?> Is this true? I always assumed that reverb on a mono track would just be in mono, i.e. no width. 
 
Set a mono track on mono interleave and put in a stereo reverb in the FX BIN and it will still come out in mono (for that track).
 
Set a mono track on stereo interleave and put in a stereo reverb in the FX BIN and it will come out in stereo (for that track).

 
Thanks bitflipper, you just answered a bunch of outstanding questions I had lying around.  Great post.
 
Merry Christmas.
 

Ok, thanks to this thread. I have a noob question. I'm using a third-party electric bass library (Shreddage Bass) in Kontakt, and I believe this bass only uses mono samples. In the screenshot below, you can see the bass module in Kontakt indicating stereo output meters, and this is because I'm using a stereo output in Kontakt's mixer. If fact, I only use stereo outputs in Kontakt whether the instruments are mono or stereo because Kontakt's output configuration in the mixer is somewhat confusing and not very convenient (for me). I hope there's nothing wrong with using a stereo output for a mono instrument like this if I'm not inserting any effect into the Kontakt's mixer. My question is, should I change the Interleave on Sonar's bass track to mono if I'm only inserting a mono effect into the track's effect bin? And, if it's not recommended to leave the interleave stereo, why is it not recommended? (I'm asking this because the other daw I use doesn't seem to have the interleave switch).
Also, why is Sonar still showing left and right meters after the Interleave is switched to mono?
 

 
Thanks
 

Most Kontakt samples are stereo, even for monophonic instruments such as bass guitars. However, you can usually get away with selecting just one side of the stereo output as your track input. In the dropdown list in the track header, choose the first item, which will be the left side of Kontakt's channel 1 output. When you do so, SONAR will see that it's a mono source and automatically set the track interleave to mono. This works for any synth or sampler that normally outputs stereo, such as kick and snare drums.
 
Whether or not the samples are "really" stereo (versus the same data on both channels) depends on how the developer created them. If they were captured with two microphones originally, it's possible you might lose something significant by taking only one side. There's an easy test to find out: record the stereo sample, insert an instance of Channel Tools and flip the phase of one side (click one of the two phase buttons in the upper-left). Play it back and see if the track goes silent. If it does, then it's a true mono sample and you'll lose nothing by only recording the left side.

Well this has pointed me to a possible bug....
http://forum.cakewalk.com/Possible-MonoStereo-bug-for-test-Direct-X-only-m2956642.aspx#2956642
 

sharke

bitflipper
That means any time you use a reverb as an insert effect on a mono track, you have just made your track stereo regardless of the original data.
 

Is this true? I always assumed that reverb on a mono track would just be in mono, i.e. no width. 

Here's a simple test. Take a mono track, mono interleave. Insert an instance of Channel Tools and note that only one of the two phase switches is enabled. That's because CT knows it's mono data and is smart enough to automatically configure itself as a mono effect..
 
Now insert the Sonitus Reverb before Channel Tools. Watch the second phase button on CT become enabled as soon as you insert the reverb. CT has detected a stereo input and reconfigured itself accordingly.
 
If you're still not convinced, play back the track while toggling one of the phase buttons. With the phase reversed on one side, the low frequencies drop out as expected - but it doesn't go silent! If it were a true mono signal at this point, flipping the polarity would make the track go silent.

bitflipper
Most Kontakt samples are stereo, even for monophonic instruments such as bass guitars. However, you can usually get away with selecting just one side of the stereo output as your track input. In the dropdown list in the track header, choose the first item, which will be the left side of Kontakt's channel 1 output. When you do so, SONAR will see that it's a mono source and automatically set the track interleave to mono. This works for any synth or sampler that normally outputs stereo, such as kick and snare drums.
 
Whether or not the samples are "really" stereo (versus the same data on both channels) depends on how the developer created them. If they were captured with two microphones originally, it's possible you might lose something significant by taking only one side. There's an easy test to find out: record the stereo sample, insert an instance of Channel Tools and flip the phase of one side (click one of the two phase buttons in the upper-left). Play it back and see if the track goes silent. If it does, then it's a true mono sample and you'll lose nothing by only recording the left side.

 
Thanks. So, in the screenshot below, I chose the left channel from the track header's pull-down, and changed the Interleave to mono. Is this what you're recommending? (Btw, the meter in the mixer cannot show just one bar if it's mono?)　
 

 
I guess what I wanted to know was, why do you need to choose the mono channel and switch the track's interleave to mono if it's also OK to just leave it as a stereo track? What kind of problem does it cause if you insert a mono effect (mono compressor, etc.) into a stereo track? I mean, I prefer not to run a test to find out if it's truly stereo or just two monos every time I choose an instrument in Kontakt.
 
Thanks

The meter shows two bars because the mono track is panned to the center.

scook
The meter shows two bars because the mono track is panned to the center.

 
Thanks Scook. I guess my question was misleading. I wanted to mean the "one bar" by this: 
 

 
This makes it easier to identify if it's a mono track or not, but I guess it's not that important.

> This makes it easier to identify if it's a mono track or not, but I guess it's not that important.
 
It's something I would like to see, could you do a feature request?

Thanks...