a stereo sound if that's what you're after, by recording the instrument or voice again.... in another mono track.

I use this doubling method a lot on my recordings. Acoustic guitars get recorded 2 times into a unique track in mono each time. Then they are panned equally opposite. With a vocal, I do it 3x.... with the lead being centered and the 2 doubles panned equally opposite and much, much lower in the mix.

Using 2 mics and recording true stereo. This is a possibility and lots of folks do it. Nothing is wrong with recording this way. My main concern is that doing this is actually advantageous to the music. You have to be aware of phase relationships and comb filtering that can occur from the use of 2 mics on the same sound source.

Comb filtering and phase issues are potentially present in any recording where you have 2 nearly identical tracks.... so doing what I mentioned...double tracking... is also subject to these issues. Just be aware.

Last edited by Guitarhacker; 03/24/15 02:58 AM.
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