mix in mono?

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paresh

Member
Sorry for such a basic question but is it a good practice to mix in mono? I'm just rediscovering this after too many years. thanks.
 
It depends on what you are mixing for. This used to be a thing when most people listened to music on an AM radio, but now almost every listening situation is stereo, so the mono mix is largely irrelevant.
 
I like mixing with mono compatibility in mind. If the mix gets played on a phone speaker, a Bluetooth speaker or other mono system, a polarity or phase mismatch between left and right could become quite audible.
 
thanks for the responses. I should have said mixing in mono to begin with for balance, but eventually making the mix stereo.
 
I really don’t like mono as an end product but I enjoy it more in stereo. I do a few mixes for projects in mono when they’re designed for certain things, like exhibitions, effects, or where the listener will be on pads or laptops, but everything in those tends to be purpose mixed for that purpose.
 
For a live show stereo is meaningless. The people on the left hear only the left PA, and those on the right hear only the right PA.
 
RFR said:
That’s a good idea for balancing levels.
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I've always found this to be confusing logic, and I've never understood it. If one gets the levels all hunky-dory in mono, aren't all those relationships are going to change as soon as one pans out ?
RRuskin said:
I worked with 1 engineer who would mix with everything in the center before re-panning for stereo.
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Back in the days when records used to come in mono and stereo, there were often distinctive differences between the stereo and mono mixes.
Something I like doing on my mixes recently, is, if the song supports it, having a section in mono then breaking out into stereo for some contrast.
 
grimtraveller said:
I've always found this to be confusing logic, and I've never understood it. If one gets the levels all hunky-dory in mono, aren't all those relationships are going to change as soon as one pans out ?

Back in the days when records used to come in mono and stereo, there were often distinctive differences between the stereo and mono mixes.
Something I like doing on my mixes recently, is, if the song supports it, having a section in mono then breaking out into stereo for some contrast.
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The vocal is generally half a db too loud in mono, but just right in stereo. And rhythm guitars can fall way back in mono. But a bump with EQ below 600hz (200-300hz works a lot) can make it present and punchy in mono without having it fall back too far because you can get the perceived balances closer to each other. (instruments sit better inside of each other)

Some elements can totally dissapear in mono with intention. (100% out of phase non-important ear candy elements).

Stereo wideners are tools used for mono compatibility in my experience, not widening. If a non important element is masking an instrument, flick to mono, load up a stereo widening plugin and increase the width until the masking goes away, and check in stereo.

Mixing for stereo is not as simple as people make it out to be. People think panning is a simple fundamental basic. The hell it is.
 
paresh said:
Sorry for such a basic question but is it a good practice to mix in mono? I'm just rediscovering this after too many years. thanks.
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Yes some people swear by it. But I only do it for like 30-40% of my mix. I'll flick backwards and forwards a bit near the end for checks. Mono compatibility is very important to me.

If you're gonna mix in mono, try it properly with a (sum to mono) plugin on your master. Or if your DAW or Interface has a mono button, engage that. Then turn off 1 speaker and mix at not too loud a volume to not excite the low end of your room.

See if it is for you, I rarely go through the effort of doing that. but I have a mono speaker that I can sum my mix through at the press of a button anyway
 
I mix in stereo but I do listen to my mixes in mono to check for phase cancellation, comb filtering or any other issues. I mix in stereo because I generally will have stereo effects happening while I'm tracking and I need to hear them. It's just what works for me.
 
markmann said:
I mix in stereo but I do listen to my mixes in mono to check for phase cancellation, comb filtering or any other issues
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I mix in stereo but I do listen to my mixes in mono out of sheer curiosity. The last time I listened to any mono machine must have been......1979.
 
Listen to early Beatles in mono and then tou the same remixes in stereo. Big difference. For me I love them both but stereo is the one for me.
 
paresh said:
Sorry for such a basic question but is it a good practice to mix in mono? I'm just rediscovering this after too many years. thanks.
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No - but it might help if you learned it - but we are currently living in a Atmos world - mono mixes offer very little.
 
That's what I was taught. Not going to pretend I stick to it religiously, but the advice was
record everything
do a faders-only mix
do a pan knobs-only mix
then do the mixing.

I suppose it was training to identify fundamental flaws and re-record parts where needed, rather than getting deep into a mix before realising the guitar just doesn't work, or whatever.
As massive says, if everything has its place in mono, it will have its place in stereo.
 
I MIX AS I TRACK.

that said,
everything is in mono, except the drums, which i usually am using superior drummer 3.0, and most of it is mono, even tho the output is stereo.

so, as i'm mixing, i'm not applying any effects or eq, just getting levels so they sound already mixed as i track.

so once i'm done tracking, everything is panned center.
then i start the stereo mixing.

i think eq'ing before panning makes a lot of sense, as others have said.
pile it all up in the middle, and then the masking really occurs.
clean that up, and you've done half the battle!
then, panning out for clarity, balance, ear candy, that all works much better.
 
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