Mono vs. Stereo DAW Tracking Guitars with KPA

  • Hey Guys,


    Seeking some clarification on how everyone prefers to track in their DAW w/ the KPA. Does this change if you're going SPDIF vs. analog?


    My goal is to basically record mono "wet" guitar tracks, dialed in straight from the KPA tone profile (double tracked/panned). :/ I'm curious as to whether or not there would be any real difference in recording single track stereo R/L and double track/pan it that way vs. record single track mono and double track/pan it that way. Would the sound difference be negligible or would it actually be a huge difference of technically 4 guitars vs. just 2?


    ~8 years ago when I last dabbled in home recording, I was double tracking/panning all guitars mono and was very happy w/ the sound. But now w/ the option of SPDIF (or even analog?) being stereo L/R, I'm confused how I should proceed.


    Also, if choosing to track in stereo, will the recorded single track simply have both R/L signals on a single track or is it more meant to be split between 2 tracks - one track R and one track L? Or will both of these examples sound exactly the same?


    I understand how to manipulate the VST audio connections/track input/output settings in my DAW, I'm just not sure if I should be focused on mono vs. stereo, 1 track R/L vs. 2 separate tracks R/L if tracking stereo.......


    Thanks for your guys' input on this!

  • I use mono for recording, then create stereo effects in the DAW if necessary.


    My process is to record a single mono track with no effects and then create stereo by making a copy of the track, panning the two L/R and bumping one track "back in time" to create a delay between them. It also acts as a pan, so the volume of the bumped track is brought down and I adjust the pan on both to sit the part where I want it in the mix.

  • A guitar amplifier is not really a stereo source, so I always record mono.


    Of course, if you're using stereo EFFECTS (eg. chorus etc) in the kemper, then it may make sense to record in stereo. However, it sounds like you're double tracking for rhythm guitar (I'm guessing rock or somesuch) - here I would definitely record in MONO.


    For double tracking, make sure to record separate performances - not just making a copy of ONE recorded track.

  • Bear in mind that I've had mine for less than a month, but here's what I've been experimenting with thus far.


    I come from the old school of miking amps, and of course each mic was captured to an individual track. If I used two mics, e.g. a 57 / 421 combination, I'd route those two mics to a bus and would typically have them panned center in the bus and then would pan the bus to position the guitar track as a whole.


    With the Kemper, I'm tracking main outs L/R to a stereo track. In Cubase, I create a single stereo track for this and point it to a stereo input that represents the L/R from the Kemper. This now represents a single guitar track. If I double track the guitar, I do this twice and then have the take 1 and take 2 tracks.


    From that jumping off point I've been playing around with various approaches. I write classic rock oriented stuff that doesn't get much heavier than a Van Halen / Bon Jovi vibe. For some songs, in a simple three piece arrangement, I'm taking the stereo guitar track and running it straight up the middle, which of course is the same as taking the two inputs and panning hard L/R. For double tracking, I'm panning the two stereo tracks hard L/R.


    As for tracking mono versus stereo, I've yet to play with coming mono out of the Kemper (it's on the list of stuff to experiment with). What will the difference in sound be? In all seriousness, you've just gotta play around with it and see what results you get, as no one knows what you're looking for but you.


    I'm reminded of some conversations I had on other threads about the phase artifacts when double tracking guitars. As I write this, I'm realizing that all of my double tracking was using stereo tracks, and I wonder if the "no problems for me" guys were, in fact, tracking mono, which instantly makes a lot of sense in explaining what I was experiencing. Okay, now I have to go play around with that myself. :)

    Kemper remote -> Powered toaster -> Yamaha DXR-10

  • A guitar amplifier is not really a stereo source, so I always record mono.


    Of course, if you're using stereo EFFECTS (eg. chorus etc) in the kemper, then it may make sense to record in stereo. However, it sounds like you're double tracking for rhythm guitar (I'm guessing rock or somesuch) - here I would definitely record in MONO.


    For double tracking, make sure to record separate performances - not just making a copy of ONE recorded track.

    Thanks! Yes, I'm primarily going to be recording hard rock/metal, and when I say double tracking, yes, that's 2 separate performances.


    As far as tracking w/ stereo effects, would recording in stereo look like one DAW track with 2 signals R/L? Or would it look more like 2 separate tracks split stereo R on one and stereo L on the other?


    Would I achieve the same results by just double tracking/panning 2 mono tracks w/ a stereo effect? Or is this where I need to just go an experiment?

  • As far as tracking w/ stereo effects, would recording in stereo look like one DAW track with 2 signals R/L? Or would it look more like 2 separate tracks split stereo R on one and stereo L on the other?

    A single stereo track in the daw usually looks like a single track - if you expand it (stretch vertically), you will often see two waveforms inside the recorded region.


    Two mono tracks are easy to recognise :)


    But it all depends on how the track is set up in the DAW. Usually, I think, it just depends on what you set the input to (say, "input 5" vs. "input 5 & 6").



    Would I achieve the same results by just double tracking/panning 2 mono tracks w/ a stereo effect? Or is this where I need to just go an experiment?

    I'm not sure what you mean here - same result as what? And which "stereo effect"?


    If you mean "do I get the same effect by recording to guitar tracks separately with a stereo chorus in the kemper, recording only one side (mono) each time - as recording a stereo track of both sides of a single performance" - then the answer is no.

  • If you mean "do I get the same effect by recording to guitar tracks separately with a stereo chorus in the kemper, recording only one side (mono) each time - as recording a stereo track of both sides of a single performance" - then the answer is no.

    Precisely what I meant to say. Thanks. Makes sense. I'll keep this in mind when recording a "wet signal" using something like a stereo chorus effect.

  • I always record guitars in mono (one track per performance) unless I'm using a stereo effect (chorus, delay, reverb etc) integral to the sound. If you're not using stereo effects, recording in "stereo" is really just recording the mono sound twice. Might as well save the system resources and go mono.


    When I get tracks from artists to mix, very often I end up splitting lots of "stereo" tracks (actually mono sources) into mono and deleting the redundant tracks. It makes the DAW run smoother without choking, and you won't fill up your hard drive as quickly :)

  • Since i have 2 stereo cabs i often wondered about this, i thought why not just make a DI [reamp] when doing any thing.

    that way you can mix it in stereo or mono and pick what ever suits the song/effects used.


    Unless i am missing some thing , this seemed like the most logical choice.

    Have a DI track then you can do what you want.


    Ash

    Have a beer and don't sneer. -CJ. Two non powered Kempers -Two mission stereo FRFR Cabs - Ditto X4 -TC electronic Mimiq.