Stereo vs. dual mono

[Beau]

Hi ---

Could someone explain what exactly the difference is between stereo and dual mono? Thanks very much.

[BradLyons]

Stereo is just that, STEREO.... Left and Right thought of together. Dual Mono is treating the sources seperately. For example, let's take a 2-channel Mic Pre and record an acoustic guitar with a pair of microphones overhead at a distance to create a "stereo field". Make sure the preamp is set to STEREO LINK, or whatever they call it on the specific pre you use, and your returns should be panned left and right. But maybe you want to record the acoustic guitar at the soundhole and on the neck for string noise... in this case, you are still recording two channels but not Left/Right... both panned to the center.... does this help?

[Beau]

Thanks for you reply. Here is where I get messed up: if you use two room mics, each on a separate mono channel, can't you still pan them hard left and right and get the exact same result you would putting them together on a stereo channel?

A little background: I use Cubasis to record audio, and it just seems to me that a stereo channel with two of everything (pan, volume, inserts, sends) is no different than two mono channels. So I wonder, how are two room mics panned left and right on a stereo channel different from the same thing on two mono channels?

Confused,
Beau

[Scott Gould]

In general when referring to audio gear, dual mono will be 2 identical channels with all the controls operating separately, while stereo will be 2 identical channels with all their contols linked (except panning, obviously) to preserve the stereo imaging. I'm not familiar with Cubasis, so they may not impliment stereo channels in this manner - "stereo" could be anything from 2 channels with only the faders linked, to the scenario I gave above, or anything in between. I suggest you consult your manual to see what it means in your particular case.

Scott

[dan le]

Beau,
You are right, I have tried the same thing too, and it seems as if the sound is the same. May be I am not good enough to hear the difference.
However, there is a very important technical issue here, that is a stereo track is treated in Cubase, Sonar, etc..., as 1 track while 2 mono tracks are treated as, well 2 tracks. So if you are limited in track numbers, or that you don't want your computer to work too hard, then go for 1 stereo track. This is one technical aspect that a lot of people don't know of.
Good luck Beau.:)