Questions about Stereo Tracks on DP-32SD

[Bruce C]

I am really enjoying this recording device. If someone can answer this, I would appreciate it. I am confused about the stereo tracks and the manual does not explain this.

My questions are:

1. Are the stereo tracks only for signals that are already stereo?
2. OR can I record a mono signal on a stereo track and convert it to stereo that way?
3. Lastly, is there a way to pan the two individual stereo tracks in the one stereo channel to left and right?

Thanks!
Bruce

 

[thornev]

I believe the answers are no, yes and yes. Let's wait for confirmation.

 

[-mjk-]

@Bruce C, the stereo tracks are a ganged pair of mono tracks. You can record a stereo signal, such as a keyboard to those 2 tracks and mix them with a single fader. EQ and FX are applied to both channels. The stereo tracks do not convert anything. If you record a mono signal onto both tracks you get 2 identical mono tracks, the same as a single track panned Center.

You can import separate audio files into those tracks but they will be panned hard L/R. There is no pan control, but rather a balance control. If you had 2 guitar tracks that you want panned hard left and hard right, record them on 2 mono tracks (separate performances) then export and import them to the stereo track. That's the kind of thing the stereo tracks are for.

To pan instruments in the stereo space on a stereo track, you can either do a mixdown and import to a stereo track, or you could do a bounce to a stereo track. This is useful if, for example, you have some harmony parts that you would like to mix together in stereo. My personal favorite way of doing that is to do a mixdown of only those tracks I want to put on a stereo track, and then use the Mastering tools to process it if needed. Then I import the mastered mix to a stereo track.

 

[David Porter]

Also - on the -32SD (and others - but *I think* the original 24 does not have this option) there is an option in the assign screen to convert the stereo tracks to mono. It's just the flip of a switch and any stereo track becomes a mono track.

 

[-mjk-]

Also - on the -32SD (and others - but *I think* the original 24 does not have this option) there is an option in the assign screen to convert the stereo tracks to mono. It's just the flip of a switch and any stereo track becomes a mono track.

The term "convert" may imply something unintended. The machine does not convert audio. The stereo/mono function basically turns off the even number track of a stereo track. So, 9/10 becomes track 9, 11/12 becomes track 11 and so on. The 32 track machine becomes a 20 track mono machine.