This is going to sound like a really dumb question but I will not get an answer if I do not ask.

I recorded mono tracks from my line 6 podxt into my Tascam interface. One went to the left , the other to the right. If I try to pan them to the opposite side the signal disappears. I would not normally do that but if I wanted to change the mix in such a way as to say bring both guitars to the right side I can not do it in real band. I always thought a mono signal can be panned anywhere in the plain.
Thanks Rich

Hey Rich. There are no dumb questions.


"I recorded mono tracks from my line 6 podxt into my Tascam interface. One went to the left , the other to the right."

Not enough information. After the Tascam, where did you actually 'record' the mono tracks? If you set your panning full counterclockwise (left) you were only recording on the left channel. Did you set up the tracks to record in stereo?

Quick fix is no big deal. Just bounce the mono track to a stereo track. Faux Stereo, to be sure, but it can save a lot of time.

Regards,

Bob

The mono tracks were recorded to real band via usb from the 2 channel Tascam interface. The tracks were panned center at the time I made the two recordings. This is why I am confused. I tried using a usb connection from the line 6 directly to the computer but could not produce a signal. I assume I would need to reconfigure something on the computer to make it work that way.
If I am sending a mono signal how do I set the track up to be in stereo?

"If I am sending a mono signal how do I set the track up to be in stereo?"



"If you are recording audio, you can record either mono (left or right) or in stereo. To access these settings, go to Options | Preferences | Audio. If you are recording both left and right channels, and your audio track is set as a MONO Audio track, the left and right channels will be recorded on to consecutive tracks. If your track is a STEREO Audio track, then both channels will appear on a single track."




http://www.pgmusic.com/techfaq27.htm#13


p.s. Unless you are recording the source with two separate mics, you are not really getting "true stereo" anyway. Want a huge guitar sound? Run that Pod into an amp and put two mics on the amp. One right on the cone, one back about 4'. Record both tracks in stereo.Add salt and shake.



Regards,

Bob

That part sounds like a phasing issue. You could flip the phase on one side to keep that from happening.

Thanks guys.
90 db. I believe you answered my question. I will also have to try out your amp technique. Am I to assume the mikes are placed near the cones edge?
Thanks again
Rich

Just to elaborate on what Steve said about phasing: if you have two equal signals on the left and right, that's OK. But if one of them has the polarity reversed, they will actually cancel each other out and you hear nothing when they are combined. Another cause of this is using two mics that are the (wrong) distance apart such that the waves from the two are inverted and produce a flat line when summed. This is one reason why mic placement with multiple mics is important. I'm oversimplifying but you get the point...

1st mic (SM57/58) about 2-3" from outer speaker surround. Wear phones and move it around while playing to find the sweet spot. 2nd mic (pref. condenser) above and about 4' from the amp. Send to separate stereo mixer/DAW channels, and mix/EQ to taste.

1st (close) mic picks up the amp. 2nd mic picks up the amp in the room.


Regards,

Bob

Thanks again.
Matt I am not using mics at this point. I am using the left and right outputs of the podxt. I am aware of phase issues although I have yet to experiment with two mics. All good info IMHO.

It sounds to me like you are recording mono source into a stereo track.

In the window where you select the inputs, be sure to select either side....right or left as opposed to "stereo" input. In my rig, I have several options and one of them is "stereo".

ALWAYS, always select only the ONE SIDE.... in my case, just for no particular reason, I always ALWAYS choose the LEFT Saffire audio input. (Saffire being my interface's name)

When I forget that step .....and BTW.... it defaults to the stereo input in my rig....and I hit record.... I see a stereo wave getting recorded and on playback I can not pan to the opposite side.... because there is no audio information in that opposite side.

Ensure that you record mono source to a track set up for ONE SIDE MONO and things should work perfectly. The mono track will be naturally recorded dead center and will be pannable to either the right or left side of the sound field.

Doing what you describe in the OP..... be sure that again, you have the tracks (plural) set up as mono..... one right, one left in the Tascam. Send the signals into the Tascam and ensure that they are going to different tracks. You will end up with 2 mono tracks that you can pan as needed. I can do this with my 2 channel Focusrite Saffire interface..... for example, one channel is voice, and the other is acoustic guitar..... I can place each into a mono track independent of each other at the same time. Afterward, I can pan either as needed to either side. The key is to ensure everything in the chain is mono, from the signal to the final track.

Should you mistakenly record into a stereo track in the DAW..... most DAW's have the ability to create mono tracks from stereo tracks. A simple conversion gets you there.

Rich59,

The PodXT (version 1) manual indicates both the left and right pod outputs are mono.