How do you pan stereo guitar tracks...

zoltan

Member
I just got my Axe FX 2 a few days ago. Very happy:) Until now I was recording mono guitar tracks. I always recorded 2 takes with the mono tracks. The first take I panned hard left (I also made a copy of this "a ghost track" and I panned this one hard right). The second take I panned hard right (I also made a copy of this take " ghost track" and I panned this one hard left). Now that I have the Axe Fx 2, which I use as an interface to directly record on my computer I have the ability to record stereo tracks. My question is how do I pan stereo tracks versus the mono tracks?
I would really appreciate your help.
Thanks.
 
I just got my Axe FX 2 a few days ago. Very happy:) Until now I was recording mono guitar tracks. I always recorded 2 takes with the mono tracks. The first take I panned hard left (I also made a copy of this "a ghost track" and I panned this one hard right). The second take I panned hard right (I also made a copy of this take " ghost track" and I panned this one hard left). Now that I have the Axe Fx 2, which I use as an interface to directly record on my computer I have the ability to record stereo tracks. My question is how do I pan stereo tracks versus the mono tracks?
I would really appreciate your help.
Thanks.

If you want wide, double tracked guitars...you pan each tracking hard left/right. Meaning, there's no real point in recording it in stereo. Unless you want to record effects like reverb etc....in that case pan the guitar hard left within the Axe (pan right for other track).

The first take I panned hard left (I also made a copy of this "a ghost track" and I panned this one hard right). The second take I panned hard right (I also made a copy of this take " ghost track" and I panned this one hard left)

Why these copied "ghost tracks"? Unless you move or process it differently than the original, it wil be just like panning the original to/towards center....
 
I may be talking out of my ass, but from my experience recording with the Axe-II, panning in the traditional sense doesn't apply to stereo tracks. Most DAWs have built-in tools for narrowing/widening the stereo field that you can apply to stereo tracks, but the stereo positioning of the raw audio is determined by how you have things panned in the Axe-II itself.
 
I usually double or quad track. All my recording patches are mono, I'll then play each part the required number of times and pan accordingly. Don't just copy a track, it won't do what you want. I'm also not a fan of copying tracks and processing them. Never sounds as good as just playing the part as many times as you need it.
 
Thank you. I will try to do what you've suggested. I just need to find out how to do it. Do you know where I can find instructions ("where in the Axe manual") about how to pan tracks within the Axe?
Thanks,
 
I may be talking out of my ass, but from my experience recording with the Axe-II, panning in the traditional sense doesn't apply to stereo tracks. Most DAWs have built-in tools for narrowing/widening the stereo field that you can apply to stereo tracks, but the stereo positioning of the raw audio is determined by how you have things panned in the Axe-II itself.

Correct!

If you pan a stereo track say entirely left in a DAW, that won't throw the entirety of the recording to the left, it'll just kill the right side of the track.
 
Thank you. I will try to do what you've suggested. I just need to find out how to do it. Do you know where I can find instructions ("where in the Axe manual") about how to pan tracks within the Axe?
Thanks,

I'd suggest going Mono for recording.

There are several ways to pan internally in the Axe. You can put mixer blocks etc. in the chain. You could also go to the OUT tab in the Layout section and pan rows. Just try a bunch of stuff and see what gets you where you wanna be. Take a look at mixer blocks and pan blocks in the manual, the panning on the Out tab is pretty simple, each of the 4 dials corresponds to a row of your chain.
 
Thanks. By "All my recording patches are mono" you are saying that from the Axe you are recording mono tracks and than you pan those accordingly? To record mono tracks do I need to change the setting of a preset in the Axe or I can live the Axe presets as is and just simply choose Mono Tracks in my recording software? If I have to change the the Axe preset from stereo to mono, can you tell me where are the instruction in the manual? I would really appreciate it.
 
Ah, I think this is where we'll be going about things differently, I run analogue to an interface, not digital via USB.

I've never used the USB to record so I'd be reluctant to give advice specific to that as I may steer you the wrong way. I'm sure someone else will be able to jump in soon and answer.

In saying that, I'll still give you my take on it heh. I believe, if you set your daw track to mono and say, input 1 (assuming input 1&2 are your axe) then you should just be getting the Left of the signal. I tend to leave the axe itself as stereo and just create my patches as "mono" by which I mean my patch will put out the exact same signal to the left and the right and I'd just track the left output.

I hope that kinda makes sense, I've been on a 2 day straight tracking binge so I'm a bit out of it!
 
To record mono tracks do I need to change the setting of a preset in the Axe or I can live the Axe presets as is and just simply choose Mono Tracks in my recording software? If I have to change the the Axe preset from stereo to mono, can you tell me where are the instruction in the manual? I would really appreciate it.

Just make sure the cab(s) are panned center in the Axe.

Or, in the I/O menu > Audio, select L+R Sum for Output 1.
 
Correct!

If you pan a stereo track say entirely left in a DAW, that won't throw the entirety of the recording to the left, it'll just kill the right side of the track.

Depends on it really being a pan control or a balance control. BTW, both of those can be found inside the Axe-Fx, too.
"Pan" should place a given channel at the desired place in the stereo panorama (hence the name - pan-orama control).
"Balance" should control the relative level of one channel (of the two stereo channels).

Example: let's say you have stereo recording of a rider passing by, from left to right; whole duration of 30 sec and passing by the microphone at 15 sec.
Panning the channels would re-position the stereo information. E.g. both channels panned right would keep the whole 30 sec to the right, while centering both channels would keep it to the center, i.e. you don't hear passing by. BUT you always get to hear the full 30 sec.
Balancing the channels doesn't change their stereo placement, it just changes the volume ratio. So fully turned left you'd only hear the first 15 sec of the recording (= up until the rider reaches the mic) and fully turned right you'd only hear the last 15 sec of the recording (= rider moving away from the mic).

I always got a bit confused by the interchanging usage of those terms until I learned about that example.
 
"Analogue to an interface"- I could try this option. I have an Apogee Duet 2 so I could run the Axe FX 2 to the Apogee first. Do you think that running the Axe to the Apogee would give me better quality than using the Axe straight as an interface with a USB connection? If I would run the Axe to the Apogee do I use the Axe Output 1 - Balanced L and Balanced R? Do I need to change any setting in the Axe (I mean change stereo settings to mono)? Thanks.
 
Forget the ghost tracks. Two takes, recorded as tight as you can with proper picking techniques and you'll have wide and thick tracks. :)
 
O.K. I'll try that. Are you talking about recording 2 stereo tracks and live them as they are with no panning at all? Thanks.
 
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