Subject:Only Getting Mono vs Stereo Mic Signal

Posted by: spinweb

Date:7/14/2006 12:15:20 PM

I'm using a digi002 rack as my sound card. Acid Pro 6a.

I finally have my stereo mic getting a decent signal, however, it's only mono.... even when I select the stereo option. In other words, only one of the two channels in the armed track shows a bouncing signal when I make noise.

Thanks!

Rick

Subject:RE: Only Getting Mono vs Stereo Mic Signal

Reply by: JohnnyRoy

Date:7/14/2006 4:38:05 PM

Does your stereo mic have a cable that terminates in two XLR connectors? I know nothing about the DIGI 002 but does it have stereo inputs? My guess is that it has mono inputs which means a stereo mic would have to be plugged into two mono tracks. (not sure how you are connecting these) Then in ACID you would have to select these two mono inputs as a stereo pair to get stereo on a single track. Usually these must be next to each other like 1+2, 3+4, etc. Like I said, just a guess because you didn’t say what mic and I have never used a DIGI 002.

~jr

Subject:RE: Only Getting Mono vs Stereo Mic Signal

Reply by: spinweb

Date:7/17/2006 7:39:16 AM

I have a Neumann TLM103. The mic has a cable with only one XLR jack. I thought that was stereo, as before, when I ran ACID on my laptop, I ran this same XLR into a preamp, out and into ACID and it was a stereo signal. I'd be surprised if the digi002's inputs were mono, but maybe they are.

Thanks,

Rick

Subject:RE: Only Getting Mono vs Stereo Mic Signal

Reply by: drbam

Date:7/17/2006 8:36:05 AM

The 103 is not a stereo mic. Previously you were most likely getting 2 mono signals, incorrectly assuming it was stereo. Addtionally, a stereo XLR cable will split into 2 mono cables at the male end (or have a Y adapter that does so). The 002's mic inputs are indeed mono (as they should be).

drbam

Subject:RE: Only Getting Mono vs Stereo Mic Signal

Reply by: spinweb

Date:7/17/2006 10:50:27 AM

Hey thanks for the info!

Ok, my next question is: Can I get a stereo
output from the Neumann T103, even perhaps via software (e.g..,
I think there's a stereo effect in ACID somewhere).

And should I care about getting a Y-adaptor so my mono vocal
input goes into two digi002 channels?

Also, for great rock vocal tracks, should I be concerned with getting
stereo signal from the vocals?

Thanks.

Rick

Subject:RE: Only Getting Mono vs Stereo Mic Signal

Reply by: drbam

Date:7/17/2006 12:57:13 PM

You can't get stereo out of a mono mic. Forget about Y cords and all that stuff. If you want stereo then you'll need to purchase a stereo mic or get another 103. If you want a fuller sound out of your vocal performance, just duplicate the track in Acid, slide it a bit forward or backward so you don't have phase cancellation, experiment with pitch shifting, eq, etc, try the chorus plugin that comes with Acid. There's lots of things you can try. The bottom line is that you can never get a true stereo signal out of a mono mic. For great rock vocals (or any vocals for that matter), you first need to be able to sing great. Its about the performance - not the mic or the effects.

drbam

Subject:RE: Only Getting Mono vs Stereo Mic Signal

Reply by: JohnnyRoy

Date:7/17/2006 2:00:31 PM

> should I be concerned with getting stereo signal from the vocals?

Hmmm... do you have a stereo mouth? Then you should not worry about getting stereo signal from the vocals. Your voice is a mono instrument. Stereo mics are for recording things like orchestras and other live performances while trying to maintain the live audience feel. Even then you would probably use two mono mics placed widely apart.

Getting great rock vocals is a fairly open question. There is not a single rock vocal sound. In the early days of rock recording we doubled all of our vocals. That means the singer had to sing the same part twice onto two tracks. Each performance would have small nuances and these nuances would “fatten” up the vocals. Later when digitals delays were readily available, many vocals had a short slap-back echo added to them to fatten the sound (~0.05 sec). Some even did both. Reverb is usually always added to give warmth to a vocal. I also like to use a plug-in like the BBE Sonic Enhancer on vocals to give them some presence.

As Drbam suggested you can duplicate the track in ACID and shift one slightly and even add a little chorus to one track simulate the doubling of vocals but the best way I have found is to actually double the vocals by singing the part twice onto two tracks. Sometimes the old way is the best way.

~jr

Subject:RE: Only Getting Mono vs Stereo Mic Signal

Reply by: Lostdog

Date:7/18/2006 5:08:49 AM

"Hmmm... do you have a stereo mouth?"....

Nice one JR - I think that's one of the funniest things I've ever read! - made my day!
btw, I don't have a stereo mouth but I do occasionally talk out of my butt....

Subject:RE: Only Getting Mono vs Stereo Mic Signal

Reply by: spinweb

Date:7/18/2006 6:08:48 AM

<<Hmmm... do you have a stereo mouth?>>

lol. Actually, my mouth is quadraphonic.

Ok. Well let's forget the stereo vocal thing and at least get an incoming signal that fills out both sides of the track. In my old setup, vocals did that. Now, one side of the track has signal and the other doesn't. I think it's resulting sound is thinner. I want fat.

I'll try the doubling thing.

:-)

Thanks,

Rick

Subject:RE: Only Getting Mono vs Stereo Mic Signal

Reply by: drbam

Date:7/18/2006 6:10:58 AM

"btw, I don't have a stereo mouth but I do occasionally talk out of my butt...."

Me too but you still need 2 mics to capture it in stereo!! LOL!

Subject:RE: Only Getting Mono vs Stereo Mic Signal

Reply by: drbam

Date:7/18/2006 6:17:23 AM

"Now, one side of the track has signal and the other doesn't. I think it's resulting sound is thinner."

Select mono instead of a stereo track to record in Acid. If you want to keep the performances you've already recorded on 1 track of a stereo track, open it in Sound Forge and convert it to mono.

Subject:RE: Only Getting Mono vs Stereo Mic Signal

Reply by: Lostdog

Date:7/19/2006 6:25:56 AM

<< "btw, I don't have a stereo mouth but I do occasionally talk out of my butt...."
Me too but you still need 2 mics to capture it in stereo!! LOL! >>

Remember to use a popper stopper (on both ends) ;-)

Subject:RE: Only Getting Mono vs Stereo Mic Signal

Reply by: BradlyMusic

Date:7/19/2006 11:58:36 AM

Spinweb,
It sounds like you have some misunderstandings of what the differences are between a Stereo recording and a Mono recording. In your previous setup although you where recording the microphone on 2 inputs, it was still a Mono recording. This does not make it any fatter than if you had recorded it on one input. It will make it louder, but not fatter. You can receive the same result by recording on one track and turning the volume up.

In a stereo recording the sound you record on the 2 tracks are DIFFERENT from each other, thus the reason you would want to record Stereo on 2 seperate tracks/inputs.. When you use a mono mic and record it onto the 2 different tracks the sound is the same on both tracks, thus it is still MONO.

Subject:RE: Only Getting Mono vs Stereo Mic Signal

Reply by: spinweb

Date:7/20/2006 5:23:12 AM

<<Select mono instead of a stereo track to record in Acid. If you want to keep the performances you've already recorded on 1 track of a stereo track, open it in Sound Forge and convert it to mono.>>

I don't have Sound Forge. Perhaps I can use Audacity for the Mono conversion?

Subject:RE: Only Getting Mono vs Stereo Mic Signal

Reply by: JohnnyRoy

Date:7/20/2006 7:11:56 AM

> Remember to use a popper stopper (on both ends) ;-)

Now THAT made ME laugh! :-D

> I don't have Sound Forge. Perhaps I can use Audacity for the Mono conversion?

Just Render to New Track (CTRL+M) and select a Mono template. You don’t need any tool other than ACID. In the future just record your vocals in mono to begin with.

~jr