Guitar > Y-cord > Two mixer channels... ??

[TF from MN]

I plug into a Y-cord.

Channel 1 goes direct to my mixer for clean sound. Panned full left.

Channel 2 goes into a fuzz box, then into the mixer. Panned full right.

I record a stereo track. What I want is a stereo recording with clean on the left, fuzz on the right. Why am I not getting this? They seem to mix together in an uncontrollable way.

There's something I'm missing. Do the grounds of the two input signals need to be isolated from one another, or... ??

Generally speaking, I want to record two separate and distinct signals from the same guitar performance. Will a Y-cord do it?

Thanks!

 

[mandoloony]

Can you describe your recording setup?

I'm used to recording stereo signals into two channels on my interface, so I'm not sure where the mixer comes into this. Unless the mixer is the interface? Or are you using a standalone hardware recorder of some kind?

 

[Bob Womack]

With your timbres being so disparate, I would record to two mono channels in the DAW, allowing free EQ, panning, and leveling on playback. If you are indeed sending independent signals to the DAW you should be good.

Bob

 

[Direwolf]

If you're using a DAW you should be able to set the track to stereo which will record both input 1 and input 2. What I do is set up 2 tracks with a send from the 1st track to the 2nd track where I'll put effects in the signal chain. This records the 1st track direct and the 2nd with effects. Then set up a folder (Reaper) that is the buss for both tracks. Doing things this way allows me to modify either channel independently from the other. I can change the volumes, eq, effects, etc on each and use the buss to control overall volume and any effects I want on both channels. But, as Mandoloony says above, we need to know what type of setup you use.

 

[Peegoo]

@TF from MN

Does your mixer have switchable impedance? If you're running a guitar or pedal signal directly into a mixer channel, the channel needs to be switched to high impedance ("Hi Z," usually how it's labeled on a channel strip).

Most mixers are set up for Lo Z signals like an XLR microphone input. Guitars and basses are high-impedance devices and the signal needs to be something the mixer's channel can use.

If you have an impedance mismatch, the sound will be really harsh/brittle.

 

[TF from MN]

A 4-channel Mackie mixer into a basic line-level Behringer USB interface into Audacity.

Mono channels 1 and 2 of the mixer have a button to push to send them to L and R outputs respectively. Impedance is switchable: there is a guitar-shaped symbol on a button for this. Thanks for asking.

 

[clayville]

The other thing you could do is just record a single clean mono track, and then duplicate it after you're happy with the performance adding fuzz to that dupe track in your DAW. Mix and pan to taste...

 

[middy]

The fuzz is probably not buffered and is creating some kind of network effect down both sides of the y cable. Unfortunately, adding a buffer before the fuzz will probably drastically change the tone of the fuzz.

 

[58Bassman]

I plug into a Y-cord.

Channel 1 goes direct to my mixer for clean sound. Panned full left.

Channel 2 goes into a fuzz box, then into the mixer. Panned full right.

I record a stereo track. What I want is a stereo recording with clean on the left, fuzz on the right. Why am I not getting this? They seem to mix together in an uncontrollable way.

There's something I'm missing. Do the grounds of the two input signals need to be isolated from one another, or... ??

Generally speaking, I want to record two separate and distinct signals from the same guitar performance. Will a Y-cord do it?

Thanks!

Assuming the mixer has pan pots, how did you set them? If you didn't pan clean to the left and dirty to the right, it's just going to be a mono mix.

 

[bottlenecker]

A Y chord is never the right way to split a signal from a passive guitar pickup. It needs some kind of buffer or preamp. Use an active splitter, or connect an effects send from the clean mixer channel to the fuzz, and connect the output of the fuzz to a different mixer channel.

 

[studio]

I would record both instances separately, not simultaneously.

What you can do though, which has already been mentioned
is record the clean track and then in Audacity duplicate the track
and it's events (the wave file).

Then, you can manipulate that second track as much as you need
with plugins for distortion, delay, reverb, flange, chorus, etc.
You can also pan them in their respective track. Thanks.

 

[tubedude]

The pickup needs a buffer or gain stage before splitting.
Or...you can split the pickups with a stereo out jack from the guitar, ala Rickenbacker. That's what I did. Then build a stereo preamp with rone controls and an efx loop for each channel.

 

[Sparky472]

The other thing you could do is just record a single clean mono track, and then duplicate it after you're happy with the performance adding fuzz to that dupe track in your DAW. Mix and pan to taste...

This is what I do. Easy.

 

[TF from MN]

Thanks, folks. A lotta useful information. I think duplicating the track will be the way to go.

 

['64 Tele]

Did you pan on the recorder/mixer?
Or, just the mixer before the recorder?

 

[woodman]

They seem to mix together in an uncontrollable way.

You might try switching the phase on one of them. Just a shot in the dark, may work but may not.

 

[Ben Harmless]

There's plenty to try here already, but I also suspect that there is at least some impedance voodoo. If this is a very impedance-sensitive fuzz like a Fuzzface, then splitting the guitar signal might be unbalancing things - especially if the impedance on the clean input is set to a low value.

There are a few boxes out there that can manage this and have fuzz-specific buffers to avoid the issues that buffers usually cause with fuzzes. That said, if the fuzz is something like a Big Muff, then splitting should be less of a problem, though buffering the signal with something like a Boss pedal first is still a good idea.

 

[Mjark]

Could you record two clean tracks then send one signal back through your effects and record that?

 

[58Bassman]

I plug into a Y-cord.

Channel 1 goes direct to my mixer for clean sound. Panned full left.

Channel 2 goes into a fuzz box, then into the mixer. Panned full right.

I record a stereo track. What I want is a stereo recording with clean on the left, fuzz on the right. Why am I not getting this? They seem to mix together in an uncontrollable way.

There's something I'm missing. Do the grounds of the two input signals need to be isolated from one another, or... ??

Generally speaking, I want to record two separate and distinct signals from the same guitar performance. Will a Y-cord do it?

Thanks!

Why Not Wye?

Wye-connectors (or "Y"-connectors) should never connect two outputs together, but Rane tells you how to use them correctly.

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