Something that has been driving me bonkers (so i just ignored it till now ...)
Is there any way to use the STM auxs as stereo auxs ? ?
(I tried using 2 aux sends ... But the problem is that they "sample" (input) both L and R channels (if i remember correctly) and i couldnt find a way to have each of the two aux send sample the left channel and the other the right channel ... (I guess i can do this if i connect a stereo asio output to 2 mono STM channels and send each mono channel to a different aux - but that seems too inconvinient as a work-around ....
I use the busses for that. The bus output goes through an effect and I put a mixer after the STM that mixes the bus signals together with the main output. But I also use the mono aux sends to add reverb and (ping pong) delays to the signal. Those effects add stereo information to the sound so having a mono source signal is never a limitation for me.
Thanx. I though of using the busses - but that actually makes the whole STM mixer irrelevant ... (You cant set the amount of "send" to a bus, right ?)
also, wouldnt it be the same as just using busses as groups ?? (they are mixed i to your master anyway .....)
I use busses for "group inserts" ....
(P.S. i guess you could alsoworkaround using the direct outs with a channel device and routing that into the return slots in the STM - but again, thats like adding a whole set of send channel circuitry .... Can this be done with the stm natively ?)
Last edited by Yogimeister on Fri Aug 29, 2014 12:17 am, edited 1 time in total.
Also,i guess the method you raised of usin "mono aux" depends on wether the effect is true stereo (processes l and r channels individually ....). The reverb (havent played with the mono ones) is stereo - and i am not sure whether its true stereo or not ....
And that would be the question in case of using any stereo fx with this mono aux ....
golly, this always comes up with computer only users. engineers have been using mono sends for ages. it's only recently that it's been common to find stereo bus sends. this is kind of amazing when you consider that digital reverbs were mostly stereo even in the seventies. you can run an aux out into both left and right inputs of a stereo device and it will work great. you can even engage the "use left input only" switch on the device. either way, your mix will be very much in stereo, if you just return the fx to a stereo channel in the mixer, the same way you would in a hardware mixer.
still, there ARE times when you might really need a stereo send. the record busses can be used and so can the monitor bus.
i'm not saying that there's no reason to use a stereo bus, or that it's stupid, or that it wouldn't be a nice feature. i am saying that it usually isn't very important(of course it's very important when it is important). panning fx will still work great in a stereo reverb with a mono source. personally, i've found reverbs to sound much more real if the send is mono, but i've certainly heard. phenomenal things coming from a stereo bus.
just on a practical level, it's generally a good idea to limit the stereo tracks. mono instruments are much easier to place in the mix, and mono instruments aren't prone to phase issues. certainly stereo track have their place, i use them all the time, but i really think that stereo instruments each with their own ambiance is what really makes DAW mixes sound cheap.
My main concern is of course stereo input signals that vary quite strongly between l and r channels.
I will try using/comparing the reverbs in mono2stereo and true-stereo setups (are the scope reverbs true-stereo ?). (Because of the sends issue - i have onlt used reverbs as inserts - and in one configuration, i use the stm channel as a "send" channel - and send stuff from my cubase mixer to that channel (mimicking a reverb on the cubase send bus ...). - though currently, with the 15DSPs I have - and not exploring and utilizing the scope reverbs well enough - i tend to use other devices like mixing tools a bit of pre-mastering and lately experimenting with more and more synths ....
Interesting tip about the use of mono instruments .... I admit im very guilty of loving "to see (at least)" stereo channels - as i think they would deliver a "fuller" sound image and "experience" in a mix .... I rarely use mono synths/channels (even my kicks and bass are usually stereo - at least in terms of audio channels ....)
I will try to encorporte more mono channels and check the results (I AM suffering from "something doesnt sound quite right/pro-"enough" syndrom in terms of the whole mix ....
Yogi... you can turn on the Direct Outputs...this will give you a pre-mixer output I beleive.
Then add a dynamic mixer or similar basic stereo mixer fed by those Direct Outputs. Use that for your additional AUX channel. Then you have the option of feeding it back into the Return of a AUX channel on the STM.
You can find the analog equivalent if you search for AUXPANDERs.
You can save DSP and routing by only connecting mixer channels that need the stereo AUX to the auxpander.
