Mono or stereo?

[Jay Vaughan]

> On 29.03.2022, at 07:38, Peter Korsten <peter at severity-one.com> wrote:
> 
> What do you guys use?
> 
> - Peter


I’ve had this problem in different variations over the years, and have come to the conclusion to stay mono unless I need it, in which case I re-patch to a stereo channel.

Stereo for things like strings and pianos and anything that moves over the scale a lot.  Drums, too obviously.

But  mono for bass and lead lines and arpeggiator lines (unless I decide these sound better stereo).

So its better to just have the versatility and option of switching, rather than leaving everything hard-wired.

For this reason I use front-facing 19” rack interfaces - which then double as a bit of a patch bay, easily routable.

Right now my portable setup is oriented around the Arturia AudioFuse Studio, which is just such a superlative interface in so  many ways - full compatible class drivers, builtin USB hub, and ample inputs.  I do find myself struggling a bit with stereo inputs on this interface, setting levels and so on - so when needed I move over to my Presonus StudioLive rig, which has 4 stereo channels, and can support more with linked inputs.

Either way though, if you want to have a ’set and forget’ setup, simply make some choices about what instruments ‘deserve’ to be stereo (FS1R, MicroFreak, Virus in my case…) and which ones you’ll mostly only use for mono purposes.

Of course, this requires having some forethought about your music-making process, which may not be as refined as you’d need given you’re warming it up/rebooting it these days.  Get started, and after a few productive sessions, you’ll have a better feel.


j.
—
Jay Vaughan
ibisum at gmail.com