For v 5
Hi n-Trackers:
I’m working on an old project and creating an updated mix… All this to work my set-up into a comfortable “Feel” and to work out any “Bottle-Necks” before I get into a serious Tracking Project with this rebuilt P-4 DAW…
Anyway, I have the tracks on this re-mix managed into groups and I’m working on finalizing a mix that I’m getting comfortable with it’s feel…
But… in order to render the groups I am checking their stereo image and find that I’m reaching for something that I’d like to see on the “Groups” and “Master” Strips that don’t appear and is not available yet, or I don’t think I have seen IT on these strips…
I know that on the “Master” strip there is a “Stereo/Mono” Switch… Now, that is O.K. and usable to check the Stereo - Mono Image On-the-Fly… But… I can see a use for this feature that would have a productive use on the Groups and Master Strips… At least for me, IT would…
I’d like to be able to audition the … Let’s say the left channel… in a “Mono” Sonic Image representation… That is… Have the Left Channel appear on both the Left-and-Right speakers… where the “Repro” isn’t lost to the right speaker array… The Left image would appear on both Left-and-Right Speakers… Then… the reciprocal would appear on both speakers in a Mono sonic array…
This would be a “THREE-WAY” switch that could be placed on the Groups and Master Strips… That’s how I envision the placement of this switch…
The “Center” position would be the normal/stereo image. Moving the switch to the left would be the Left/Image… but, available to both L-and-R speakers… Moving the switch to right would be the Right/Image., but available to both L-and-R speakers…
All of this upgrade so-as the levels and sonic energy can be checked before committing the rendering of tracks and as a reference to a stereo/mono mix of of the project…
This idea is just my thoughts on this matter and is open to and subject to further discussion… What’s your response to this idea?
Bill…
I think that could be a very useful concept. There are some stereo tracks that might even benefit the song by being mono…do I smell automation…? :)Anyway, yes, that is a very cool idea. I’ve been trying to get my feature requests in the wiki, but have yet to figure it out. 
In the ‘Track’ menu, ‘split stereo track’…
You can always mix them back together later, if you want.
Or you can mixdown to a mono file, but that would cost you the spacial information inherent in stereo sound. You win some, you lose some! 
'til next time;
tony w
Tony, that “split stereo track” is way upstream of where Bill is talking about, and wouldn’t serve the purpose. Yes, he could do a mono mixdown of the group (or master), import that, and mix it in, but that’s a hassle. Maybe you can do this as a Freeze operation, making it simpler. In either case, though, you can’t adjust FX to see if the problem you’re listening for goes away.
BTW, Bill, it would be a 4-position switch: Stereo, Mono, Left, and Right.
This is indeed useful, though I’d only need it in the master channel. (If I need to check a group, I’d just solo the group and use the master switch.) Here’s why I’d use it.
As you know, it’s important to check a mix in mono mode, because some FX can cause phase cancellation problems when mixed to mono. Well, when using mid-side recording or effects, you can get the opposite problem: mono and stereo mixes sound fine, but with phase cancellation in either side (which would be heard by folks too close to one side or the other).
I have this control on my mixer, so I don’t need n-Track to do it. But I do use it, and for folks without a flexible mixer set up between n-Track and monitors, it would be a useful feature for this purpose. (I’m not sure what purpose Bill has, why we’d want to listen to just one side of a group in the mix.)
The image of the n-Track Master Strip already has a Mono/Stereo link that creates a Mono/Stereo audio image…
However, I can envision a “Command” Image/Link that looks like this…
“L” ( " S " / " M " ) “R”
“Clicking” on the Center Image will create a (default) Stereo image of the Two-Track Mix… “Clicking” on the Center Image again will produce a Mono Image of the Two-Track Mix…
In one instance the Two-Track mix will be tied together… Creating a MONO Image signified by lets say… An “S” for Stereo Image (default) and an “M” for a Mono Image of the Two Tracks…
Then… Clicking on the “R” will change the letter that appears over the “Center” position will change the Letter to an “R”… corresponding to the the audio image that appears in both left-and-right monitor speakers…
Then… Clicking on the “L” will change the letter that appears over the “Center” position/icon will change the letter to an “L” … corresponding to the the audio image that appears in both left-and-right monitor speakers…
The letter that appears in the center represents what image is being repro’d in the monitor speakers…
(default)
e.g. “L” “S” “M” “R”
I’m showing this as an example… There may be an easier way to accomplish this… 
The benefits of doing this is several fold…
When solo’ing a track there is an audible energy difference as-well-as a meter/deflection difference between L/R tracks of that track and a “Stereo-IN-Place” solo of that track’s Sonic Image… including the stereo-in-place of the effects assigned to that track…
I can see this being added to the “Group” strips as well… cause if effects are added to the groups then this should be able to be solo’d and In-Place, as well…
The visible real estate that this Icon requires (on the strips) is no more space than what is already there and in place now…
In fact… I can see the merit of having this feature appear on every strip on the mixer…
If in-fact this addition requires or consumes CPU resources then I can see the IT could be something that could be added to the new version by including or excluding this from a configuring command in the settings/preferences…
Many of the “Big Name” consoles has this on their strips… However, my Hill Audio console 24 - 8 16 - 2 desk doesn’t have this… It would be nice if IT did…
Bill…
Bill, I still don’t understand the purpose of listening to just left or just right channel, other than what I mentioned above, which doesn’t require monitoring in place. Just curious why you’d want to listen to just L or R or mono of a group or channel, in the mix. What’s your purpose when you do this?