Originally Posted by Ettienne
Hi Rayc,
I've recorded live drums for many albums, and the way BIAB makes the stems available (all mono) is 100% correct. This is how all mixing engineers receive drum stems for mixing, and that's why PG Music makes it available as mono tracks.
Hello Etienne,
your statement would be true and correct is TWO mono mics were recorded to get the stereo spread.
The fairly conservative "Recorderman" set up doesn't place a far left & far right mic for the stereo image but the placement of the two overhead mics WITH spill from the rest allows for a decent stereo image - that's why it's famous. Most other set ups go for a separate L & R overhead arrangement.
I suspect BIAB/PG provide JUST mono tracks is becasue someone in a critical position didn't actually know about mixing drums...well, that's the generous assumption though it could simply be that they figured most BIAB users would, at best, use stems to reinforce sounds in concert with the stereo mix track.
I've mixed many fully multitracked kits...I've worked with a few VERY professional and talented drummers. Each drummer sets up for a stereo image in their overheads no matter what "system" they use. They ensure that a properly mixed stereo overhead track is created OR that the two separate mono overhead tracks are created.

You seem to have missed my point regarding TOMS. Most kits have more than one and a VERY popular trope in classic rock is to have the toms arranged so that playing across them walks across a chunk of the stereo image. I don't have any use for a stereo conversion of a mono tom track. I can use automation to pan such a movement BUT I shouldn't have to. In most situations these days each tom is miced so that mono files panned present no problem.

I've been mixing real drums from real drummers for over a decade and I usually receive a set up that has either 2 x mono or a stereo overhead. Top snare, bottom snare, 1x each tom, one of two kick tracks depending on the session, (some drummers like and in & out while others don't), hi hat, and 2x mono or 1x stereo ROOM track.

You writing about changing mono to stereo in the DAW etc. really makes little sense when a mono track is converted to two track mono it's less flexible than when just mono. You idea about exporting and incorporating toms in the overheads is interesting but convoluted and of no use in this situation, (let's face it good overheads would already have toms in them and in their proper kit position), where the overhead is one mono track.
You seem to have missed some of the key points whilst addressing others.
If musocity's extraction technique produces REAL stereo image files from the source then there's no problem other than BIAB/PG having missed an important element of stems. If musocity's method extracts two channel mono then the problem remains. I've yet to have success with the extraction method but stay tuned and THANKS for the good points you've added as well as bringing this to the attention of PG even if you've confused the issue with you MONO for mixer message.

Last edited by rayc; 12/19/23 03:14 PM.
Cheers
rayc
"What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe