Lee Flier Posted June 13, 2005 Share Posted June 13, 2005 Hi folks, A bandmate of mine just got a Nord Electro (yay!) and he's about to come over and track some keys on some songs. I've heard these things in live settings many times and they're awesome, but have not had the pleasure of recording one yet. The main thing I'd like your opinions on is mono vs. stereo. I usually prefer to record keys in mono so they will sit in the mix better and can be panned to different places, unless it's a string patch or something that really cries out to be stereo. But for vintage keys sounds I'm not sure that's necessary. So... does this puppy sound good in mono? Any comments about which is better (stereo or mono) for which sounds? Thanks! We're really psyched! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric Posted June 13, 2005 Share Posted June 13, 2005 The Nord Electro is better in stereo, but can pass OK in mono. If you are using it for organ sounds, go stereo to get the Leslie simulation swirling from Left to Right. It is very convincing. The acoustic piano sounds in the Electro are not good in mono (except the original Steinway sample, which was done in mono). The clav and Rhodes sounds can be either mono or stereo, but if you are using any of the Electro's built in FX like chorus, phasing or flanging, you are better off going stereo to leverage the stereo spread gained from these FX. I am addicted to the Nord in stereo. Hope this helps. Regards, Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimmyJimJim Posted June 13, 2005 Share Posted June 13, 2005 I agree that the leslie sim definitely needs to be heard in stereo and sounds FANTASTIC! I reckon the EP's also have a lot more 'life' in stereo, and of course like Eric said it's necessary for many of the effects (particularly stereo trem), but if you have some good offboard effects you can always do this afterwards for more freedom in tweakage and sitting the part in the mix nicely. This would only cause problems if your keys player needs to hear the effects in real time, eg. a big slow phaser, or just prefers to eg. the aforementioned stereo trem. Where are the Snowdens of yesteryear? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S_Gould Posted June 13, 2005 Share Posted June 13, 2005 Hey Lee - I almost always record mine in mono - but I amp it in stereo. (Does that make sense?) I run stereo outputs to a stereo amp, then mike the "sweet spot", usually with a UM75. Scott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle ggurl Posted June 13, 2005 Share Posted June 13, 2005 Originally posted by eric: The clav and Rhodes sounds can be either mono or stereo, but if you are using any of the Electro's built in FX like chorus, phasing or flanging, you are better off going stereo to leverage the stereo spread gained from these FX. I am addicted to the Nord in stereo. What Eric said. I recorded mine in stereo just to be safe. Thing with the Nord is, it's got a nice fat sound ... and it sits well in the mix no matter what. Original Latin Jazz CD Baby "I am not certain how original my contribution to music is as I am obviously an amateur." Patti Smith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimmyJimJim Posted June 14, 2005 Share Posted June 14, 2005 Hey Scott, i don't know what the UM75 is (or jack all about mics really) but doesn't mic-ing a stereo amp do funny phasing things to your tone if, say, you plonk somewhere in between the speakers while you're using a sound with a big stereo spread? Where are the Snowdens of yesteryear? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S_Gould Posted June 14, 2005 Share Posted June 14, 2005 Jimmy - Actually, it doesn't, because I use a Fender SFX "single point" stereo amp. It's like a M/S microphone pair in reverse. There's a forward firing speaker (for the mid) and a sideways firing speaker on the same axis with some type of MS encoding circuit to convert the LR stereo. Totally mono compatible (if you don't put the mic in a weird place). Scott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anderton Posted June 14, 2005 Share Posted June 14, 2005 Hi Lee -- we've got to stop meeting like this... I suggest recording in stereo, you can always collapse it back to mono if you want. If it's playing at the same time as rhythm guitar, I'd record BOTH in stereo and pan the rhythm guitar from center to right, and the Electro from center to left. They'll both take up lots of space and sound fat, but not interfere with each other. Craig Anderton Educational site: http://www.craiganderton.org Music: http://www.youtube.com/thecraiganderton Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/craig_anderton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geosync Posted June 14, 2005 Share Posted June 14, 2005 Wow I've been away too long.. Nice to be back.. You can also use those pan knobs for stereo signals. By experimenting, you can sculpt the width and placement of stereo signals. Just season to taste Take Care, George Hamilton Yamaha US Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Flier Posted June 14, 2005 Author Share Posted June 14, 2005 Originally posted by Anderton: I suggest recording in stereo, you can always collapse it back to mono if you want. If it's playing at the same time as rhythm guitar, I'd record BOTH in stereo and pan the rhythm guitar from center to right, and the Electro from center to left. They'll both take up lots of space and sound fat, but not interfere with each other. Thanks Craig... and yes I've definitely done the stereo keyboard/stereo rhythm guitar trick before. It sounds great in the right context, but it still depends how prominent you want the keyboard to be, among other things. We decided to record the Nord in mono last night for the time being. He just bought the keyboard and the tracks in question were already done except for the keyboard parts... so it was mainly to add a little coloration and get our feet wet with the new toy. The Nord still sounds like GOD even in mono. I'm sure that when we record future tracks with keys in mind from the ground up, we will have some phat stereo tracks in there as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Analogaddict Posted June 14, 2005 Share Posted June 14, 2005 Wow, Lee Flier, Geosync and Anderton all on the same thread; just like back when I joined the forum! I'm with all of you; the Electro sits beautifully in a mix in both mono and stereo, I guess it depends on what you want. If you record one way and decide that you should've done it the other way, you can always record the midi too and re-record the audio. Good luck on doing that with a Rhodes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tedly Nightshade Posted June 15, 2005 Share Posted June 15, 2005 Originally posted by Lee Flier: The Nord still sounds like GOD even in mono. Well damn, that's some strong language young lady! And I know you know what great old-school keys sounds is about. What all voices did you try in mono? Do the effects fly in mono? Some of them? All of them? A WOP BOP A LU BOP, A LOP BAM BOOM! "There is nothing I regret so much as my good behavior. What demon possessed me that I behaved so well?" -Henry David Thoreau Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Flier Posted June 15, 2005 Author Share Posted June 15, 2005 Well we did a couple of tracks of Wurlitzer and a couple with the B3/Leslie sim. And yes he used tremolo, overdrive and phase as well as Leslie. He tried the clav but we didn't end up using it (just didn't fit the song). I forget what else we tried. The Nord owner is a big fan of screwing around with sounds and goofy effects. But yes everything we tried sounded killer in mono, effects and all. I thought the Wurlitzer patch sounded better than the real Wurlitzer we had in here a few months ago, and I was darn near fooled by the Hammond/Leslie sounds (even though we had a real Hammond and Leslie in here not long ago as you know... I recorded that in mono too). The Nord is the ONLY keyboard I've ever heard or recorded that really nails those vintage keys sounds, besides the real thing. It's a pretty incredible little thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.