Mono compatibility + fixing stereo tracks

[Phil Aiken]

Just checked a mix i'm working on in mono.....the whole friggin' thing collapsed.
The real culprit is a stereo piano track. It's a piano based arrangement - the piano is panned hard left and right - which I don't usually do, but the wide stereo spread is absolutely appropriate here.
So....
1.How important is the whole mono compatibility thing, anyway?
2. Any good ideas on how to fix it?

I've been messing with the Voxengo plugin version of the IBP (in between phase) box. Not really doing it....
I can also not do the hard pan, and turn the faders up a hair on both tracks.
The mix seems to lose a little something though.

thanks,
Phil Aiken

[Jules]

These days I flip my monitors to mono when checking things like drum phase or to help me when I feel I have to sculpt mid out of gtrs to let the vocal be 'king'.

But I don't check of my mixes for mono reproduction much at all these days.....

Not proud of it, just an observation / confession....

[LittleDogAudio]

I check mixes constantly in mono. It has nothing to do with mono compatability. For me, if the mix stays together in mono, it has a better chance of transporting to other systems.

Instead of panning the piano far left/right, maybe try a psycho-acoustic delay spread far left/right and bring the dry piano tracks closer to the middle.

Or if it's about creating a very spreadout effect, maybe pan the piano hard left and send it through a small delay (5-15ms) to the right. This should get it together in mono.

Chris

[thethrillfactor]

Originally posted by LittleDogAudio
.

Or if it's about creating a very spreadout effect, maybe pan the piano hard left and send it through a small delay (5-15ms) to the right. This should get it together in mono.

Chris

Uh....no on the delay thing.


Instead of going hard left and right try panning in mono a little bit in the stereo field unitl you have enough level that you can live with.

It sounds like it was tracked in a split pair configuration and that will dissapear big time when collapsed to mono(time difference between each mic).

In other words in this case don't sweat the mono compatibility thing because of the situation.

[Phil Aiken]

Originally posted by thethrillfactor
Uh....no on the delay thing.


Instead of going hard left and right try panning in mono a little bit in the stereo field unitl you have enough level that you can live with.

It sounds like it was tracked in a split pair configuration and that will dissapear big time when collapsed to mono(time difference between each mic).

In other words in this case don't sweat the mono compatibility thing because of the situation.

Yes! Exactly....split pair. Not how I usually mic my piano but I was going for ultra-wide on this song. I should have mentioned that.
Thing is....it sounds nice and spacious in stereo....

Thanks for the suggestions thus far, everyone.

[axtrak]

I´m checking a lot for mono compatability when tracking drums f.e.

When mixing it depends, for Vinyl or especially radio or TV i´s really important, since fm broadcast is done in ms, and if the station is farer away, you often only get the m signal.

If its only for CD, i´ll do what ever i like

[adam_w]

I did something that somehow ended up in mono when dubbed to a music video and it sounded like a total heap of crap. When I heard it on air, I nearly died as I'd really neglected mono compatibility, so I won't EVER do that again -
The stereo piano thing happened too me too.

A stereo source at 50/50 pan stays the same level in PTwhen summed to mono, and while I'm having a hard time not being wide as I'd like (and things still do get panned wide sometimes..), it'll be less humiliating when something that sounds good in stereo stays sounding good in mono.

[wags3d]

Speaking of the whole mono thing, does anyone know how to check mono when mixing using Logic Audio v6.x ?