2 mics into a BR800 with USB to Sonar?

[Glenn Mitchell]

I tried to record with 2 different mics for the tonal variation.
A condenser(Apex 460) and a shure sm 58.
I'm using my BR800 as the controller.
I used input 3 & 4 because 4 has the Phantom power for my Apex
I set the input to 4 track record because the 1&2 stereo choice does not include #4
I set up 2 Audio tracks in Sonar, one left one right.
I do get it to track in Sonar but they sound suspiciously similar in tone.
Also when I pan the two left and right there is no separation making me think they are identical.
How does Sonar know to use those two channels and which is which?
Thanks

[Geir]

I don't have my 800 with me now, but as far as I can recall it's possible to pan the inputs when recording. Check the PANning in the TRACK menu. I might be wrong tho

[Glenn Mitchell]

Thanks Geir,
Yes it is possible and I didn't do that because I was using it as a controller thru to Sonar.
But would that make a difference to the subsequent panning in Sonar?
I assumed it would come in centered in sonar and I would pan after.
I just checked and it doesn't make any difference in the BR track panning either. ( I simultaneously recorded to the BR)

[64Guitars]

How did you export the tracks? As two separate (mono) WAV files, or as a single stereo WAV file? Did you export the raw tracks or a mastered stereo mix?

The sound in a mono file has no pan position since pan position only has meaning in stereo. It is the relative position of the sound between the left and right channels. Since a mono signal only has one channel, there is no pan position.

When you bring a mono track into a DAW and use it as part of a stereo mix, its position in that stereo mix is determined by the pan control for that track.

When you bring a stereo pair of tracks into a DAW, the odd-numbered track from the BR is in the left channel and the even-numbered track is in the right channel. You can pan each track wherever you want using the DAW's pan control for that track.

Think of panning as a Y-splitter. It takes a single mono signal as its input and splits it into two separate channels. A variable resistor determines how much of the input signal is sent to each output channel.



The pan controls on the BR (including the Input pan) only affect what you hear in your headphones or through your monitors when in normal record mode. They have no effect on the recording unless you're in mastering mode. That's because the pan controls are part of the BR's mixer section and the output of the mixer is only recorded in mastering mode. In normal record mode, you're only recording the Input signal, not the mixer output signal. The input signal is recorded first, then passed on to the mixer section. So changing the Input pan position affects what you hear but not what is recorded.

[Glenn Mitchell]

Maybe it's about terminology, but I'm not recording on the BR and exporting waves in this case.
I'm using it as a controller or optionally as an audio interface thru USB to Sonar.
In either mode I need to know how to get # one mic on to # one track in Sonar etc thru 4 inputs.
It seems obvious when recording to the BR800 itself as indicators under the faders light up, but not so clear using it as an interface or controller only.
Good to know the left is the odd number tho.
I'm also inquiring in the Sonar forum about the settings there. It only has "BR800 stereo, BR800 left and right" to choose from as inputs. But I'm not sure it even matters there.
I can get the meters to respond to one mic or the other depending on the track in Sonar and it comes back to one ear or the other during monitoring so it would suggest each mic is in fact on it's own track but the recordings on each track are so similar it makes me think it's blended.  I'm expecting the SM58 to be quite different from the APEX 460.

[64Guitars]

I can get the meters to respond to one mic or the other depending on the track in Sonar and it comes back to one ear or the other during monitoring so it would suggest each mic is in fact on it's own track but the recordings on each track are so similar it makes me think it's blended.  I'm expecting the SM58 to be quite different from the APEX 460.

I don't think they're blended unless you've got the pan control of each track set at centre in Sonar. Try this simple test. With the microphones separated a reasonable distance, start recording and speak close into the SM58, "Input 3, SM58, left channel". Then walk over close to the Apex and say "Input 4, Apex 460, right channel". Now play back the recording with the SM58 track's pan set full left and the Apex 460's track set full right and see if the sound is where it's supposed to be in the mix. Your voice should start in the left channel announcing the SM58, then move to the right channel announcing the Apex. If it does, then there's no blending.

[Glenn Mitchell]

Good idea, thanks 64.
I'm wondering if the BR800 has a better set of stereo mics than either of my mics.
I love what it does to my acoustic guitar!
I pasted velcro to the back and put it on a mic stand facing the guitar about 8" away and it's the best I've heard. The spread picks up a different part of the sound and the two sound very full without any fx.
Maybe I'll try it with vox.