Stereophonic recording?, L/R balance Options

[HTS]

What does stereo recording achieve? I noticed that the left and right channels of some stereo samples don't sound the same, and loaded them into audacity. The program confirms my suspicion that the sounds vary greatly in characteristics. For a vibrato filled note, most often only one of the channels displays the wavy pattern induced by the vibrato. Is this what stereo recording is supposed to do? So the sounds mixed into your music will have certain instruments placed to the L/R side of the listener?

[Rotareneg]

HTS doesn't mean "Why is music released in stereo?", he was asking why individual recordings of individual instruments would be recorded in stereo since they often get mixed together to place the instruments whereever in the stereo sound field the producer/editor/whoever wants during editing.

[Paulhoff]

HTS doesn't mean "Why is music released in stereo?", he was asking why individual recordings of individual instruments would be recorded in stereo since they often get mixed together to place the instruments whereever in the stereo sound field the producer/editor/whoever wants during editing.

How would one know the different if one didn't hear each recording of the individual instruments to begin with? All we hear is a mix. Also recording an instrument in stereo would capture more of the sound field of the instrument to begin with.


Paul

[dc2bluelight]

How would one know the different if one didn't hear each recording of the individual instruments to begin with? All we hear is a mix. Also recording an instrument in stereo would capture more of the sound field of the instrument to begin with.


Paul

+1 to that. Most, but not all, instruments produce a sound field that is not a single point source. Brass might be the obvious exception, especially at a distance, but even brass players move. Woodwinds are one type that often gets mistaken for a point source, but none really are in the near field. I've often mic'ed solo saxophones with a stereo pair, and been glad of it later. Guitars too are excellent in stereo, though most electrics are pretty much point sources at the amp.