Recording mono

[Harry_HH]

Although one could imgine that choosing if recording in mono or stereo would be the most fundamental, basic DAW feature, this is not the case.

E.g. in Live 9 the internal recording in mono is not possible. If you have a mono (or stereo) audio track, and you want to record that track in an other audio track in mono, that's not possible.
You can render a track in mono, but even then Ableton calls it "converting in mono", although the original track was in mono. And of course you can record external source in mono.

How many of the DAWs are in this way handicapped, i.e. no internal mono recording?

[MarlaPodolski]

I'm very surprised there have been no replies to your thread yet.

This and PANNING are the two sorest spots of anything under the name of "DAW". But let me say first and importantly that most DAW makers have finally wised up and done something about it in most of their products (yet this has only come about for some of them in the last couple of years). Live is a bit of an exception, but Live is Live and it has its own character and (often) unique way of going about things.

How did any of these DAWs ever consider themselves to be "professional-use" equipment or software when, for so so long, they couldn't seem to understand that their tracks didn't allow for full control over use of mono single track, true stereo, dual mono, etc., etc.? Why did so many DAWs only have the most basic of panning? Did none of them ever USE or at least look at any real studio consoles? Did they not understand how separate channels and inputs on them are set up or how they work? I wonder sometimes if it slowed or kept many people from switching away from hardware when they encountered the confusing track and panning varieties of the available DAWs.

To me, this was so much more bizarre than how many DAWs have different types of tracks. At least we can understand this kind of limitation because of the need to plug MIDI-using and -creating software into a channel/track. Also, it's been hard enough to deal with the ongoing lack of standardization in terminology between DAWs and between them and hardware also, but words can at least be learned, where lack of proper configurations normally cannot by the user.

Thankfully, as I started with, a lot of this stupidity has gone away.To return to your original remarks, at least in Ableton you can 'end up' with a mono track if wanted, no matter what the processing has been doing with your signal previously! I accept Live's features and limitations because it brings out a certain creativity in me that usually doesn't happen so much in other workstations. But I always do have a more conventional DAW at hand should an issue arise (and it sometimes does).

I'd be very interested in hearing what Bitwig's mono-stereo accommodations are and its panning for that matter, as I've never had time to check.

[Harry_HH]

Thank you for commenting. What comes to the minimal interest of this topic, I've stopped a long time ago wondering the logic of so called 'expert forums', which the Kvr is, too, in the broad sense.
While topics such as
viewtopic.php?f=15&t=419000&p=6392043&h ... h#p6392043
collect 17 pages replies, many more knowledge-based, important threads get zero replies.
I love the Kvr, but this one feature which is less positive - but ce la vie, '(some)girls just want to have fun', I guess.
BTW, I put this thread to the GS, too, and got some replies.

[BertKoor]

To me this just shows that Ableton Live has a different target audience than all the other DAWs. Not the home recording musician, but it starts with a D and ends with a J. Could not care less about mono. And maybe rightfully so, one less thing to worry about getting right

[Harry_HH]

To me this just shows that Ableton Live has a different target audience than all the other DAWs. Not the home recording musician, but it starts with a D and ends with a J. Could not care less about mono. And maybe rightfully so, one less thing to worry about getting right

I've been on Logic and Pro Tools, too.
I know the special nature of the Live.
Funny that always when I mention to the Ableton people or for the Live enthusiasts, such as I did when the Live 9 was launched, that the Live serves best DJs' in the innovations, I get loads of protesting comments type "that not true, Live is a generic DAW ment for all".

This means, although the Live has 'live features', its not away from DJs' if the Ableton improves arrange section and takes care of some fundaments, such as the possibility of recording internally your mono track to mono, without Live forcing it to stereo.

I personally love many Live's feature, that why I use it. And as the end-user I try to make it better by giving feedback.