Ponpoko
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[Solved] Stereo Mixing Problems
Hello,
I am new to Sonar (I have X3 Producer) and I am having difficulty mixing a song in stereo. I have a number of tracks: drums, guitars, bass, vocals etc. When I pan the sound of any of the tracks all the way left or right the sound still plays on the other side. For example if I pan the bass all the way to the left I still hear it on the right. It actually just sounds quieter on both the left and right and not louder on the side I am panning to. Am I doing something wrong? I want to be able to mix the instruments to the left and right but right now they all sound naturally mixed to the left slightly and I can't fix it.
Also on a side note is there a way to create a new mono track? All my new tracks are stereo and I end up converting them to mono. In Pro Tools I could just create a stereo or mono track and it was much simpler.
Thanks
Chris
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johnnyV
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Re: Stereo Mixing Problems
2014/11/08 22:30:53
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You will get quicker more precise answers if you add a few more details to your questions or better yet put you system specs in your signature like most of us do for this reason. We have no clue what your using so can only guess your problem.
Anyhow your audio interface ( hopefully you have one) will have input options under ASIO mode to select either a mono or a stereo as a tracks input source. Select your input as a mono not stereo.
Your issue with the pan is related to using stereo tracks. Mono tracks are what you need to be recording unless the source is a stereo device like a synth or a guitar stereo effects processor.
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Ponpoko
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Re: Stereo Mixing Problems
2014/11/09 03:03:45
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Thanks Johnny,
I am new but I will get the swing of things. I will write a proper signature later. Here are my specs:
Windows 7 Pro 64bit - i7 intel 2.67GHZ quad. I am running Sonar X3 Producer (from Steam) with a RME Babyface as my audio interface. I am a pro-tools user that recently decided to try Sonar. I am knew to the Babyface as well and I think that may be where my base problem lies. I think I just adjusted the Babyface (TotalMix) to send mono. I will try some recording and see what happens.
If I already have some tracks that I like that I have recorded as Stereo (right channel only with audio) and I converted that to mono is there a way I can salvage the audio to a new track that will treat it like proper mono that I can mix?
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Kev999
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Re: Stereo Mixing Problems
2014/11/09 05:50:07
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Normally if you select just the right or left channel as the input on an audio track, it will record a mono signal.
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cowboydan
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Re: Stereo Mixing Problems
2014/11/09 06:27:12
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In track view you have to highlight the track and then go to the track menu. Go to the bounce to tracks. then you get a popup menu. On the right you see entire mix. Change this to tracks. On the left you can select the tracks you want to convert to split mono. Then on the right just under the track choice you already made, you can choose stereo, mono or split mono. Choose split mono and then click ok to bounce the track.
Hope this helps.
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bitflipper
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Re: Stereo Mixing Problems
2014/11/09 08:45:38
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☄ Helpfulby mettelus 2014/11/11 00:33:31
SONAR has the annoying habit of assuming you want a stereo track by default. The key is to set the track interleave to mono before recording, and then select a mono input from your interface. It's worth the time to set up a track template that way, as that will make it easier for future recordings.
The problem with stereo tracks is that the concept of "panning" has no meaning for them. A stereo track is essentially two mono tracks hard-panned left and right. Even though there is still a pan control, it's really just a balance knob like you have on your stereo. It makes one side louder than the other but does not shift the stereo image.
If you want to keep a track in stereo but be able to "pan" it, use the Channel Tools plugin instead of the pan slider. This works like the dual-pan controls you're used to in ProTools.
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Ponpoko
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Re: Stereo Mixing Problems
2014/11/09 13:12:48
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Thanks guys. That helps a lot. One question... Is there a way to salvage the audio from a track I recorded in stereo and make it into a proper mono track?
I haven't looked into templates. I will read about them and try to configure a starting setup I like. I am also not used to the multiple layout configurations that Sonar likes to use. I found ProTools to be a lot simpler in that regard. I am really liking a lot of things about Sonar and once I use it more and get past this early learning curve I imagine I will be using it for quite some time.
Thanks again!
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Kev999
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Re: Stereo Mixing Problems
2014/11/09 13:32:38
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Ponpoko
...One question... Is there a way to salvage the audio from a track I recorded in stereo and make it into a proper mono track?
There are several different methods. The simplest is to right-click on the audio clip and select the option "Convert to mono".
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Anderton
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Re: Stereo Mixing Problems
2014/11/09 14:24:16
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☄ Helpfulby mettelus 2014/11/11 00:35:19
Kev999
Ponpoko
...One question... Is there a way to salvage the audio from a track I recorded in stereo and make it into a proper mono track?
There are several different methods. The simplest is to right-click on the audio clip and select the option "Convert to mono".
However...SONAR adds the two tracks together, so the result might go over zero. You can select the track first and go Process > Apply Effect > Gain to reduce the levels. Another option if the two channels have the same information is go Process > Apply Effect > Gain, reduce one channel to -INF, then "Convert to Mono."
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Anderton
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Re: Stereo Mixing Problems
2014/11/09 14:25:32
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bitflipper
SONAR has the annoying habit of assuming you want a stereo track by default. The key is to set the track interleave to mono before recording, and then select a mono input from your interface.
FWIW if you select a mono input from your interface first, SONAR is smart enough to create a mono track and automatically set the interleave to mono.
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John
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Re: Stereo Mixing Problems
2014/11/09 14:30:18
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bitflipper
SONAR has the annoying habit of assuming you want a stereo track by default. The key is to set the track interleave to mono before recording, and then select a mono input from your interface. It's worth the time to set up a track template that way, as that will make it easier for future recordings.
The problem with stereo tracks is that the concept of "panning" has no meaning for them. A stereo track is essentially two mono tracks hard-panned left and right. Even though there is still a pan control, it's really just a balance knob like you have on your stereo. It makes one side louder than the other but does not shift the stereo image.
If you want to keep a track in stereo but be able to "pan" it, use the Channel Tools plugin instead of the pan slider. This works like the dual-pan controls you're used to in ProTools.
This true if you select a stereo input on your audio interface in the input drop down menu. Select a mono input and Sonar will make it a mono track.
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Kev999
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Re: Stereo Mixing Problems
2014/11/10 03:52:47
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☄ Helpfulby mettelus 2014/11/11 00:34:45
Kev999
Normally if you select just the right or left channel as the input on an audio track, it will record a mono signal.
Anderton
...if you select a mono input from your interface first, SONAR is smart enough to create a mono track and automatically set the interleave to mono.
John
...Select a mono input and Sonar will make it a mono track.
That's three times.
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stevec
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Re: Stereo Mixing Problems
2014/11/10 16:20:13
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Kev999
Kev999
Normally if you select just the right or left channel as the input on an audio track, it will record a mono signal.
Anderton
...if you select a mono input from your interface first, SONAR is smart enough to create a mono track and automatically set the interleave to mono.
John
...Select a mono input and Sonar will make it a mono track.
That's three times.
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mettelus
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Re: Stereo Mixing Problems
2014/11/11 01:02:45
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Just a quick comment, since the issue is mentioned above. If a sound is from a single source, it is truly mono, yet many will initially want "stereo." Recording mono comes into play during the mixing phase, since the concept of "stereo image" is created by giving things a "3D" feel. This is often explained similar to a stage... left-to-right is the speaker placement, vertical is frequency, and depth is loudness/reverb (bear in mind that reverb crates depth so is best used sparingly on something which should have focus).
Depending on genre, the stereo image then requires separation of the sounds so that they do not mask other sounds. Mono (for a true mono source) allows for panning to be effective, which was mentioned above. The "mechanics" of panning require a sound to be in mono.
Please forgive me if this is information you already know, but there are many "new users" who get tripped up on stereo image and get frustrated with mixing off the bat. Bottom line for panning is really to record mono sources as mono. Bitflipper has a nice post from months ago talking about mono/stereo and when to use them.
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Guitarpima
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Re: Stereo Mixing Problems
2014/11/11 12:46:43
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My advice would be to go to Groove 3 and get a membership for a month or two.
Check out
Panning explained
EQ explained
Compression explained
Then go through mixing explained. There are several of these but they are informative.
Most of these videos don't focus on Sonar but they are just DAW techniques and are universal. There are Sonar videos as well.
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Ponpoko
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Re: Stereo Mixing Problems
2014/12/27 05:22:49
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Okay... it's been a few months. Time for more questions. I have figured out how to record mono. Yay! Like I said before I am using a RME Babyface and I am using the right analog line in as my source. My mono recording is still coming out with a left side balance on playback.
My assumption would be that a mono recorded sound with the pan set in the middle would play evenly/balanced (i.e. the same volume) in the left and right speakers regardless of which input it was recorded from. Then if I turned the pan more to the right or left I would get less in the opposite side until the volume was 100% left or right where I would get nothing on the opposite side. This isn't happening. I get way more sound on the left side. If I turn the pan all the way left it pretty much sounds the same as centered. If I turn it all the way to the right I get just a whisper out of the right side and as I turn to the right I lose volume the left side. Losing volume the left side I expect but I don't expect the lack of volume on the right.
I am starting to think I have my Babyface set up wrong? I am having the same trouble as I was having with Stereo so I don't think that was the issue after all.
I hope this makes sense. Does anyone else use a RME Babyface or Fireface interface?
Thanks
Chris
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mettelus
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Re: Stereo Mixing Problems
2014/12/27 06:24:31
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Here is a post from last Christmas that is worth reading. Quick question when recording. At the top of the Track View, if you set the drop down to "All" you can then expand the left pane and see Inputs ("I"). Are you recording only the left channel (or right if recording from the right) to mono interleave?
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Anderton
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Re: Stereo Mixing Problems
2014/12/27 12:32:46
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Not quite sure how the RME TotalMix app works, but that may need some tweaks.
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Ponpoko
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Re: Stereo Mixing Problems
2014/12/27 17:02:17
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I solved my issue. I checked to see if I had it interleaving mono and that I wasn't accidentally only recording one channel. Everything looked okay. I had checked my headphones before and the problem was present on multiple sets of headphones. I finally hooked up my mixer today to try it through monitors and see if I could narrow down what was happening... the mix worked perfectly through my mixer. I was totally baffled so I tried the headphones again and this time I used a different 1/4 inch from 1/8 in converter. It was actually a broken converter! I kept switching the headphones and plugging them into the same converter.
Thanks for putting up with my stupid. I did learn a ton of areas of Sonar in the process and am much more familiar and comfortable making stuff :).
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Anderton
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Re: Stereo Mixing Problems
2014/12/27 17:52:10
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Ponpoko
Thanks for putting up with my stupid.
No one has ever made a stupid mistake around here. For example, I NEVER thought there was no output from SONAR, only to find out the master fader was down on a hardware controller. Nor did I spend 20 minutes troubleshooting all kinds of other things because I didn't realize the fader was down. Never happened 
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Bristol_Jonesey
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Re: Stereo Mixing Problems
2014/12/28 03:35:30
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We should start a thread listing all the stupid things we've ever done. i would start but it'll take a while 
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