Vocal Levels Are Fine In Mono But Too Quiet In Stereo. Help?

[withallduerespect]

Hey guys,

My band has been working on an EP for a month now and i'm currently mixing the vocals. My issue is when i have the vocal levels good and go to reference it in mono, it is overpowering everything. Then when i correct it for when in mono, its too quiet in stereo. I just keep getting it wrong, any suggestions/ reasons for why this happens? Thanks.

 

[Heabow]

I suggest to not care about how it sounds in mono because nobody listen to music in mono! Your EP will be listened in stereo, right? So mix it in stereo. Mono is good for checking phase for example but not for building a mix.

 

[Sloan]

Are you checking your mix in multiple sources?

First thing I would make sure your monitoring situation has a strong center image. Sometimes the sweet spot where your head/ears should be can be very small and it will throw you off.

I also find when it comes to vocals, mixing very low volume in mono (preferably one speaker) can help. Typically the vocal will be a little higher than the rest it seems.

 

[Kohugaly]

rule of thumb: if it sounds good in your car and on your headphones than it's good. In both cases I mean "good compared to a reference track" (a song that has similar vibe and sound).

It is normal that elements that are hard-panned or stereo will be about 6dB quieter in mono (because they loose the horizontal element of their sound). If the vocals sound too loud even compared to dead-center sounds (like bass, snare or lead guitars), then the case might be that the vocals AND guitars are too loud ( =bass/snare/leads are too quiet).

Either way, check against a reference track and everything should become obvious almost miraculously. You may even invite some "fresh ears" (a friend or a band member) to give you a second opinion.

 

[MoTang]

I suggest to not care about how it sounds in mono because nobody listen to music in mono! Your EP will be listened in stereo, right? So mix it in stereo. Mono is good for checking phase for example but not for building a mix.

Yup.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fql71pYNDNk

 

[Clockwork]

If you've ever heard a song get posted on youtube in mono by mistake you'll notice that the vocals do overpower everything else, I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[withallduerespect]

Wow thank so much guys, These are good tips. I'll probably post a link to the EP when its done.