Help with synth or mixer out needing 2 channels each

[cturtsdrummer]

Hey!

Thank you for any help on this,
I've always found that I need to plug a mixer, synth or iPad into 2 channels to get it in stereo through the headphones

Guitar, mics etc only need one of course, but I wondered if I was doing something wrong?

I wanted to figure it out so that when I'm say playing in synth, I can adjust everything on one channel instead of having to do everything twice
While saving as many inputs for recording more parts

Thank you so much!

 

[Mark Richards]

I've always found that I need to plug a mixer, synth or iPad into 2 channels...

You'll always need to use two Inputs to get a stereo signal into the portastudio.

...to get it in stereo through the headphones...I wanted to figure it out so that...I can adjust everything on one channel instead of having to do everything twice

If your only concern is balancing the monitored signal level in your headphones, you can try

• Using a Fader Group to link the two monitored Track signals; or
• Assigning the Inputs to a Track stereo pair and monitor the stereo Track signal; or
• Assigning the Input signals also to the Stereo Bus and monitor using the Stereo Bus (look in the Production Tips sticky thread index for the post on "Using the Stereo Bus").

The above solutions won't affect the Input signal levels being recorded.

If you want dual control for the Input signal levels while recording, you can try linking the Dynamic Compressors on each of the Inputs and using the linked Compressor Gain control to adjust the Input signal levels during recording.

If none of the above meet your needs

• The Production Tips sticky thread has a post on "Using One Fader to Control Two Mono Tracks" during Mixdown. The concept also applies to a stereo signal that's been recorded previously on two separate Tracks. (note: Fader Group also can be used during mixdown.)

• Or connect using an external mixer and use the mixer's master output fader to control the signal level coming into the portastudio.

 

[BazzBass]

mics etc are mono sources thus only need one input. You can PAN the mono signal around the stereo spectrum, but it is still a mono signal. Stereo inputs use a balance knob instead of a PAN knob to adjust the balance between the 2 sources. Apologies if you know this, it just seemed you confused the two

 

[cturtsdrummer]

Thanks guys that is a tonne of great info!

I'm looking forward to trying those ideas out Mark, I'll be able to dig a bit more now into fader groups etc
I've only recorded guitar and vocal tracks up until now so I've not needed to look ha

Thanks again