Why mixing in mono is the secret?

When we mix in stereo we can separate mix elements out in the stereo field to make them easier to hear. When we collapse the mix to mono, these different elements start to obscure each other again. The fact is, that if your mix isn't clear and punchy in mono – it just “isn't ready yet”.

Why would you mix in mono?

In fact, some producers mix levels in mono throughout most of the process. This is because mono gives you not only clarity while listening, but also the ability to catch mistakes in the mix. For example, mixing in mono can help you detect phasing issues between different waveforms.

Is it better to mix in mono?

If you're new to mixing music, mixing in mono is a thing you may not have heard of. And it's a very important thing. You should mix in mono before you add any EQ, compression, or other plugins. And you should do this with every mix if you want an industry-standard track.

When should you mix in mono?

A mono mix is when your music, recordings, or any other type of audio is played at equal volumes out of both speakers (no panning), meaning the listener won't experience two separate channels but one single channel (called the center channel or mono channel) in the center of the stereo field.

Should you mix vocals in mono?

Songs with vocals are mixed so that the priority focus is on the lead singer. Therefore, most producers and engineers opt for mixing the dry lead vocal signal in mono, while mixing the vocal effects, such as reverb and delays in stereo. You may have heard of the “Tree” Formula of mixing.

Why Mixing In Mono Is The Secret - RecordingRevolution.com

Should I master in mono?

Unless your source has a natural spread of stereo information, recording in mono is your best bet. You might think that too many mono channels would make your mix sound narrow. Stereo audio mimics how you hear sound in the real world with your two ears.

Why is mono better than stereo?

You're also limited to a smaller soundstage. But, if you want to record solo vocal tracks or a solo instrument, mono is the better choice. This is because you get more focused and balanced-sounding audio that sounds great on single-track recordings.

Should melodies be in mono?

It's totally fine if you're going to mix your entire song in mono. But before you bounce it, switch back to stereo to hear how it sounds. If you've mixed the song well, you may only need to make tweaks in stereo. You can do it the opposite way too.

Should you pan in mono?

A mono track can be panned anywhere in the mix – hard left, hard right, and anywhere in between. In fact, panning a mono track, can sometimes create a much more defined and focused picture of the sound you are panning – rather than trying to pan a stereo file (more on that below).

Is mono louder than stereo?

Is Stereo Louder Than Mono? Stereo isn't louder than mono. However, stereo may sound louder since it sends two different channels to the speakers, and creates a simulation of space and width. But, if you compare them both on even speakers with the same volume settings, they should both be at an equal dB level.

Should a vocal bus be mono or stereo?

Whether your vocals should be in stereo or mono depends on the amount of singers that you record, and on how you want them to sound. As written above, if you want them to sound large, wide, and soft, they should be stereo. But, if you want them to sound powerful, clear, and upfront, they should be mono.

Are club speakers mono?

It's a decision based on the size and layout. In some, only the bass is mono. In some, the dancefloor is stereo and other speakers off the main area are mono. As not all clubs are equal, there is no short answer.

Should I mix mono with bass?

A question I see and hear often from new electronic music producers is: should my sub and bass frequencies be in mono? The simple answer is yes. You should almost always have your bass and sub frequencies in mono.

Are the Beatles better in mono or stereo?

The mono box set entices you because purists will always say that mono “is how the Beatles always intended” them to be heard. Then there is the fact that the mono box set is “limited”. However, we found that the Stereo far outperformed the Mono versions.

Which is clearer mono or stereo?

Stereo sound is superior to mono sound in almost all cases. It creates a richer and more detailed listening experience because more audio is recorded versus mono, and it's presented in a more organic way. Unless some other superior form of sound recording is right around the corner, stereo is definitely here to stay.

Is mono audio good for gaming?

Forcing stereo/multichannel audio files to mono is a great way to save space in your build and optimize your game's performance. Since a stereo file has two channels instead of one, it needs twice the storage space and twice the computer resources for playback during runtime.

Should all drums be mono?

You should keep your individual drum hits in mono if possible, especially the kick drum, though you should also use stereo effects or panning decisions to create width and separation in your sound to add more variety to your mix.

What instruments should be mono?

in theory everything that is a mono sound source would be kept in a mono channel: Lead vocal, guitar, Bass, drum individual parts, some synth leads, trumpet, flute, percussion , wtv you can imagine that comes from one single point and its very easy to identify it.

How do you master for mono?

Should I pan vocals?

If your track has lead vocals pan them center as well. Experiment with panning duplicates of effected vocals to the left or right. But as a general rule lead vocals should always be panned center.

Should you DJ on mono?

Digital DJ Tips says:

The general rule of thumb here is to “play out in mono, play in in stereo”. In other words, any gig in public is usually best in mono, while when you're DJing at home – stood or sat in a perfect “stereo soundstage” between your two monitor speakers – might as well leave your system in stereo.

Can you mix one speaker?

If you only have one speaker you are taking away your ability to pan instruments and create an effective, and ultimately professional, sounding track. Mixing everything in mono can make everything sound muddy, with all those instrument tracks competing for attention.

Why should Bass be mono?

Keeping the bass mono will limit the amount of space used. Most subwoofers are mono anyway so you'll have more control over the sound being played back on different systems if you keep the bass in mono.