Opinion Poll: Is Mono Dead, And Does Anybody Care?

[DougC]

Elsewhere someone posted about how easy it was to record in true stereo and get interesting recordings, but the problem they had was that when summed to mono, the recording sounded lousy. He wanted advice on how to adjust the mix so that it still souded full in mono (because he was told that one should always do this), but didn't sacrafice the unique stereo sound. Basically, it wasn't possible.
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So who cares? -In the US at least, there are no mono music players considered high-quality commonly available anymore; the only possible candidates might be professional-level "pressman"-type recorders, but most people don't own them. The cheapest car radio that Wal-Mart sells is stereo. The only monophonic players left are portable multiband radios and bedside alarm clocks, and nobody expects to get great sound out of them anyway. And of the few people I've done cheep/free home music recording for, none ever asked how their recordings sounded in mono, the thought didn't cross my mind and I doubt they'd have cared had I brought the subject up.
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The poll is this: should you sacrafice a great stereo sound just because it doesn't play well in mono?

[crosstudio]

i'm sure there are pro dudes doing stuff that has to be mono but i've never really concerned myself about it.

all of the radio stations (including college radio) in my area broadcast in stereo.

here's the million dollar question though??? when you get a vinyl pressing done is it in stereo or mono? are club DJ systems done in stereo or mono? if they are done in mono, then you've got to be concerned about how your stuff is going to sound in mono. otherwise, screw it.

[Alchemist3k]

There is a debate all about this in this month's Computer Music. www.computermusic.co.uk

[PowerCouple]

Well, the main reason why tracks can get "lousy" by playing them in mono is CANCELLATION. They might have used stereo non-mono compatible techniques while recording (Mid-Side or Separate Pair Miking) what results in frequency cancellation when adding both stereo channels into a single mono one.

I still use mono for a lot of tracking (bass, Bass Drum, etc...) But I get a stereo MIX. I try to make it mono compatible sometimes, but some music is not meant to be listened in mono anyway.

Peace...

PC

[crosstudio]

he's referring to a mono mix, not a mono track.

[chessrock]

I had mono when I was a kid.

It sucked. I say let it die.

[PowerCouple]

That is why I said that a great stereo mix can sound "lousy" because of cancellation...

Peace...

PC

[chessrock]

I also had chicken pox and that sucked too.

[TexRoadkill]

It just depends on the project. For film and video audio you have to be mono and surround sound aware. Even though many TVs are stereo not all cable broadcasts are.

If you are doing commercial jingles it would be important to have good compatability. But for general music it's not that big of a deal these days.

[PowerCouple]

But, in many places & countries, TV is still mono, or people don't have stereo TV sets yet, so if you have a song with a video with sound in full stereo, the video sound may sound awful on mono TV sets. I know this is like thinking too far, but that is the main reason people still use mono compatible techniques, or they do a separate mono compatible mix for videos.

Peace...

PC

[PowerCouple]

You replied while I was typing...ha!

You got it!

That's why Mono is not dead!

Long Live Mono & vinyl records!

[volltreffer]

High!

The thing is: being placed far enough away from your speakers, the will give you a mono listening thing. I always try to listen to my songs from another room, and sometimes you hear that it get frightening... And if you consider clubs with more than two speakers and you being aligned the wrong way, then you almost have mono... The last thing is when posting songs on the net, there are still puters out there in mono. Many radios in cars become mono if the signal is not too loud. In Germany, AM is usually transmitted in mono (only FM in stereo). There actually exist mono radios (and at least no station would be willing to send something that would cancel itself when being played in mono)...

So there are loads of reasons to stay mono-compatible, and I sometimes do the 'REAL' check, but as my records won't be played on air, I don't REALLY care

Ciao

Axel

[PowerCouple]

Forgot AM stations..!

They are still MONO everywhere, worldwide..!

Peace...

PC

[Richard Monroe]

That's it- mono is not dead, but we wish it was. Film, TV, and all of AM radio, dude. That's right, we're audiophiles here, we don't listen to AM radio, bit 100 million theoretically paying customers do. If your music is created for stereo and gets airtime on AM and truly sucks, you *will* care.-Richie

[Sangram]

Most macintosh systems have one mono speaker inside the cabinet. The most commonly used device to play audio.

AM stations.

FM statons that you dial to mono to supress noise.

The speaker built into my walkman.

My TV. It's pure mono, and MTV is still business.

[Track Rat]

Mono still has a very valid place in music. Personally, I don't HAVE to have stereo to enjoy a good song mixed well. All the tunes I grew up on were all mono and when I hear them today I NEVER feel they sound like anything is missing. Stereo is very cool but it's not everything. And 5.1? Again, I'm sure it's very cool but it's far from the end of the audio rainbow.

[Lopp]

I agree with volltreffer and a few others.

Regardless of whether mono will die, your mix should always be mono-compatible.

Numerous systems such as club systems, band PA's, store and restaurant sound systems, and even boomboxes result in a mono mix due to setup and placement logistics. Checking a mix in mono can reveal phasing problems that may reveal themselves on other systems due to speaker placemet or listener placement.

[Sennheiser]

I check my mixes in mono to see what they sound like but I really don't care. I just do it because the button is on the console.

I haven't heard much of a difference in anything so I guess I don't have any problems with phase or anything.