Guitar Processors tracking

Not really a Sonar Question, but since many here use guitar processors, maybe someone would know. I have the GT-10, but I have noticed this on other proccesors I have owned too. If a patch is a stereo patch, logically speaking, I should be able to put the left out to one track and the right out to another track and get the sound I hear when I am playing it.

    But, that is the problem, the recorded part does not have the same tone or bite with what I hear while recording. this has always frustrated me.

    Just tried it with the GT-10, and same results, but.. on a whim, I set one track to a stereo in, and the recorded sound is real close to what I hear while playing.

    Why is that?   One would think if you have the left out going to a track, and the right out going to the track, it would be same sound. And, no I am not panning at all in Sonar. It sort of sounds like some of the guitar processor effects, such as speaker, or something is missing.

    Is this normal? Does anyone else have this happen too?

    I know now just to use a stereo track, but my inquiring mind wants to know.

Hey stoked... yes.. I did try that.. but it is like the patch is missing something when I record on two separate mono tracks. It just is bugging me, why it don't sound the same as when I am recording. I would like to have full control over each track, instead of using a stereo track... logically speaking one would think it would be the same, but I am thinking by doing the mono two tracks, something is not being sent from the processor, which does not make sense to me.

It just is bugging me, why it don't sound the same as when I am recording.

 
Try this:
 
1. Create a stereo track along with the two left/right mono tracks, and invert the phase of the stereo track.
2. Set the outpu level of the two mono tracks 3dB lower than the stereo track and pan them hard left and right, respectively.
3. Enable input monitoring and play your guitar.
 
Your Master bus should show no output level because the two mono tracks should perfectly cancel the inverted stereo track. Any difference you heard wa sprobalby due to the level difference between two mono tracks and one stereo.
 
Because of the level issues and other reasons, you might want to use a stereo track with the Channel Tools plugin instead of separate mono tracks.
 
 

just have an inquistive mind and trying to figure out why there would be a difference.

 
Do the test I described. If they cancel, the difference is imaginary.

Ditto what PH68 is saying. If you are monitoring at the wrong place you will not hear what is being recorded correctly.
Other possibility
 Output jacks are assignable within the unit and have been altered to Left-dry right- wet
With a "insert" cable you could record from the headphone output if that's the sound you prefer and cannot get it from the stereo outputs.
Inset cables are tip/ring/sleeve to a Y pair of  tip/ring ( left -right ) jacks.

ok.. here is the link for the test... first part of mp3 is the two mono tracks, panned hard left and right  then the 2nd part of the mp3, is the stereo track... to me the stereo track has more tone where as the mono tracks are basseier.. if that makes sense... volumes are the same... no eq or anything on the tracks..

(p.s. this is only a test, disregard the playing)

http://www.alanstewart.us/bosstest.mp3

to me the stereo track has more tone where as the mono tracks are basseier.

Without trying to characterize the difference, I'll say the two do sound slightly different, but it's hard to tell what's going on given that they are two different performances. This is why I suggested monitoring/recording the stereo track and the two mono tracks at the same time.


Also, along the lines of what Danny suggested, I found that if you set your Pan Law to one of the -3dB Center options, you should get absolutely perfect digital nulling with the Stereo track inverted against the mono tracks, whereas it's hard to get that doing the manual attenuation of the mono tracks because SONAR doesn't give you fine enough control of the faders to get exactly the right attenuation setting for the mono tracks.


With manual level-setting, about the best cancellation I could dial in was maybe 50dB off the nominal level of the stereo track alone, whereas using a -3dB pan law, I can get digital 0 with BitMeter on the Master bus.

I only record mono guitar tracks. To me, there's no point in recording them stereo. If you want to make it stereo it's easy enough. I like to record one side then record the other. I think it just sounds better that way. Less of a  perfect match.

Guitarpima


I only record mono guitar tracks. To me, there's no point in recording them stereo. If you want to make it stereo it's easy enough. I like to record one side then record the other. I think it just sounds better that way. Less of a  perfect match.

Actually, some guys like the sound of their processor and the effects inside it. This is when you'd want to record a stereo track. For example, in my Van Halen cover band recordings I'm working on right now, there isn't a single efx plug that I own that can cop the flange and phaser sound Eddie uses. So I'm literally recording them destructively using my processors and allowing Sonar to trigger and control them via midi in real time. But other than when you absolutely need to run the effects off your processor in stereo, or for a hardware synth that you absolutely love, those are the only times I'll run a stereo track. All other times, I record one mono at a time and pan accordingly....or record one track mono and throw a HAAS delay on the track for quick experimentation.

There is absolutely no difference on my end and I use the last pan law in the menu that I told you about. I even checked my stereo field using a phase scope and both are identical. Not sure what the problem could be on your end bro...sorry I can't be more helpful.

 
I consider that very helpful, because it confirms that there should be no difference (other than levels, depending on the Pan Law) as the OP expected, and he needs to look for the difference in his setup.
 
In his original post he wrote "And, no I am not panning at all in Sonar." Later he wrote that he "tried that" when advised he needed to pan the mono tracks hard left and right, but implied that it didn't make much difference. Panning the two mono tracks left and right is absolutely critical to reproducing the channel separation of a stereo track, so if that didn't make a huge difference, something's wrong.
 
In any case, I still think a stereo track with Channel Tools on it is ultimately the way to go for maximum simplicity with full control of the stereo image.
 
 

I agree with Danny, Seems any stereo recording uses a simple straightforward set up.
 Input left to track A,
 Input  right to track B,
 Arm  and record the 2 mono tracks that are  panned hard left and right  with the little green sliders,
Done. I've always used what ever it is that Sonar defaults to as far as pan law goes.