Channel

Channel: Single channel recording is known as monaural or mono recording. Stereo recording involves the recording of 2 channels (left and right). In interviewing situations, the two channels associated with stereo recording allow the separation and isolation of channels for the interviewer and the interviewee. Stereo recording is ideal from a sound quality situation involving two microphones and two entities. Single-point stereo microphones involve the left-right separation but do so from a single source, yielding much less sound isolation. Stereo recording doubles the data footprint of your recording. Some recorders are capable of using a stereo microphone setup but recording in mono. The recorder “mixes” the two channels together. The resulting file is half the file size of a stereo recording, but the channel isolation will be lessened. Some portable recorders will not allow you to record mono files. Digital video can also capture either stereo or multiple channels of audio. [ Audio Glossary ] [ Video Glossary ]