"Balancing" a mix

[EletrikGutar182]

When I recorded last time, I mic-ed the guitar amp in stereo (a Neumann 140 and a Sennheiser 421, For what it's worth). The Neumann had a higher level than the 421, so for the rhythm guitar I switched the inputs so if the neumann was right in lead, it was left in rhythm, so the mix would sound balanced and less like a guitar farther to the right than the left. (Sometimes a sought after effect, but I was looking for a wide stereo sound, not a panned guitar)

Now that I think about it in retrospect, I think I may have essentially "cancelled out" the whole stereo effect by having the mics recorded that way. Would I be correct?

Is this a good idea?

What should I have done, and what should I do for the future?

Thanks,
Alex

[Sheep in Punk Clothing]

whatever sounds the best in context of the song is the thing to do..
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[vvv]

It would have only cancelled to the extent that the two tracks overlapped; as they were mic'd from different locations with different mic.s, you actually had some cancellation and combining.

But as Beard said, "whatever sounds the best in context of the song is the thing to do.."

To which I would like to add one more ".".
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vlayman; THD; blog; TFP

[Ronan]

Left right ballance in a mix is over rated. Listen to great records of the last ....well...since the start of stereo mixing. There are tons of great records that are lopsided. Actuall the majority of hit records are. Also , stereo guitar can be over rated, especially if what were talking about was two mics on the same cab panned left and right. Unless it is a very particular effect like a big chorus or delay, I almost always keep my electric guitars mono
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Ronan Chris Murphy
http://www.venetowest.com
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[Sheep in Punk Clothing]

i will add in a rock mix stereo guitars is just kind of troublesome for what its worth..more mics = more phase problems..more hash and mush with an instrument that already hogs up too much bandspace..and if your using pres that arent tight forgetabout it..mixing nightmare..now if the song is just a guitar and a crash..the stereo micing etc. could be awesome..as far as panning im a fan of center, extreme left/right only , or sometimes 3and9 o'clock..its asthetic as well as functional..

at the same time i say this im thinking if you could get it to work in a rock mix it could be great..it will be harder but could be very fruitful..I say go for what your gut and your heart tell you to do and push and push untill you come out with something extraordinary..forget logic and rules..go apeshit..well that is if its your own time or you can convince your clients to let you experiment on thier time a bit..
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http://spectropolrecords.bandcamp.com/album/goldenbats-ii