LeCab and mono/stereo modes

[bryan_kilco]

I was playing around yesterday since I have gotten a few comments on here that my guitars sound centered, even though they are 100% hard panned and I even used stereo wideners on them.

I decided I better check my settings in LeCab because I remembered there being STEREO/MONO option. I was blending 2 impulses per guitar track, and I always thought that stereo mode would throw one impulse left/one right. So I always had it set to mono. Well, I clicked it over to stereo and yeah, the signal was still only on one side except it seemed pushed farther over.

I'm still unsure of what I need to do more in order to get these guitars to have more space. I already have slight eq differences between the 2, despite being almost 100% the same exact chain/amp settings. I hate having a lopsided or uneven mix. Part of this may also be due to my limited drum capabilities within SSD Essentials. I can't pan the crash cymbals but they are "pre-panned" on a single stereo track.

I'll get a clip up of my latest work soon and maybe I can get a few more pointers. I feel like I'm advancing, very slowly, but still very stuck.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/6443251/5-13-2013 Mix 1 short.mp3

 

[Kohugaly]

You are setting one pair of impulses to convolute left channel and another pair to convolute right channel? I don't see any stereo mode in LeCab. Only related things are the channel selection (led you select from which channel the input signal to be processed (L/R)). The linking option only loads two channels with the same impulse (so if thy are set like one takes from left and one from the right and should be used on stereo file, it let's you change the impulse on both at the same time).

One way to fix your problem might be to use mid/side EQ and attenuate frequencies around 1000Hz in mid channel. At that frequency our ear has most phase-sensitivity and therefore wideness perception. It'll also leave a bit more space for the vocal.

Maybe try putting on Phasebug and shift one channel in phase by 90 degrees.

 

[bryan_kilco]

Sorry, I should have been more specific.

Still using LeCab v1.0 and not 2.

I have never really messed with the whole mid-side thing.

I run an instance of amp sim/cab on each guitar track, then send these to guitar bus with saturation, more eq, etc.

I think this problem has gotten worse since I got actual monitors. I also think before (few years back) I was using different impulses L/R.

Now I really dig the balance of the same tone on each side but I do see what some of the guys here were saying when they pointed out the guitars seem too centered.

 

[Kohugaly]

experiment with different impulses and guitar amps then...

 

[FrankTheSmith]

I'm kinda running into the same problem too. Putting Waves Center in the guitar bus and completely cutting out the middle and panning the drums a little more than I normally would helps a little bit.

 

[UMF]

It mainly happens in my mixes when my guitar left and guitar right are too close together in sound. Try it with a test session.
Load Guitar_L and Guitar_R - put for example the same Ampsim/Cab Chain on both sides and pan them hard left and right. Let that go to a Bus (Bus_A)

Now duplicate that setup and tweak one of the sides a little diffrently and don't forget to Bus it correctly (Bus B). Do an A/B test on them. Bus B will sound wider.
Since I am a big Lecto Fan I almost always use the red channel for left and the orange for right, of course getting orange close to red, but they have a diffrent character.

 

[Sethis]

Now I really dig the balance of the same tone on each side but I do see what some of the guys here were saying when they pointed out the guitars seem too centered.

Different folks, different tastes. That's all.