The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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    I’ve just bought a DV Mark Jazz 12.
    I love this amp ! Wonderful clean sound. Very effective EQ. I also like the reverb who sounds like a reverb/delay/chorus when you push it. Weird but nice to my ears.
    My plan is to record guitar solo pieces without using a mic, because my street is noisy. So the line out of this amp is perfect for me.
    But with this method, I get a mono recording and I find it boring.
    Do you have tips to turn a mono guitar recording into stereo when you mix in the DAW?
    My DAW is Reaper (but whatever) and I have a lot of VST from Waves and iZotope.

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    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #2

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    You can do this easily with Audacity:
    Here is a good video tutorial to turn a mono recording to stereo:
    Last edited by Tal_175; 04-21-2021 at 03:16 PM.

  4. #3

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    Thank you Tal_175, but it’s not a stereo sound in this video.
    True stereo is when the left channel is different to the right channel. If you have two exactly same sounds on the left side and on the right side, you hear only one sound at the center. Exactly like if it was a mono recording.
    In this video, check his master meter in audacity when he plays it, it moves in one block. If the sound was in stereo there would be some little differences between the left and the right.

    What I want is to make a mono recording sound like if it has been recorded with two mics.

  5. #4

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    Quote Originally Posted by Caillou
    Thank you Tal_175, but it’s not a stereo sound in this video.
    True stereo is when the left channel is different to the right channel. If you have two exactly same sounds on the left side and on the right side, you hear only one sound at the center. Exactly like if it was a mono recording.
    In this video, check his master meter in audacity when he plays it, it moves in one block. If the sound was in stereo there would be some little differences between the left and the right.

    What I want is to make a mono recording sound like if it has been recorded with two mics.
    Yes, he shows that at 2:15. After you create two identical channels, "make stereo track" converts them into a stereo track. I'm assuming Audacity runs an algorithm on the tracks to achieve that when you click on "make stereo track".

  6. #5

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    Quote Originally Posted by Caillou
    I’ve just bought a DV Mark Jazz 12.
    I love this amp ! Wonderful clean sound. Very effective EQ. I also like the reverb who sounds like a reverb/delay/chorus when you push it. Weird but nice to my ears.
    My plan is to record guitar solo pieces without using a mic, because my street is noisy. So the line out of this amp is perfect for me.
    But with this method, I get a mono recording and I find it boring.
    Do you have tips to turn a mono guitar recording into stereo when you mix in the DAW?
    My DAW is Reaper (but whatever) and I have a lot of VST from Waves and iZotope.
    I use some combination of:

    • Stereo Reverb (creates the sense of an overall stereo field)
    • Stereo delay (creates a sense of spaciousness; I usually use a sort delay, like a 16th or 18th note length, very low mix and feedback, but slightly more of each on one channel)
    • Simulated stereo plugin (most DAWs have them)


    Most of the time reverb and delay is enough (and often reverb alone). Simulated stereo can sound weird, and I haven't fully got the hang of it TBH, but I've gotten some decent sounds with it. This is all assuming "stereo" means trying to add a sense of a single instrument playing in realistic simulation of sound field, as opposed to a distinct stereo special effect (such as chorus) or having the sound ping-pond around.

  7. #6

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    Quote Originally Posted by Caillou
    Thank you Tal_175, but it’s not a stereo sound in this video.
    True stereo is when the left channel is different to the right channel. If you have two exactly same sounds on the left side and on the right side, you hear only one sound at the center. Exactly like if it was a mono recording.
    In this video, check his master meter in audacity when he plays it, it moves in one block. If the sound was in stereo there would be some little differences between the left and the right.

    What I want is to make a mono recording sound like if it has been recorded with two mics.
    Actually you might be right. Maybe "make stereo track" in Audacity is a misleading name. I checked quickly, I can't confirm that it is intended to create stereophonic sound. But it seems like there are Audocity plugins for stereo (pseudo-stereo) conversion.

  8. #7

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    When the single mono signal is duplicated and assigned to the two channels of stereo, it is stereo in the sense of being able to pan it left or right to place it in the stereo field... it won't sound special, but you will be able to place its source position within and among the other instruments.

    To get the special sound, you need the two signals to be a little different.

    - once you have two duplicate signals recorded as two channels, you may apply different effects to each one within the recording application.

    If you can't do that...

    - you can use a box that splits one signal into two like the Radial BigShot EFX (but you will need something to make one signal different from the other.

    - you can use a stereo chorus pedal and use those two pedal outputs

    - you can use any of many multi-effects pedals that have stereo outputs for the stereo effects

    Keep in mind that the difference between the signals can be very subtle, especially with time based effects like chorus, flange, reverb, delay, and echo... it does not take much for the stereo effect to emerge.
    Attached Images Attached Images Mono to stereo-bsefx-jpg 

  9. #8

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    Online, I found a mono recording of solo jazz guitar, and it seems it is possible to make such a recording that is not boring.


  10. #9

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    I looked into this recently and someone recommended the Izotope Ozone Imager VST plugin. I managed to get it (can’t quite recall how, I had to set up an account with email or something, but probably I used an invented email address, I think you only need it to get a serial number ‘on-screen’). I installed it as an effect in Reaper.

    If used gently, it does produce a reasonable stereo effect, so it’s worth trying. But you can hear the effect moving from side to side sometimes depending on frequency etc. So it’s not perfect.

    To be honest, in the end I decided to drop it and just rely on a good stereo impulse reverb. This sounds good enough to me.

    I believe you can also have problems where ‘stereo-ised’ recordings sound degraded on mono devices (if I recall correctly) - you probably need to google this, it’s complicated.

    So maybe more trouble than they are worth.

  11. #10

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    I think this is the video I saw which mentioned the Ozone Imager plugin:


  12. #11

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    As mentioned above many effect pedals or boxes will be mono in stereo out. I use a Alesis NanoVerb IV, they are very clean, pro sounding, and middle of the road ir not aimed at the ‘bedroom shredder’ market which a lot of pedals seem to be.
    Opinion, yes, but Alesis products are reliable and easily found used.

  13. #12

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    Thank you John A.
    I thought about using a stereo reverb but as I already use the onboard reverb of the amp, maybe it would be too much reverb for one instrument. But I will try.

    Good advices pauln. Thank you !
    I have a multi-effects pedal : a Line 6 Pod Go. The sound is very good. You can build very precisely your own sound and use stereo effects. External sound card is not required, you just need to plug the USB cable direct into your computer… Perfect on the paper!
    But something is missing. I guess it’s the joy to hear the sound of the guitar coming from the speaker of a good amp. And when the joy is not completely here, the playing is not as good as it could be.

    Now I’m very happy with the tone of this amp, I’m just looking for a very simple way to record it. Guitar – Amp – Sound card – Computer. I don’t want more stuff in the chain! I just miss the stereo.

    You’re right 44lombard, Django is beyond the mono or stereo question. I also love Phil Spector’s mono productions, but I don’t want to do without the 21st century technology.

    I heard that Joe Pass used to plug his guitar direct in the mix table during his concerts. However his live albums are in stereo... I'm curious to know how the sound engineers managed to get this good stereo sound.

    Thank you grahambop. Very interesting video. It seems to be exactly what I need.

  14. #13

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    Quote Originally Posted by Caillou
    I’ve just bought a DV Mark Jazz 12.
    I love this amp ! Wonderful clean sound. Very effective EQ. I also like the reverb who sounds like a reverb/delay/chorus when you push it. Weird but nice to my ears.
    My plan is to record guitar solo pieces without using a mic, because my street is noisy. So the line out of this amp is perfect for me.
    But with this method, I get a mono recording and I find it boring.
    Do you have tips to turn a mono guitar recording into stereo when you mix in the DAW?
    My DAW is Reaper (but whatever) and I have a lot of VST from Waves and iZotope.

  15. #14

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    My experience with Reaper is: if you can imagine it Reaper can do it. The trick is figuring out how.

    With a mono track you can pan it to one side, then can send to a reverb bus, use the mono button on the send, and pan the reverb to the other side. I'd use the ReaVerb plugin with the Lexicon IRs, those are already stereo but not enough for me to hear it. You need to watch both of the Reverb videos below to understand it.

    Also with a mono track, add the ReaDelay, do multiple taps of delay with different delay times panned to opposite sides. Video below

    Or make duplicate tracks.

    After you record a track it is really easy to duplicate it, right click the track in the track panel and from the contextual menu select "Duplicate Track".

    Pan the two tracks hard right and hard left. Now you have to make them sound different enough to sound stereo (two identical tracks panned hard right and hard left sound mono center). Different EQs, Reverbs, Delays, Chorus all can separate the tracks. Or you can slightly nudge one track.






  16. #15

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    There is another simpler to use (but not as good in my opinion) reverb in reaper:


  17. #16

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    Frank and Paul covered it. at least as far as I've gone with Reaper (and further).

    The only thing I'd add, is to try to conceptualize the sound you're going for.

    In my mind's ear, the goal is spacious and thick.

    So, I play around with reverb and EQ.

    Then, I duplicate the track and slide it 10ms forward or back. You could try 20ms. These numbers can't quite be heard, but they are perceived.

    You can also do things like take some lows out of the side where there's other low frequency info.

  18. #17

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    So, here is what I do.
    I duplicate twice my mono recording.
    I keep one track in the center, put one track on the left and the last one on the right.
    With an EQ I remove the low frequencies of the side tracks and do a little bit different equalization on each side.
    I send all the tracks into a stereo reverb.
    Some EQ on the center. Some compression. A master limiter.
    And that's all !
    The result is satisfying.

    Just a question to the DV Mark Jazz 12 (or Little Jazz) owners : my amp is very quiet but there is a very annoying hiss on the recording with the line out. Have anyone noticed it ?
    Even with a denoiser, I can’t remove it completely.

  19. #18

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    I get some noise on the line out on my Little Jazz, but using the ReaFir effect in Reaper removes it completely. This video explains it:


  20. #19

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    Thanks for the link grahambop

    I’ve continued to work on the mix after posting my precedent message.
    I used a stereo denoiser on the master. I've removed it and instead I've put a mono denoiser on each track. It’s better, the hiss is now almost imperceptible.
    I've also added a different reverb just for the sides.
    And to finish, I've shifted the three tracks by a few milliseconds each.
    It sounds good, I’m happy.

  21. #20

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    Here's an easy way and it's free. It's the Lancaster Pulse IR loader. You can output in mono, dual cabs mono and stereo. it has the capability of loading two different IR's so it gives you the feel of having different cabs or mics or both. It's got a nice interface and easy to use.

    Pulse - Lancaster

  22. #21

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    I also use reaper. When recording a mono signal, i arm two tracks and pan them hard left and right (if using a stereo multi effects i do the same with the two tracks). Then i apply different eq on each channel, or if i use IRs i use a different IR on each channel. This alone will give you a stereo sound. If it is exact playing like say in rock or funk etc, the perfect way of course is to double track, play the same thing and record it twice, hard pan it, it will sound huge. But in jazz you can't usually do that.

    For a final touch, i use two channels as reverb sends, one for each of my original channels. Then i pan about 50% the reverb of the right channel to the left, and the reverb of the left channel to the right, so each channel has its reverb sounding to the opposite speaker. It makes for an even bigger sound.

    Some examples, archtop and acoustic recorded direct and mono, and mixed that way. Don't forget it's easy to go overboard and mess up your mix, so best to keep things simple. Put some physical distance between you and the speakers as well when listening! I'm still a beginner in all that, but it's fun to learn..