Hello Everyone,
Exporting a Mono tracks seems to me not as straightforward compared Stereo.
I’m not sure if I’m doing this like it’s suppose to.
Before exporting the mono track , as output I route the left or right.
Then I Export as monomixdown.
Is this the good way of doing it? or
Can I leave the mono track on stereo output and Cubase detects it internally that its mono?
It’s not clear. Please share your opinion on this.
Thanks
It doesn’t matter whether you choose Left, Right or Stereo as the output before exporting. When you select Monomixdown Cubase will create a mono track and the audio will be centered.
A mono recording used with a stereo track will always be centered when stereo output is selected with the ability to pan. If you choose to select left or right output, you will lose all panning capabilities and the audio will only be left or right. It’s the same if your track is mono.
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Hello Rene,
I will elaborate in detail.
Example.
Kick stem or a snare strem mono and centered. being exported. Knowing the output is stereo.
I can Stereo the channel track on Left and export as split channel and use on the left rendered.
Or
Keep it on Left (not stereo out) and do a monomixdown.
Or
Keep the output in stereo and render as monomixdown.
Is the end result the same?
If your audio source is mono (recording made with 1 microphone), whether it is used with a mono or stereo track, it will remain mono as the source. As for exporting, from a mono audio track whether you are using ‘Interleaved’, ‘Split Channel’ or ‘Mono Downmix’ and whether you have selected as Output Routing on this track the left, right channels or stereo, the result will always be a mono audio track.
From a stereo track containing a mono source, if you select ‘Interleaved’ and if you select as Ouput Routing Stereo Out you obtain a Stereo track where the mono signal appears identically on both channels; if you select left or right channel as Output Routing, you will get two mono tracks.
If you select ‘Split Channel’ and select Stereo Out as OutputRouting, you will get two mono tracks containing the same signal and identify as Left or Right. In summary everything will always be mono.
For your information :
Mono is a single-channel sound that offers no information about where a sound is in relation to the listener. Which means that a mono audio recording whether used with a mono audio track or a stereo track, there will be no difference.
Stereo is a two-channel audio format that provides different audio information on the left and right sides. It gives your brain subconscious clues about where a sound is around you. This requires the use of two microphones.
You should use stereo tracks anytime you record something with natural spatial qualities that you want to reproduce in your mix such as drum overheads, piano, synthesizers, room ambience, etc. Otherwise, a mono sound recording is suitable for the vast majority of cases. It’s up to you to judge.
Here is the reference : Mono vs. Stereo: How and When to Use Each Track Type | LANDR Blog
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