R-4 (Pro) Recording Setup for Four Channels-Stereo x 2 or 4 channel x 1??

[gratefulphish]

R-4 or R-4 Pro users, are you recording four channel projects as stereo x 2 or 4 channel x 1 .wav files?  Does it make a difference in the ability to line up the two stereo tracks vs. the one four channel file, and does some (any, all) software have a harder/easier time dealing with one versus the other?

[china_rider]

R-4 or R-4 Pro users, are you recording four channel projects as stereo x 2 or 4 channel x 1 .wav files?  Does it make a difference in the ability to line up the two stereo tracks vs. the one four channel file, and does some (any, all) software have a harder/easier time dealing with one versus the other?

If I'm running my usual rig on a stand (2X480, 2XTLs) I'll run StereoX2.  If I'm running on stage or stage lip and may want more mixing choices when I get home I do monoX4.  I have the non pro model but all inputs are on the same time clock so mixing them is usually doing a straight merge there really are no issues lining the tracks up unless you edit them first and cut some parts out.

[mfoley]

4 X 1...as I use Vegas to edit/Master...simple to line up....

[bgalizio]

I do 2 mics + 2 SBD channels, so it makes most sense to me to run 2 x stereo. If I were doing spot mics or something like that, I might think about 4 x mono.

[gratefulphish]

Wow, a whole range of answers.  I am just getting into four channels, and then mixing them.  When I was on the phone with Edirol, the tech suggested that 4 x 1 might offer less ability to modify each individual track.  I am not sure that this makes sense.  In 4 mono, you have four separate .wav files, and in 4 x 1, you have one file, but each track opens in the software, and should be() separately adjustable. Is this correct?

[ghellquist]

I would say it all depends on the software you use in post. Some software, example Samplitude, allows you to treat each channel of a stereo file separately without difficulty. Other software generally allows it but it may be a tad more involved. All multitrack software allows you to handle the four mono files in any way you want, panning, setting levels and so on. The files are in exact synch as they are recorded at the same time (regardless of if you go 2x2 or 4x1). Unless you software destroys the synch they will stay that way. I guess the R4 is as happy with either setup.

Gunnar

[Brian Skalinder]

Wow, a whole range of answers.  I am just getting into four channels, and then mixing them.  When I was on the phone with Edirol, the tech suggested that 4 x 1 might offer less ability to modify each individual track.  I am not sure that this makes sense.  In 4 mono, you have four separate .wav files, and in 4 x 1, you have one file, but each track opens in the software, and should be() separately adjustable. Is this correct?

There are three modes on my R-4 (not Pro):

• Mono x 4 files
  
• 2-ch x 2 files
  
• 4-ch x 1 file
  

Nearly all software should handle Mono x 4 files.  As ghellquist suggests, some software handles 2-ch stereo x 2 well, providing easy manipulation of all four channels.  Other software does not do this easily, or at all.  Same goes for 4-ch x 1 file - some software handles it well, other apps probably don't do it well, and still others probably don't handle it at all.  I'm guessing the Edirol rep was talking about 4-ch x 1 file when he mentioned it might prove more difficult to edit each channel independently.

That said, I prefer 2-ch stereo x 2 files.  Samplitude allows me to work easily with all 4 channels independently.  And if I want to go with a single stereo pair, instead of a 4-mic mix, I can do so easily - don't have to load both mono files and then pan.  All I have to do is load the single stereo file I want to use.