most of the tracks I record are mono tracks

one sound source and one microphone
sometimes I'll use multiple mics for one sound source and still record to one track

and yes
sometimes I'll use multiple mics and record to a stereo pair.

If you are over dubbing vocals and guitar to an electronic or backing track then don't worry that you only have one input

I record mono only. Sometimes I'll double the track and pan them to create a stereo sound. But I was always told mono is the way to go.

RE: mono recording

Are you recording Midi parts or acoustic instruments?

If you are recording midi parts (of a piano that is probably stereo?) then you can record the audio while playing back your midi phrase/track twice--once for the Left channel and once for the Right channel. Then you pan the audio track of the first hard left and the second track hard right. Thus, you have effectively made a stereo recording, well, sort of.

Audio is a different story, but like the others have stated, if you are recording bass, guitars, vocals, etc., then you will be recording mono anyway, so it doesnt matter. After you have recorded the tracks, you can mix and apply FX, etc., and you can go from there.

What do you need to record in stereo?
If you need stereo drums, I love my BFD and it sounds amazing--also live drum loops are great. Both of these get past the problem of not having the best AD converters too.
You can also work with samples if you have the ability. BFD gives you the ability to have every drum, cym, tom, etc., on a seperate track.

'Hope this helps a bit?
-CmcC

I try to do EVERYTHING at the track level in mono...(remember stereo didn't come around til the late 50's/early 60s or so...

Tip: most DAWs (for some inexplicable inexcusable reason) default to "stereo" mode for recording...when doing mono tracks using a card defaulted to stereo, you'll end up with one side having your signal, the other side nothing but zeros...wreaking havoc at mix time.

So make sure to set your cards input to mono if indeed recording a single moint source...I've been engineering for many years now, and still forget once in a while...

I do mono track recording cuz it is single instrument or vocal track get good sound & save hard disc space.

Abdullah

It depends, some engineers really hate the sound of panned mono signals, so they will record stereo as often as possible. One good thing about keeping everything mono at first is that it is much easier to check phase.

Oh, it should also be mentioned, if you record and mix all in mono, and do a good job, the listener won't likely care, or even notice, that it is mono. Also, related to what I said in my previous post, it is also common practice to start out mixing in mono, then set panning.