Esperado Posted August 2, 2013 Share Posted August 2, 2013 i just realize that behringer has a super cheap speaker for mono mixing. ive read alot of really good things about going over your mix in mono. But i just cant seem to make the jump just yet for a mono mixing speaker. would a good workaround be to just use a pair of crappy computer speakers? who has experience with mixing in mono? does it work well for you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sggod89 Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 Why would you want to mix in mono? Every single tv, headphones, every modern speaker system, etc. is capable or reproducing stereo. Stereo is far superior. not being confrontational, you've just peaked my interest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimpazilla Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 It maybe simply be better to check your mix in mono, every now and then, just to make sure you have no phase cancellation (see if you can still hear all your instrumentation when it is in mono). I've never heard of "mixing in mono," is this a thing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jnWake Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 This guy recommends it: . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garpocalypse Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 (edited) Why would you want to mix in mono? Every single tv, headphones, every modern speaker system, etc. is capable or reproducing stereo. Stereo is far superior. not being confrontational, you've just peaked my interest. These mono threads always stir up debates. Much like everyone else when they started, the first time i realized there were mono switches in my DAW i was very confused. Mono is dying and everything stereo is always better right? Then i found out that doing part of your mixing in mono can really help boost the quality of the entire mix. After you set your initial fader level, switch over to mono to do some EQ'ing. Work until you are able to hear everything just as clearly as you would want to in stereo then switch it back. It should sound amazing. As far as mono speakers go I have never used one. Ever. But I don't think it would be a necessary purchase because mixing in mono should only be a few minutes of your time. Plus I would imagine that you would have to put the speaker dead center where you work and that could be a huge pain. I'd rather be looking at my monitor than a speaker. Edited August 3, 2013 by Garpocalypse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dannthr Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 Checking your mixes in mono is a very responsible way of checking for phase cancellation in the event that your signal is summed on a consumer system. It can also ensure that your music doesn't sound weird if the listener changes their listening position. There are many ways one would check a mono mix: You can simply sum your channels together in your DAW and turn off one of your speakers or just listen to a mono signal from two sources. Some monitor management devices allow you to test mono sum at a touch of a button, but you don't have to spend money to hear your work in mono. You can also just leave the room and listen to your mix through the door of your studio, since people may also listen to your mix like this in the real world. Basically, this is about respecting your listener and ensuring that they're hearing the best possible mix no matter what they listen to your music on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Argle Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 I actually have one of those Behritones, but I don't use it much. I mostly just flip my main speakers to mono. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garrett Williamson Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 saw the title and immediately just went to the answer no why do something in mono when literally everything on this planet is now stereo only mix in mono if you plan on the final thing being in mono, just for effect Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avaris Posted August 4, 2013 Share Posted August 4, 2013 This guy recommends it: . He is talking about having individual tracks in mono. Which IMO can really work wonders in complex mixes. Having percussion bits be only in mono instead can really clean up a mix. Can help add punch too. With most listening mediums being in stereo now, making sure a mix 100% mono compatible isn't as necessary as it used to be. It can still help you identify problem areas though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timaeus222 Posted August 4, 2013 Share Posted August 4, 2013 He is talking about having individual tracks in mono. Which IMO can really work wonders in complex mixes. Having percussion bits be only in mono instead can really clean up a mix. Can help add punch too. That makes total sense, actually. It explains why zircon has all mono samples in Shreddage 1 and 2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Esperado Posted August 4, 2013 Author Share Posted August 4, 2013 whoa, i didnt even think to make channels mono. that would help with some of the noise gate issues i have on some sounds. are there any general no-nos with having instruments be mono? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jnWake Posted August 4, 2013 Share Posted August 4, 2013 He is talking about having individual tracks in mono. Which IMO can really work wonders in complex mixes. Having percussion bits be only in mono instead can really clean up a mix. Can help add punch too. With most listening mediums being in stereo now, making sure a mix 100% mono compatible isn't as necessary as it used to be. It can still help you identify problem areas though. Woops, linked the wrong video then! There's another one where he talks about mixing everything in mono. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darangen Posted August 4, 2013 Share Posted August 4, 2013 It's more about mixing your levels and eq in mono, then spreading everything out once it sounds good in mono. You rarely actually want a mono track. If you mix and eq in stereo, it's easy to miss conflicting frequencies because they're coming out of different speakers. It's also easy to find something is buried in the mix later on when you walk out of the room (like dannthr suggested) because you mixed your levels in stereo instead of mono. Things tend to disappear easily, and other tracks tend to pop out louder than expected. So mix your levels and do your eq while in mono before doing any panning. Once that sounds good, then pan things out a bit so that people listening in stereo also have a good mix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garpocalypse Posted August 4, 2013 Share Posted August 4, 2013 He is talking about having individual tracks in mono. Which IMO can really work wonders in complex mixes. Having percussion bits be only in mono instead can really clean up a mix. Can help add punch too. I've been hung up on this like you would not believe. Mostly because I find myself split mono'ing everything that was recorded in stereo. I have a few remixes that have close to 100 tracks to manage because of this. What i am about to try is letting my stereo vst's stay in stereo during the initial volume setting/EQ then somewhere towards the end group instruments together and split them into a few mono tracks then revolume again. Though if anyone has a quicker and simpler process for ending up with a bunch of well mixed mono tracks and could explain how i'd love you for it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dannthr Posted August 4, 2013 Share Posted August 4, 2013 Though if anyone has a quicker and simpler process for ending up with a bunch of well mixed mono tracks and could explain how i'd love you for it! Not every mic placement is Left/Right. Maybe you should stop placing your mics like that. For example, mic a snare top and bottom--two tracks on the snare, but they're not for left and right, they're for tone control and should be panned together as one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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