Mixing Mono! Dave Pensado Vs. Recording Revolution

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Lionzeye

New member
Ok, So, Dave Pensado has recommended on an ITL episode (I think "More ways to widen your tracks" , but not exactly sure which one) that MONO is DEAD...mix in stereo to keep up with the times!!!

Now, The Recording Revolution newsletter I just received says a valuable lesson is to mix in MONO...that dynamics like EQ and maybe compression can create better results when it comes to real world listening - claiming that most don't listen on Head Phones, and don't listen in the perfect "sweet spots" i.e. computer speakers, cars, home audio, or clubs, were the sweet spot is virtually not there. It is quoted in the article "Rather by the time the left and the right speakers sounds reach your ears, they are collapsed into one big mono mix." Recording Revolution

Dave Pensado is quoted on RR website as taking great much of there great advice. I love you both, not picking sides here!!

Is there an objective logic to this truth or is it totally a matter of a personal (subjective) thing?;)
 
Take it from someone who is not an expert, I'm mixing in stereo.

However, I see merits to checking in Mono. If you play your stuff on a PA, other non stereo equipment, then it is nice to know it holds up. But this is no different than checking various types of playback equipment.
 
DM60 said:
However, I see merits to checking in Mono. If you play your stuff on a PA, other non stereo equipment, then it is nice to know it holds up. But this is no different than checking various types of playback equipment.
Click to expand...

That is exactly the conclusion I have recently come to. I say definitely put checking in mono on the "to do" checklist on mixing
 
Lionzeye said:
Is there an objective logic to this truth or is it totally a matter of a personal (subjective) thing?;)
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The fact that stereo becomes mono in a variety of circumstances is not a matter of opinion; it happens.

The value of checking mixes in mono is more like something about which you can have a personal opinion. I agree that it's a useful thing to do. However, I rarely bother to do so.
 
gecko zzed said:
The fact that stereo becomes mono in a variety of circumstances is not a matter of opinion; it happens.

The value of checking mixes in mono is more like something about which you can have a personal opinion. I agree that it's a useful thing to do. However, I rarely bother to do so.
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Thanks, a mix can loose a lot of stereo information in the real world , right, but go and figure...

If you mix in stereo and so pay more attention to LR stereo dynamics, You will prevail when a listener has a chance to listen on headphones or in a controlled environment. But if there is not much of an audible difference in a less than perfect sound environment from mono and stereo, from what I am hearing so far, then mix in stereo and maybe double check in mono as a last check to see if any phase issues really stand out, and you WIN, when you are listened to on headphones. I am just speculating.

OK, a quik side question off the main topic but relevant - but I would love to hear more from y'all out there on MONO mixing...so the article in RR also says that "not very many people are listening to headphones"...Does anyone agree with this? I thought it would be more 50/50 nowadays, and even growing as we see music becoming so personalized!
 
I LOVE mono & do mix checks often with it. I also complete mixes in mono because it's a skill to be developed and exercised. I haven't acquire the skill of doing a killer mono mix but it interests me.
keeping up with the times would suggest we mix in 5.1 wouldn't it?
There's a lot of mono out there as Gekko suggested & for a variety of reasons which I, amongst others, have canvassed on other pages.
 
Mono works for me as I'm deaf in one ear, although I still manage to get a half decent stereo mix.
 
Phase cancellation, combing, yada yada yada...:D
Just remember the biggest problem in mono check is over emphasis of the bass. Always best (if you're using a stereo pair in mono) to shut off one of the speakers to avoid stimulating more room reflections. Or just run through a mono source (like an old radio).
 
In Reason, there is no mono/stereo button, so you have to create a master bus, send all your buses through that, and cut the stereo width off...
 
BroKen_H said:
In Reason, there is no mono/stereo button, so you have to create a master bus, send all your buses through that, and cut the stereo width off...
Click to expand...

I am sure you have or can get a plugin that will convert it to mono for the check.
 
As far as actual listening habits, it seems like a whole lot of people do a lot of their listening with just one earbud in, either so they can keep an ear on the things around them, or because they're "sharing" and the other earbud is in a friend's ear, so basically missing one entire side of the spectrum. If that side happens to include important elements...

More importantly, a lot have people have said (I have found it to be true at least for the things that I do) that if you start a mix in mono, and do most of your EQing and leveling before starting to pan things out, that it is just plain easier to get everything to sit together nicely. Then it's just a matter of spreading things out a bit and maybe carefully adding some special stereo goodies, but then checking back in mono to make sure you haven't ruined everything again. In my experience, it is always easier than starting stereo and then having to make adjustments for mono-compatibility afterwards. There are plenty of folks that argue this point, but it is at least somewhat true that it's harder to hear (for instance) frequencies that might be clashing between two instruments if they are panned far apart.
 
Oh lord... Just mix actual audio till it sounds good to you and quit listening to written text that makes you think you need a change. Wait, I said that in stereo.... lol!

The minimal point is that there is a possibility (if you are lucky enough to get your music played in a dive bar in a bad part of town) that your music may be played on a mono system. The main point is that you can find some errors in a mix when listening in mono. I check on occasion and find it redundant myself.

As long as you are not doing something like duplicating tacks and delaying them, there should really not be an issue to begin with. I personally could care less, as I am not mixing for the homeless.

Sorry, no offense to anyone who takes mono mixing with pride. Best to you. I just don't get it and do not see the benefit really.

I don't have my mixes on my grams Gramophone player for a reason. I'm not 136 years old. Getting there tho... :)
 
Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmonononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononono
It even looks good:
MONO
mono
monophonic
phonomonic.
I love stereo & effects & psych panning etc
BUT mono is cool and the mono phase of mixing CAN be very instructive IF a) you listen & b) you want it to be.
 
rayc said:
Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmonononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononono
It even looks good:
MONO
mono
monophonic
phonomonic.
I love stereo & effects & psych panning etc
BUT mono is cool and the mono phase of mixing CAN be very instructive IF a) you listen & b) you want it to be.
Click to expand...

AB+BA= ABBA. I'm now scared of stereo... lol
 
So, are we talking mixing in mono or checking in mono? They are two different things.

There are lots of mono playback situations. I don't mix in mono, but I do check for compatibility. There's no reason not to.
 
Lionzeye said:
Ok, So, Dave Pensado has recommended on an ITL episode (I think "More ways to widen your tracks" , but not exactly sure which one) that MONO is DEAD...mix in stereo to keep up with the times!!!

Now, The Recording Revolution newsletter I just received says a valuable lesson is to mix in MONO
Click to expand...

He says it is a valuable lesson to mix in mono, nothing more.
So, mono ain't the gospel for a great mix, but then again, if you can't do a good balance in mono, you probably won't be able to pull off an effective mix in stereo either.

But checking in mono is really important.
If your mix that is so super wide and rocking on headphones collapses to a weak warbly mess when perceived in mono or near mono (speakers next to each other, read: your garden variety boom box), then you have not done your homework.
So, it is good practice to check mixes for mono compatibility, even if the target format is stereo.
 
Jimmy69.
ABBA is something to be afraid of.
It's all a matter of preference and "what works for you" at this level isn't it.
I'll stick my finger in my ear and listen to Beach Boys songs for a while.
 
I mix in stereo but I flip the mix into mono to check on phase, and I regularly flip the mix into a small mono speaker to see how the balance is in the midrange. If I can hear everything on that small speaker, and the balance is good, the mix is getting really close.
 
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