"Mono is dead"

Z

Zydrus

New member
I was watching an ITL with Pensado and he said that. However he didn't really go into detail on what he meant. Just basically implied it is a dying process. I mean everything I record is in mono? I have the stereo buss but that is the only stereo track in my projects. Can someone elaborate on this?
 
Didn't hear the context, so I have no opinion.

Every track I record is a mono source on a mono track, than all of that is mixed to stereo.
 
I'm sure he was talking about mixing, not recording. For example, why would you stereo mic a lead singer?
 
Farview said:
I'm sure he was talking about mixing, not recording. For example, why would you stereo mic a lead singer?
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Yes, exactly! Why would you stereo mic a lead singer?

I know an EDM producer in Europe who likes to record lead vocals with Mid/side setup. I really don't know why.
 
I think Fairview was right. Pretty sure he was talking about mixing, and if that's the case, mono has been dead for a long, long time. If he was not talking about mixing, well, he's wrong.
 
"Mono is dead!" makes a good soundbyte/headline, but it is a pointless thing to say. There are still lots of times when we listen in mono. If your stuff isn't mono compatible, besides it not sounding as 'strong' overall, it will suffer more when someone listens to something on their phone (without the headphones plugged in), local AM station, some internet streaming, small PA systems, etc...

So, no, no one listens to mono for pleasure, but not that many people actually just sit down in front of a stereo and listen to music anymore. Most playback systems are half-assed ways of convieniently giving you background noise for whatever you are doing at the moment. There are tons of situations where music is not played back in stereo, or you are so severely off axis of the sweet spot that you aren't hearing the intended sound-stage.
 
Farview said:
If your stuff isn't mono compatible, besides it not sounding as 'strong' overall, it will suffer more when someone listens to something on their phone (without the headphones plugged in), local AM station, some internet streaming, small PA systems, etc...
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Even some FM stations are mono. There's one in my area that's talk 95% of the time but they have a music show a couple of times a week that often includes local music. I've heard a song I mixed and mastered on that station twice and I'm glad it's mono compatible.
 
Farview said:
when someone listens to something on their phone
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I haven't really thought about how often people do that until just now.... They do that all the time. "Hey look at/listen to this" (plays youtube clip/mp3 on phone). huh.... Things are heard in mono a hell of a lot more than I ever really realized until just now. Interesting....
 
I am not sure any good mix would not be mono compatible unless some stereo widener or some phase freaky technique was used. I tend to stay away from them myself, but even in slight use my mixes sound just fine in mono. I only even think to check when a topic comes up here. It just doesn't seem to matter if you are not jacking up shit with turd polishers.
 
RAMI said:
You sure they were girls? I was on the bus the other day, and this beautiful Asian girl walked on. I kept saying myself "Don't get a hard-on. Don't get a hard-on."

But she did. :eek:
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Friggen yikes! Luckily I have not rode a bus often. Sounds like a bad place to ride man...
 
Lots of digital radio is in mono.
Many FM stations broadcaste in almost mono.
As mentioned PAs ususlly project mono.
Commercially speaking if the audience is deemed likely to be in a fixed position that is not within the sweet spot for a stereo (or quad or 5.1) audio image the audio is presented in mono.
Me? I love it.
My current track has a specific mono mix - mixed that way not just the mono button selected.
Mono is also preferable to a bad stereo image (like the quick stereo Beatles mixes).
 
rayc said:
Many FM stations broadcaste in almost mono.
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That's interesting... I, for one, never knew that - so radio will actually mono-iphy their broadcasts in case it's "too stereo" for who they think (or want/intend) is listening...
rayc said:
As mentioned PAs ususlly project mono.
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This I am familiar with, for the same reasons I assume broadcasters do it...I just never drew that connection (maybe because I haven't listened to radio in about 20 years) ...hell, even if the PA is stereo, it's basically only thus so that you can balance out (maybe counter is a better word) the actual L/R spread of the stage and effectively try to create 2 similar mono mixes so everybody that's listening can hear everything happening in the music, heh...
 
I prefer mono to "old stereo", in which the drums or entire backing tracks were shoved to one side while vocals and maybe a tambourine are on the other.
 
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