Kicks and Snares...Stereo or Mono????

When you guys are tracking your beats do you keep your kicks and snares mono or stereo???? I'm trying to figure out the advantages of both, holla backkkk

mono. it saves memory when u save it to the mpc plus when u track it out u only will use 1 track instead of 2

Depends on what you're doin man. I mean if you've only got like 8-12 tracks then use stereo cause, well, it just sounds better. But if you're like me and push your CPU to the max with audio tracks, MIDI, and some VST plugs and soft synths, then for sure use mono. Most won't be able to tell the difference, unless they're lookin to hate, and you'll save alot of processing power.
And if you're loading them into your MPC more memory saved. Like, I loaded a bunch of stereo drum hits into a MPC3000 I just got and couldn't load em all cause combined, they were too big for the memory.

mono. Drums cant come from two directions at once. Think of a real drum, an actual drumkit.

i use mono all the way wit drums

TicToc wrote:mono. Drums cant come from two directions at once. Think of a real drum, an actual drumkit.

Think of real ears....they hear real drums in stereo...

That being said....I tend to track drums in mono and place them across the stereo field - Kick center, snare and hats slightly off as if it were indeed, a real kit....I set mine up for leftys

fader-pro wrote:

TicToc wrote:mono. Drums cant come from two directions at once. Think of a real drum, an actual drumkit.

Think of real ears....they hear real drums in stereo...

good point

fader-pro wrote:

TicToc wrote:mono. Drums cant come from two directions at once. Think of a real drum, an actual drumkit.

Think of real ears....they hear real drums in stereo...

yes they hear MONO drum sounds panned out over a STEREO field.

The kick drum (there is only one in a real kit!) comes from the middle. Are there two middles?
The snare comes from the right for the audience, since it is on the drummers left. There is only one right, correct?

Its odd to hear the kick coming at you from two directions, and the snare coming at you from two directions. You hear mono drum sounds, spread out over a stereo field.

nevermind

So what's the difference with any solo instrument....from piano to violin? They are all actually "mono" instruments but track them in stereo and anyone can hear the difference....it's the fact that you "hear" in stereo. Even though it's a single instrument, reflections from walls, interaction with other instruments and even air pressure all affect your perception of different sounds...As I post this I'm beginning to think I may be missing something by tracking drums mono...I'll make an A/B comparison of something I'm working on and give an honest report later...

On a side note, I've got a drummer who's kit is set up in my studio now with a double kick, snare, and a picalo snare ...so that's two kicks and two snares...I have a pair of overheads on the kit as well as mics for each drum. The overhead stereo pair makes all the drums come alive, not just the cymbals....

Both sides of the debate are correct... check it out...

If you are planning to add effects and pan to individual drum sounds, then you are better off starting with mono sounds because you will be adding the "stereoness" back in anyway.

If you like the "stereoness" of the ambient room sound and/or stereo panning already present in the sounds, and you don't wanna add or change any pan then keep em stereo.

Personally, I usualy mono them so that I can have more control over the pan and stereo effects myself. But there is no right or wrong.

The name of the game is doing whatever works for you. If Elvis did what everybody else was doing....Like if you want to go all Pete Doherty, smoke a big rock, take a snare hit, mono styles, layer it up and pan that s*** to 10.2 and bring the noise, well then, by all means.

However, if you want to be played on radio and be known as a producer, then generally I'd say take some good samples, make em better, and use them mono cause thats the most efficient way to go.

I personally, like to take most of my single drum hits, right click on the channel panner in Nuendo, choose channel dual panner, and place the drums in the stereo field. I like to place my kicks, mono, up the middle, snares generally just a little c hair to the right, again in mono, but my cymbals, hits, nerps, blips, toms, and HH's, in the stereo field. Whichever way makes you feel the rush is the way to go. Like the Beatles recorded a whole bunch o tunes on a 4-track, know what ZZaaaaayin'?