combining 2 mono tracks to stereo track

[Gary Shore]

Just downloaded Cakewalk by BandLab yesterday along w/the reference guide PDF and been watching a bunch of YouTube tutorials,did a Google search,searched these forums,etc but still can't find the info I'm looking for so I figured I"d post here-

How would I take 2 tracks created by importing  mono wav.files and combine then into a single stereo track?

Also interested in info about how to set the individual pan position of each within the stereo track as well as any other related tips about the process...

[RBH]

You can use the bounce to tracks function. Select both tracks in the track view - open the  " tracks tab and select bounce to tracks. The dialogue has selection switches that will allow a bounce with a variety of different types.

[Gary Shore]

Thanks for replying w/this info-appreciate any further tips/advice about things...

Looked over the ref manual pages(863-6/Dialogue Box description section)but would like to be able to understand things in layman's terms so to speak...

[Promidi]

Assuming track 1 contains the desired left channel and track 2 contains the desired right channel

Pan track 1 to the left
Pan Track 2 to the Right

Select track 1 and 2 only

Perform Bounce to track (Under Tracks menu)

On the Bounce to track dialogue box select the following:

Destination - where you want to stereo track to be placed.
Source Category - either Hardware Outputs or entire mix or Buses (if you select bus, make sure you select the correct bus)
Channel Format - Stereo

As a test I tried this recipe and it worked here.

[Gary Shore]

Thx for posting this-along w/some other replies to the same question on the CbBL FB group,I've got a good sense of this now-

Does the DAW along for additional adjustment of the 2 tracks once they're bounced to stereo or is this something that has be done beforehand?

In other words,once I set the pan position of the source tracks that's "set in stone" or can I access the  individual tracks inside the stereo one?

[Promidi]

That depends what you mean by "additional adjustment".

Once the tracks have been bounced to a stereo track it's set in stone

What you could do is not bounce at all. 

You could route the two mono tracks to a bus.

Alternatively, you can route the two mono tracks to another track via patch points.  The destination track would then be an Aux track. 

If you want to do separate processing of the left and right channels independently of each other, you would have to do that to the mono tracks.  If you want to do further processing on the tracks as a pair, you can do that either to the bus or the aux track.
 

[Gary Shore]

Hey thx man for taking the time to go into this in more detail...

If/when you get a chance,I'd be interested in what kinds of approaches you yourself have actually used for this kind of thing ..

Although I plan on recording directly into the DAW on future projects,right now I'm dealing w/importing mono wav.files. .

Interested in finding out about different techniques that can be used such as duplicating a given track,EQ'ng it differently than the original etc,then setting it up w/the original track in the context of the mix...

[Promidi]

To be honest....  I don't really import two mono tracks.  I simply record stereo tracks using two inputs of the Focusrite 2i2

If you wanted to duplicate a track (to EQ it) and then mix it back to the original, you could send the original track to an AUX track.  EQ that AUX track,  Then send both it, and the original track to a bus.

[Gary Shore]

Thx man for continuing to go over this stuff-

Been doing a lot of studying things online/watching YouTube tutorials to develop a complete sense of everything involved re-doing exactly what you're suggesting above w/all the projects I'll be in importing as individual tracks along with getting started recording new ones using CbBL....

One thing I'm focused on right now in terms of tracking is -

What kind of approach is usually used for the all the tracks of a given  instrument in the context of the final multitrack mix?

In other words,once the 2 mono tracks have been used to either make a stereo one or grouped in a aux  FX channel/sent to a bus before being routed along w/all the other tracks of the same type(for ex,SN top/bottom as 2 mono tracks-various approaches to processing them before they end up in the main drum bus) ...

Would there be any sense in including the original mono tracks/the pre-bus aux/FX channel in the final mix along with the main bus or would doing this just contribute to an unbalanced stereo field?

Or,as I've seen on DAW screens/read about in articles describing various tracking approaches,would using the snare/kick original mono tracks along w/the main drum bus,or as part of a parallel processing set-up be the way to go?

What's been a little confusing is that I've been focusing on the tracking used in the tutorials I've been studying but not seeing this in the final mix DAW screen,only as it's shown when various ways of processing a track are used-the original track along w/the new one are both shown and the person showing what's been done to the original A/B's them using the M/S buttons...wondering if just the new one is used in the final mixdown or if a wet/dry technique is involved?

Thx again to Promidi and in advance to anyone else reading this who wants to reply w/a description of their own system of dealing w/this stuff...

Edited September 15, 2019 by Gary Shore
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