Little confusion over mono vs stereo tracks

MetalGarret

Inspired
I've been told that typically pros record two rhythm guitars on mono tracks that are panned 30 to 60 left and right. But if I'm using a stereo cab, shouldn't I be recording stereo tracks?
 
I rarely hear stereo guitar recordings on the commercial releases I listen to, mostly mono, and often on guitar based tracks, multiple mono takes layered and panned in various ways. Stereo guitars tracks take up too much room in the mix and make it hard to effectively apply post effects at mix down. I recommend you record in mono if you're recording in a full band situation. If you are recording just a solo guitar track as a backing to a vocal as a solo performance then stereo might work.

Listen to your favourite artist recordings, see what they are doing.

Just my view.
 
Very little is ever recorded in stereo - it's several passes (takes, single recordings, whatever) in mono, which are then mixed into different spots on the stereo soundscape. Genuine stereo recording (the exact same pass) is rare because it inevitably brings about annoying phase issues, and the Haas delay trick isn't a very authentic way of getting rid of them.

Just record multiple passes with a single tone. Or, if you like your stereo cab, record one pass with the Left channel of that stereo signal, and then a second pass with the Right channel. The subtle differences are very "human" and create a much more pleasing end-result.
 
I record from my Axe in Mono, always. And then double track or layer different parts on other mono tracks. I use stereo if i'm using ambient soundscapes, but bread and butter parts all mono with mono cabs.
 
I see... alright then. Thanks for the input.

How many tracks do you guys typically do per side. I normally do one track per side. I remember someone mentioning having 2 tracks per side can cause problems? Especially since with the riffs I'm playing it'd be pretty hard to keep consistent on 4 mono tracks. :p
 
Depends on how consistent you can play. The more tracks you add, the blurrier your sound will be if you don't play exactly on-time.

So unless you want to spend days on fixing the micro-timing in your DAW, I'd go with only 1 track per side. Unless you have on-time picking from hell. Then all power to you.

A Stereo setup is nice for recording solos. It's almost impossible to double-track a guitar solo (unless you can reproduce every bending or slide at robotic accuracy), so recording stereo on a double-amp, double-cab setting is a good idea here to avoid having to use spatial stereo wideners.
 
Unless you are presenting different information with the left and right tracks (two different cabs, two different amps, etc.) or are using panning for some effect (ping pong delay, rotary, auto panning, etc.), you don't gain much by having separate left and right tracks. If your preset is setup mono or everything is panned center, the left and right tracks are basically identical anyway. It will just take up extra tape or HDD space with little benefit. If you are using two separate amps or cabs, pan each hard left and right when recording for maximum separation (more like dual mono). That gives you the most flexibility later on during mixing and you are not stuck with one stereo image.
 
Personally for the heavy, wide sort of metal guitar sound, I usually just do 2 tracks and pan 100% each side. It's not set in stone but its general approach.

Some folks have great success with 4 tracks. Personally, I think unless you know exactly what your trying to get from quad tracking, and the part/song calls for it, it is kinda hit and miss. You do have to have very accurate performances with quad tracking or it lose definition.
 
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Personally for the heavy, wide sort of metal guitar sound, I usually just do 2 tracks and pan 100% each side. It's not set in stone but its general approach.

Some folks have great success with 4 tracks. Personally, I think unless you know exactly what your trying to get from quad tracking, and the part/song calls for it, it is kinda hit and miss. You do have to have very accurate performances with quad tracking or it lose definition.

Exactly. Quad tracking can be good for "wall of sound" type music (a la Devin Townsend), but for very articulate, fast and/or intricate parts, double tracking is the best of both worlds.
 
A Stereo setup is nice for recording solos. It's almost impossible to double-track a guitar solo (unless you can reproduce every bending or slide at robotic accuracy), so recording stereo on a double-amp, double-cab setting is a good idea here to avoid having to use spatial stereo wideners.

Personally, I like my solos fairly centered in the mix unless I'm doing some harmonizing solo lines or if there's another active instrument (usually kick and/or snare) that I don't want to be stepping on with the solo. But generally speaking, solos are my time to step out in the mix! ;)

Either way, this is an instance where reamping is golden. Gives a lot of options for layering different tones with perfect precision.
 
I reckon' I'm odd man out because I always track in stereo. I find the whole point of having a masterpiece, like these Fractals, is to place your tone into the various spatial environments that a stereo pre-amp offers. Further I can always convert my stereo tracks to mono if the need arises. One element that works for me in many cases is a nice thick wide stereo tone like a Friedman HBE or Backline offers, then go down the middle with a mono track.

Personally I would avoid following rules and follow your ears. The bottom line is does your mix sound good.
 
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