I've been hearing alot lately about producers going through the whole production process while in mono , how is this a good way , how do they revert back to stereo , I mean , if you just disable the mono utility or what ever is used to output in mono , it would sound horrible
Anybody here do that ?

disable the mono utility? i doubt they produce entirely in mono but eqing, leveling etc might be easier in mono. im considering a third monitor just on top of the pc screen for this use. not sure it has anything to say really though.

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Originally posted by ken_lee disable the mono utility? i doubt they produce entirely in mono but eqing, leveling etc might be easier in mono. im considering a third monitor just on top of the pc screen for this use. not sure it has anything to say really though.

well I use ableton and I use something that is called utility to switch to mono , so I was referring to that , but never mind the concept is clear .

back to subject , even eqing sounds different in stereo compared to mono , so whats the benefit , if it sound good in mono it will be better in stereo , seems odd to me

i think the point isnt really mono, but to have only one soundsource in the middle, IE one speaker right in front of you for better monitoring (less noise from ambience). which can only be mono of course. consider it extreme nearfield. but if your track has stereo content alot of stuff will/might be phased out so u must control how it sounds both stereo and mono, with stereo as the most important aspect. its important to know how it sounds in mono too cause that might happen to be the case on radio, in clubs etc. But i really dont know, Ive never done it, except that my old monitoring device and dj mixer had a mono button making it easy just to be sure it sounds decent.

well this I can relate to , as mono need to be treated too , many times a track will lack many aspects when in mono , happened to me alot

A lot of club systems are mono, so it's a good idea to check your track still sounds ok in mono. But that's easy enough: you either convert a final render to mono and check that sounds alright, or use a plugin to do it... most stereo enhancers can also reduce the stereo width right down to mono. The things you're looking out for are usually phasing/flanging effects which can occur from sounds being slightly delayed between the two channels, sounds getting lost when put into a mono mix, etc.

I don't see why anyone would produce in mono from the start, arranging things in the stereo field is one of my favourite parts of the process!

Good point that mixing down in mono might be easier - not something I've tried but I might give it a go now.

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I did a brief bit of research and it seems that most club systems are still mono. Very interesting that it hasn't been updated.. I guess it doesn't need to be and they chose mono for a reason.

That being said, it will still sound like shit on the radio (podcasts or whatever) if you go through the entire mixing process using mono only. I would say just reference check it in mono along the way, making adjustments as needed if what you hear in mono isn't as you intend. I believe I read in an interview that Deadmau5 does this, but even if he doesn't, it's a common practice.

These days, it's just as important for the track to sound great on headphones as it does on a club system.

There are some simple (and free) VSTs out there for converting your track to mono. It may be buggy, but give it a try : Mg Mono VST

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Originally posted by Eric J Stereo as a principle only works with respect to the listeners position in relation to the position of the speakers. If I'm on a dance floor standing on the left side of the club, I'm only going to hear the left side of the stereo image. Not everyone in the club will be standing (or dancing) in a good position to get the "stereo effect", so it makes more sense to collapse the signal to mono so that anywhere you are in the club, your listening experience can remain consistent.

I've read a lot about this but thats a really excellent point about why to at least check in mono.

yeah there seems to be good enough reason to atleast checkout the track in mono before handing it over , and this has to be done throughout the production process to avoid any headaches later

I've just started using anti-phase meters. Some tracks I monitor, they have really wide parts in them, and the spikes on the meter shoot right off, and from what I've read this is a no-no, but these tracks are played on radio and in clubs and are obviously fine. On the other hand some tracks don't peak at all and still sound like they have good width, and I have to say, these tracks do sound better production wise.

As a result I do try and watch what I do now and don't push the stereo spread like a used to.

phasing is actually what makes people's E just go mental. Don't think of it as a bad thing. Unless it is the bass well then you just killed the rave.

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Listened to Robert Babicz - Pink Trees in Wavelab with the stereo width to 0% - thats distorted sawish stab at the start doesnt sound great in mono, loses a lot of volume...
Found it kinda surprising as he is on the of the top producers/mastering guys around, maybe mono compatibility doesnt matter as much as it used to???

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