Converting A Stereo Track Into A Mono Track

[Micki]

Is it possible to convert a stereo track into a mono track on the dp-24?

There are a few instances where I'd occassionally like to do this. However, my current reason for wanting to convert a stereo track into a mono track, is for the purpose of remastering a previously finished dp-24 session project that I'm happy with yet would like to create alternative versions of, and do so as a mono track. Furthermore, I'd like to distribute it as a mono recording because it'll translate better on certain kinds of playback systems that are currently most popular.

I'd like to import a completed song master wav file back into the dp-24 and into a regular multitrack track, and then remaster it using either my external mixer or my dp-24 and while in multitrack mode, and then export it into the audio depot, move it onto my computer, and then either further process it there or just use it for distribution.

If it's possible to import a master wav file back into the dp-24 and then convert into a mono track let me know please. Thanks everyone!

 

[-mjk-]

Micki,

When you export a stereo track, it becomes 2 mono tracks, L and R. You can import them onto individual mono tracks and pan them center and mix them as mono.

 

[Micki]

Quick question though which I think I kind of already know the answer to yet would like confirmation if you can: Can I bounce those two mono tracks together into a single mono track? I'd like to do that if possible without it causing any kind of problems regarding the quality.

 

[-mjk-]

Micki, you sure can! Use the Mixer screen and pan them dead center.

Have no fear, it's all in the digital domain and there is no degradation whatsoever.

 

[Mark Richards]

...Can I bounce those two mono tracks together into a single mono track?

The only caveat is to watch for undesired phase issues if the mono recording started out in stereo.

 

[-mjk-]

I agree with Mark, Micki. But if you are using a file exported from the DP, it should be good.

 

[lastmonk]

You can Bounce a stereo track to a mono track, just tested it works fine on my DP 24 sd.
I had some synth stereo waves that I imported into DP 24, sense they were stereo to start out with the import feature on the DP automatically pointed them to my stereo tracks.

But I wanted the stereo track to be mono, so I bounced track 13-14 to track 2 with no issue.

 

[Phil Tipping]

@lastmonk, are you sure the right side of the stereo track was bounced correctly? The diagram at 18:06 in tutorial video 9 (Bouncing vs Mixdown) shows that bouncing from a stereo track to a mono track loses the right-hand signal. If it worked, maybe Tascam have fixed this anomaly with later firmware?

 

[Mark Richards]

You can Bounce a stereo track to a mono track

Yes, you can; but no, you don't get both stereo channels. You only get the left channel. The latest FW version hasn't changed that.

If you Bounce a Stereo Track (e.g. 13/14) to a Mono Track (e.g. 11) Only Track 13 (the Left channel) will bounce. Simple test (as Phil's video demonstrates): on the stereo track, turn the pan control full right to play only the Right channel content. The signal to the mono track disappears.

If you hear right channel content on the mono track (e.g. Tr11) along with the left channel content, it's because you've started with a stereo image and you're hearing only that part of the right channel stereo recording that exists on the left channel.

 

[lastmonk]

In my case the original signal on track 13/14 was a stereo signal recorded from my Motif. It was duplicate sound on each track. I wanted to only take up a single track. So only getting the L track was perfectly fine in my case (that was the goal).

On the Yamaha Motif you can sequence 16 midi tracks and then write the tracks to a stereo wave on USB. I had a situation where I wanted a single mono track from the 16 midi tracks. But Motif doesn't write mono wav (at least I haven't found a quick way to do so). So I had a stereo file that I imported into 13-14 on my DP24. So since the stereo really represented a mono recording anyway, there was no loss on my part.

In some workflows, Musicians would have moved the 16 tracks of Midi to Cubase, or a DAW. In my case I move Midi tracks to the DP 24, so sometimes I need to convert a stereo file created on my Motif to a mono track, on my DP24 and the bounce works just fine me.


That's one of the nice things about the DP24/32 they can be used in so many different ways, for some many different reasons. For example, sometimes you're start off with a redundant stereo wav file and you want to process it and the DP stereo tracks import process makes it easy to deal with

 

[Phil Tipping]

@lastmonk thanks for clarifying this. I only chipped in as it's easy to inadvertently contribute to the myths & folklore for this machine
The original question from @Micki said:
"my current reason for wanting to convert a stereo track into a mono track, is for the purpose of remastering a previously finished dp-24 session project that I'm happy with yet would like to create alternative versions of, and do so as a mono track. Furthermore, I'd like to distribute it as a mono recording because it'll translate better on certain kinds of playback systems that are currently most popular."

In this case, it's crucial that both left & right sides of the stereo signal are mixed into a mono track, so your reply of:
"You can Bounce a stereo track to a mono track, just tested it works fine on my DP 24 sd."
would have been misleading and incorrect for Micki... unless of course Tascam had fixed this shortcoming, but have just checked and it seems not as yet

Thanks for the info. regarding your workflow and how you found solutions to problems. Every bit helps

 

[Mark Richards]

In my case the original signal on track 13/14 was duplicate sound on each track.

We audio engineers call that "mono on 2 channels", or just "mono" for simplicity's sake. In conventional use, "Stereo" or "Mono" is defined by how the audio is mixed using two channels.

[History Lesson - skip if not interested]
In the olden days of vinyl records, the mono audio signal was cut laterally into the record groove; when audio engineers mixed in stereo, vinyl was cut with a lateral groove (center signal/mono component) and left/right audio was cut with a vertical groove (differences signal/stereo components). After the introduction of stereo records, mono recordings were cut with the vertical groove out of phase. Thus, from the mid-60s onward, 2 grooves/channels.

I wanted to only take up a single track...So I imported into 13-14 on my DP24...and bounce(d).

The most efficient way to do that is by importing from Audio Depot into two mono tracks, and using the Virtual Track/Clear function or Track Edit/Clean Out function to clear the mono track you don't need. That saves the effort it takes to go into Bounce Mode and do the bounce in real time.

 

[-mjk-]

I think that Clone Track is even easier.

Edit: that won't work. Nevermind!