Is your mix mono compatible?

Some good info in the article. Reaper is great to use, as you can just click the Mono button to listen in mono mode. Also like the pan 'width' controls on all tracks. I'm not even sure how the width control works, just know it does! If I take a stereo overheads drum track and reduce the width, I can hear the edges move in so it doesn't sound like a drum set spread across the room, but instead like the drums soudn when they are in front of you in the room.
 
Yeah I always check my mix for Mono compatibility. All the great mixes sound great on mono. Even without the fancy stereo tricks.
 
i did a poll of every single person i knew, and asked all if any of them listened to music in mono.

guess what they said?

:listeningmusic:
 
My mixes wouldn't stand the mono test......in that I use "phasing" probably more than I should. For a brief time i worried about that........but hey......the mixes are for me and anyone else who cares to care. The chance that they'll be played in mono is about the same as the chance that I'll be famous for my writing. My 2 cents.
 
I never check my mix in Mono. I don't want to know. And if I did and it sounded horrible, I still wouldn't change it.
 
I don't have a choice as I only have one ear that works.

I start all my mixes down the middle, get to a good level and pan from there. Cross referencing with the Mono switch, that mjb mentioned, in Reaper. Works for me.
 
While I don't get too concerned about mono mixes, I may occasionally juts flip on the mono switch just to see how it sits, though I don't get crazy adjusting the mix because of what I hear in mono.
That said....I am getting more into the whole LF-in-mono thing, where you focus your real low-end content more in the middle of the image. There’s some great tools out there that let you do that with ease on you stereo mix, so you can still mix as you normally do, and then afterwards apply some correction and repositioning of the LF content.
 
Thanks for posting that article. It's a great reminder.

For those who do live recording and understand how to used mic bleed to an advantage, this is especially important.

For example, one live album I engineered was mixed by someone else. He complained to the musicians that there was phase problems. And there was, but it had nothing to do with how I recorded it. The mixing engineer reversed imaging of the drums to the drummers perspective on the album, rather than keeping the perspective of the audience. This caused phase issues. The album still won an award, which I am happy for, but I am not happy about the end product. And there wasn't anything I could do about it after the CD was released and I wasn't going to trash the mixing engineer to these musicians (he does fine work - not necessarily the way I do it, but he is respected).

I'm always striving for a better product and outperform myself and each project. It's what keeps clients coming back. Even if someone was just recording for fun and not for release, it's great to have this article for reference. And maybe some inspired recording engineer will learn something new.
 
citizen77 said:
for example, one live album i engineered was mixed by someone else. He complained to the musicians that there was phase problems. And there was, but it had nothing to do with how i recorded it. The mixing engineer reversed imaging of the drums to the drummers perspective on the album, rather than keeping the perspective of the audience. This caused phase issues. The album still won an award, which i am happy for, but i am not happy about the end product. And there wasn't anything i could do about it after the cd was released and i wasn't going to trash the mixing engineer to these musicians (he does fine work - not necessarily the way i do it, but he is respected).
Click to expand...

loidh.....
 
I don't like bragging or name dropping. It seems like on HR, you have to do that to get any credibility as an engineer.

The point of the experience I wrote about was that you have to be in direct contact throughout the album process so there won't come up with problems like phasing. This problem could have been resolved if the mixing engineer would have contacted me about what was happening with the mix. It was my fault that I assumed he would discuss this with the band members and how the stage was set up - I should have communicated that with my list. It also seemed obvious to me that you have to keep the same imaging perspective when it comes to a live recording when there is no isolation with mic bleed. But maybe that is just my over analytical mind going through all possible scenarios.
 
citizen77 said:
I don't like bragging or name dropping. It seems like on HR, you have to do that to get any credibility as an engineer.
Click to expand...

Not really, it's not that...it's just that the majority of guys on HR are doing their own home recordings....and, most people on HR tend to use a forum handle instead of a name, so you never know who they are, and the internet being what it is....then anyone can say what they wish behind a forum handle.
I've seen more "pro audio" sites where most of the members have their full names or some direct links posted, like the guys on here who do more commercial, outside and for profit work....it's right in their sigs.
IOW, if they talk about some project they did...it has little impact if there is no link or no name to actually associate with it. :)
 
miroslav said:
Not really, it's not that...it's just that the majority of guys on HR are doing their own home recordings....and, most people on HR tend to use a forum handle instead of a name, so you never know who they are, and the internet being what it is....then anyone can say what they wish behind a forum handle.
I've seen more "pro audio" sites where most of the members have their full names or some direct links posted, like the guys on here who do more commercial, outside and for profit work....it's right in their sigs.
IOW, if they talk about some project they did...it has little impact if there is no link or no name to actually associate with it. :)
Click to expand...

Thanks for the good advice! You now have pics of me and one of my genetically perfect offsprings (minus the red hair) as my avatar. As a father who makes 100% of my money from music to support his family, I've never thought that HR would be a place to solicit business - just as a way to discuss this amazing habit forming addiction called music.
 
I do check my mixes in mono. Not because I'm worried that anyone will listen to them that way (which happens more than you think), but because mixes that are mono compatible tend to be stronger or more solid in stereo than mixes that fall apart in mono.
 
Ipads and iphone speakers are mono so if you are sharing your music with anyone online chances are they will be listening in mono on a shitty little speaker with no mids or lows. Why do they do this? Because they are LAZY. No one is going to go and burn a cd or transfer it to their ipod so they can go and listen on their $10,000 home hifi system or souped up car audio system....well not too many people anyways. Make sure your bass guitars and kick drums are cutting on them iphones! Tip: harmonics and smart use of eq. I have a mono clock radio with an aux in jack and a tiny 2" speaker. I check stuff on that while I mix a lot and it helps with those scenarios - no surprises later. Although iphone speakers now have a horrible limiter on them that makes it sound like you ran your whole mix through an 1176 with all buttons in when you really crank up the volume! Somehow it doesn't happen if using earbuds with the phone though. Weird.

F#%K even the guys in my BAND (and any other band I've recorded) checks their mixes I send them on their ipads or phones. Even after I have explained time and again that they are missing like 80% of the picture...only coming to realize that what THEY are hearing, in today's world is more like 80% of the picture - if you nail that, the stereo version on full range speakers will blow them away. Although most will NEVER hear it like that since even most cars have pretty bad frequency extension and smeared stereo image especially since you are sitting to one side. Most "home stereos" now consist of tiny plastic chinese speakers that have no lows other than a "bass boost" button which only enhances 200 hz or so (mud). So make sure your mixes don't sound muddy on those with the bass boost switched in. Back in the day, the average home stereo system had a receiver and at least two speakers that were floor-standing style and close to full range. I wish it was still like that!
 
I like the mixcube for checking mono, haven't got one yet but planning on getting a single one very soon. I recently had a mix where the snare was too quiet but it was much harder to hear in stereo, and as soon as I hit the mono switch in cubase and put it through my crappy 'mytunes' speaker the problem became obvious, that's why it's useful, you can easily miss things due to the wide image.
 
I check ALL my mixes in mono. (Brainworx bx_SOLO + only one monitor) And Why? because if they sound good in mono, they mostly sound great in stereo!!
Lots of my panning happens in mono, and critical instruments like lead guitars get EQed in mono. When they sit in the mix in mono and i go back to stereo the sun comes out!!
Mostly its hard to find the right settings when working in mono, but 9 out of 10 times this will be the right settings!

cheerio
 
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