Checking your mixes in Mono

[lord_bunny]

Ok, i just read a post about a ubik using a crap 2" squeaker from a studer to check his mixes... i wanted to hear what other people were using to check mono compatability. this is a really inexpensive way to make your mixes sound better, as compression and relative balance becaome much more apparent. i use a 2x2" "sound image" pc speaker, powered by an RA-100.

[Arsene]

Originally Posted by lord_bunny

Ok, i just read a post about a ubik using a crap 2" squeaker from a studer to check his mixes... i wanted to hear what other people were using to check mono compatability. this is a really inexpensive way to make your mixes sound better, as compression and relative balance becaome much more apparent. i use a 2x2" "sound image" pc speaker, powered by an RA-100.

I actually just push the "mono" button on my monitor matrix. I then route the signal to my studio monitors, and a cheap ass 2.1 media system to check it out. Works wonders.

[mrface2112]

i do the bulk of my mixing in mono--like 80%. panning, compression, delays, everything. i do it on my monitors (ASP8's).

once i've got everything rockin in mono then i switch over to stereo and finish off from there.

i used to start my mixes in stereo and check mono compatibility towards the end.......but once i started doing it the other way around, my mixes got a LOT better.

YMMV


cheers,
wade

[safe as milk]

hi
i use a single auratone powered by a pfl amp in my console,
it's completely changed the way i mix,
i cant recommend it enough,
i used to just hit the mono, but for me it's not the same,
i find single speaker is really good for getting kick n snare levels right
as i have a tendency to overcook them a bit.



cheers

[Makinithappen]

I love mixing in mono. I've just started doing it in the last couple months but it helps a lot. It seems like if the vox or the snare is just a little too loud, switching over to mono really makes it obvious.
If it sounds great in mono, it's going to sound killer in stereo. Both the control24 and the Big Knob I use have a "mono" button on them so it's really not an issue.

I don't do the "crap speaker" thing but I've never tried it. I guess it makes sense though. I have several sets of speakers hooked up though, which can really help.

[darjama]

I use an extra "surround" speaker that came with my onkyo home theater receiver.

[RusRant]

I use the mono switch in Vegas. I mix in Mono about 50% of the mix.

[tINY]

I have an old Lansing horn I took from the high school football stadium when they upgraded. I put it in the next room and drive it with a headphone amp.

My mixes sound a lot better on the nearfields now.....





-tINY

[3rd world order]

i do about 3/4 of my mixing on one mono auratone.. love it

[aapee]

This is my way:

http://www.tivoliaudio.com/product.p...cat=262&page=1

RCA's at the back panel and it can really "sum" stereo signal to mono.

with respect,

aapee

[doorknocker]

Originally Posted by aapee

This is my way:

http://www.tivoliaudio.com/product.p...cat=262&page=1

RCA's at the back panel and it can really "sum" stereo signal to mono.

with respect,

aapee

Same method here. Since I use Genelecs 1029As as my main monitors (soon to be upgraded to 8040s though) I actually check the low end of my mixes on the Tivoli, you can really hear the mix getting muddy and unfocused when there's too much bass information.

Other than the 1029As and the Tivoli, i also check the mixes on my living room stereo and on a TEAC 'Cadillac' boombox in the kitchen. So between these I usually get an idea what works and what not.

I think mono is always important because stereo is really dependent on the listener being located in the sweet spot. So the usual real-world listening position at home, in a car, etc is practically always mono in effect.

[JulianBrightnes]

Originally Posted by mrface2112

i do the bulk of my mixing in mono--like 80%. panning, compression, delays, everything. i do it on my monitors (ASP8's).

once i've got everything rockin in mono then i switch over to stereo and finish off from there.

i used to start my mixes in stereo and check mono compatibility towards the end.......but once i started doing it the other way around, my mixes got a LOT better.

YMMV


cheers,
wade

panning in mono??? interesting

[url]

do you mix dual speaker mono or single speaker mono? (general question), i do both, single channel mono is so less fatiguing though, i love it when you bring it out of mono and all the stereo fx kick in, good fun.

[gm5k]

Originally Posted by aapee

This is my way:


RCA's at the back panel and it can really "sum" stereo signal to mono.

with respect,

aapee

that tivoli looks sweet! this mixing in mono thing sounds interesting...

[mrface2112]

Originally Posted by JulianBrightnes

panning in mono??? interesting

absolutely. say you've got an acoustic that you mic'd in stereo and have panned the two mics hard L and R for that 300 foot wide acoustic guitar sound.

when in mono, you can (or at least i can) tell subtle differences in the way the acoustic sounds and reacts with the other instruments (vocals, etc) when I make changes to the panning on the acoustic (bring em in, push em out, etc). at some point i find the "right spot" and between the panning and fader levels, the balance between it and the other instruments locks right into place, both in mono and stereo.

the same goes for drum overheads, too. it's not "obvious" like it is in stereo in that nothing sounds like it's actually on the left or right--but bringing in or spreading out the panning on the overheads changes the way they react with the snare, kick, etc. this makes it very easy to tell what's poking out of place, etc.

i know i'm probably not explaining it very well, but that's what i hear, and i can only go by what my ears are telling me. and i can tell you that for me, making sure everything's "tucked in" when in mono has resulted in much better mixes in stereo.

as for crappy speaker referencing, i've got a little POS $30 RCA boombox that is actually "stereo" but the speakers are so close to each other (maybe 6 inches apart?) that it more or less acts as a mono source. any problems with mono compatibility in a mix is readily apparent--the mix essentially collapses. since i started working on my mixes in mono and switching to stereo at the end, i haven't had any problems with mix collapse.

of course, mixing styles are subjective and personal and what works for me might be the absolute worst thing for you.


cheers,
wade

[JulianBrightnes]

Hi Wade,

Thanks for that, this why I love Gearslutz. I always thought the way to go was: to set your levels in mono then switch to stereo and do your panning. But of course the way the panned signals are summed does influence the result. I'm just gonna play around with it.
I do a lot of mixes for TV and radio so mono-compatibility ánd mono-sound are very important to me.

Cheers Julian

PS That Model One radio is great as mono-reference, I got one too!

[max cooper]

Methinks it's better to check mono on one speaker, rather than two switched to mono.

[Dog_Chao_Chao]

i just hit mono in my CS too. The question is: what to do about those hard panned guitars that tend to disapear in mono? They sound so good and wide in stereo...

1- Just for curiosity: What to do look for in mono?
2- What do you do about it


I´m not mixing for TV.

[cajonezzz]

Originally Posted by aapee

This is my way:

http://www.tivoliaudio.com/product.p...cat=262&page=1

RCA's at the back panel and it can really "sum" stereo signal to mono.

with respect,

aapee

that's beautiful! how's the reception?

[Crash]

Originally Posted by max cooper

Methinks it's better to check mono on one speaker, rather than two switched to mono.

Yep, having the single sound source is the ticket. Having two speakers blowing "dual" mono is not the same and not as accurate. I hit the mono button and kill power to one of my speakers to get the real deal. You can see how things will pop out in mono that you may not get in stereo or dual mono.

[max cooper]

Originally Posted by cajonezzz

that's beautiful! how's the reception?

Tivoli Model One has a coax antenna connex so you can use a Dipole.

I get about one radio station and I live about a mile from downtown Austin. But it's not the radio. I know them to have good reception. Something about radio here..

I have the Model One and the PAL. The PAL is rechargeable, and has a telescoping aerial. I kinda prefer it to the Model One. The Model One is kinda boomy.

You can cover the port on the bottom and it improves the sound IMO.

Sometimes I use my PeeWee Boom Box

[Arsene]

Originally Posted by Dog_Chao_Chao

i just hit mono in my CS too. The question is: what to do about those hard panned guitars that tend to disapear in mono? They sound so good and wide in stereo...

1- Just for curiosity: What to do look for in mono?
2- What do you do about it


I´m not mixing for TV.

Well, depends, I sometimes compromise the mono compatibility to get those nice effects you're talking about. I don't mix for TV either, and since almost everyone is listening to stereo anyway, I feel you can sometimes compromise.

[macmod]

Originally Posted by max cooper

snipped

Sometimes I use my PeeWee Boom Box

WoW! What's that? Looking good!
Cheers,
Macmod

[Daedalus77]

Ok...a follow-up to this older thread.

Say I've got a Central Station with my main nearfields in Speaker A outputs and my sub in Speaker C. I want to wire up a single mono reference speaker coming out of the Speaker B outputs. So...

What cables / hookup are required to do this?

What single speaker, aside from the boom-box suggestions thus far offered, would you recommend? I understand they don't make Auratones anymore (and haven't in some time); are there "new" alternatives?

Many thanks...

[soundawg]

Originally Posted by JulianBrightnes

panning in mono??? interesting

[Crash]

Originally Posted by Daedalus77

I understand they don't make Auratones anymore (and haven't in some time); are there "new" alternatives?

Many thanks...

AVANT ELECTRONICS CONTACT INFO

[gutsofgold]

i 'track' in mono. so before i even begin mixing i pan everything hard left and make sure there are no phase problems. however, i have never done anything past that in mono. maybe its time to get a nice little single speaker.

[luctellier]

I always check my mixes in mono with a Auratone C5.

[max cooper]

Originally Posted by macmod

WoW! What's that? Looking good!
Cheers,
Macmod

It was made by a guy here in Austin. It's got a CD ROM drive, and it seems pretty bulletproof.

I'll see if I can dig up his contact info.