Topic: Anybody Else Used a Single Mono Track To Simulate Stereo?

[kirk97132]

you will find that a LOT of smaller venues run their SBD's without anything being panned, so in essence you are getting two mono tracks anyway.  Almost all shows where I am working FOH are a mono mix, or maybe I pan some of the drums.  These are always at venue with 1000 or less people.  Mono x 2 is no different than a stereo feed with nothing panned on the board.

Yeah, but recording a mono PA with two mics does give the crowd a stereo image when they applaud.

I believe Kirk was referring to a direct SBD out rather than an mic'd AUD recording.  Even if the FOH PA is mono, the sound filling the room and reaching our AUD microphones will be highly multi-dimensional. A mono or 2-channel stereo recording may be all one desires (or may be the best one can do), but understand that there is no 2-channel stereo or multi-channel surround rig in existence which can fully capture that full complexity.  That doesn't mean a stereo PA mix would not be preferable in most cases for our recording purposes, only that far more than just the audience reaction will be 'stereo' in a good AUD recording of a mono PA.

\right I was referring ONLY to the SBD part.  There are many times I will just take a mono sbd feed if the FOH person is not panning anything.  But then I am almost always running mics at stage lip either corners, center or both.  I will mix them and yes those mics add the stereo imaging that I want.  But I would never bother trying to "fake" a straight mono sbd feed into stereo.  I'm sorry adding delay to one channel does not make it stereo, it makes on channel have delay compared to the other and I find thet two sources not aligned create a less than clear sound.  Like I said, unless you are in larger rooms you will find that most of the sbd's do not have anything panned in their mix.  So in essence they are sending out two mono signal one on the left side and one on the right side.  If you don't think so take your straight sbd stereo feed and flip the phase on one channel does you signal almost disappear?  If so its because both channels are the same.  Mono