Does anyone give a shit? Seriously though, do you guys check the mono compatability of your mixes?
mono compatability
- Thread starter egan.
- Start date
Hopkins-WitchfinderGeneral
we are children of god
I'm thinking more in terms of tv and shit. At least 1 person in the forum mixes for bands that end up doing videos (wonder who that is, haha). Most people have stereo tv's now so I think it's less of a concern than it was a decade or so ago, but...Hopkins-WitchfinderGeneral said:Hehe, anyone with mono equipment deserves to get mono.
So anyway I normally check mono compatibilty b/c I got in the habbit. That said I don't really care that my rhythm guitars phase cancel like crazy in mono-- I figure no one will ever hear it in mono. So I'm curious what everyone else does.
....But maybe I'm nerding out a little too hard.
Hopkins-WitchfinderGeneral
we are children of god
I don't get paid, so I don't do that... but maybe it'd be a good idea.
One of my friends didn't realise one of her stereo speakers had blown... she was like, why does this sound so weird and empty?!
hehehe
One of my friends didn't realise one of her stereo speakers had blown... she was like, why does this sound so weird and empty?!
hehehe
Andy Sneap
Metal Guru
2dark
guitars must be loud
Impy
Impale/Exhale
I check but don't do much of anything to fix phase cancellations if there are any. Maybe a little fiddling here and there, depends what the mix is for
Last band I recorded, we decided to do the drums all in mono. just a a 421 for kick and snare, and a 4038 overhead.
Wavebreaker
Apollo Rises!!!!
How do you check mono compatibility in Cubase SX for instance? There's no phase meter in evidence, and I haven't worked with a mixer in a quite a while (unavailable to me )
)
Omega_Void
Your Eventual Destroyer
I seem to remember the old Cubase having a "mono" button on the master window. If SX has that you can just press it, and if your mix suddenly sounds shit it's not mono compatible.Wavebreaker said:How do you check mono compatibility in Cubase SX for instance? There's no phase meter in evidence, and I haven't worked with a mixer in a quite a while (unavailable to me
There's also a VST plug-in by PSP with a phase scope and correlation meter, and Izotope Ozone, a Direct-X mastering plug-in has these too.
Don't expect the guitars to sound exactly the same in mono, but if they seriously lose level or sound really weird it needs some attention.
Personally I reckon this is important not because some people may hear the mix in mono, but because a serious percentage of your audience will be listening on crappy little ghetto blasters. The speakers are so close together that from across the room the mix would be closer to mono than to stereo.
Frank'nfurter
Thrash till death
There is a mono button in cubase SX. Open the mixer and look at the masterchannel down left. Push that "stereo" sign and it will turn to mono.
Franky
Franky
I usually listen to a mix in mono just to hear how it sounds...I think I read somewhere that if it sounds good in a mono setting, then it'll sound amazing in a stereo setting...and that has proven to be good advice...
-v
-v
HeadCrusher
Member
When panning guitars hard left/right they kinda disappear in mono.
Anybody doing anything about it?
Oh and yeah, that's an old thread but at least I used the search function!
Anybody doing anything about it?
Oh and yeah, that's an old thread but at least I used the search function!
When panning guitars hard left/right they kinda disappear in mono.
Anybody doing anything about it?
Oh and yeah, that's an old thread but at least I used the search function!
Shouldn't panned guitars actually be louder in mono? Don't you lose a few db when panning from center? I can't remember the exact number....on an analog board isn't something like -3db when panned compared to center?
If you are in a DAW check your pan laws. I know they can be changed in Pro Tools.
Ah well....I'm no help.
Skaldir
formerly known as Unicorn
ffaudio
Member
I check and mix in mono for a little while. Sometimes for an hour, sometimes for 10 minutes. Just depends. If you mix in mono and everything sounds great, then when you switch to stereo it's usually icing.
After you get some distance away from some speakers doesn't the stereo field eventually collapse? I'm pretty sure you guys hear a lot of stuff in mono and don't realize it.
Info:
http://womb.mixerman.net/showthread.php?t=383&highlight=mono
After you get some distance away from some speakers doesn't the stereo field eventually collapse? I'm pretty sure you guys hear a lot of stuff in mono and don't realize it.
Info:
http://womb.mixerman.net/showthread.php?t=383&highlight=mono
TheStoryteller
Member
I learned that the hard way when we had a Storyteller video out that could be seen on swedish television regularly... I was literally in shock when I saw (heard) it on TV the first time, and it was in mono. Those wide and fat Fredman guitars were forced into the center, and it really sounded bad. The percieved level of the rhythm guitars dropped with at least 2-3dB, probably more.
ffaudio
Member
That's why when you mix and check in mono you want to make the guitars different from each other so they'll stand out. Different EQ, different tone, etc. If you can hear both guitars in mono, then when in stereo they'll both stand on their own and probably sound great.
joeymusicguy
Member
i try to make sure my mix sounds the same in mono and stereo, the only thing that should be different is the image
seriously, put in a good dvd, and if you have the ability with a monitoring system, switch back in forth from mono and stereo.
you lose nothing when you go to mono, just gain the width of the image
i think its important, at least its important to me. i never want my work to show up on someone's system sounding bad.
btw, voxengo makes a plugin caled MSED
check it out, you can make your mastering more mono compatible by turning up the "mid gain" +3 db in your mastering chain
seriously, put in a good dvd, and if you have the ability with a monitoring system, switch back in forth from mono and stereo.
you lose nothing when you go to mono, just gain the width of the image
i think its important, at least its important to me. i never want my work to show up on someone's system sounding bad.
btw, voxengo makes a plugin caled MSED
check it out, you can make your mastering more mono compatible by turning up the "mid gain" +3 db in your mastering chain
