My song ends up in mono? wtf

[critza]

Hey, i´ll post a sample mp3 128kbps of my most recent work, and it sounds funny to me because it sounds like it ends up in mono. When inside the project it´s stereo, i have panned the hat on the third hit and a sound that comes in 2.01 minutes in the song and some minor things here and there but this mp3 sounds like mono to me. The wav sounds the same.
I have checked the masterbus in Pro Tools, no monostuff there and the free MP3 converter i use is set to stereo. So i dont know, you tell me if you care to listen, what has happened?

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[Sonic Julez]

It's certainly not mono, but the stereo image is indeed very narrow. There must be something wrong with the export settings in your DAW.

What software are you using?

[critza]

Originally Posted by Sonic Julez

It's certainly not mono, but the stereo image is indeed very narrow. There must be something wrong with the export settings in your DAW.

What software are you using?

Software? As in plugins?

On the masterbus i have Waves SSL Bus Compressor
Waves Renaissance 6 Band EQ
PSP Vintagewarmer
and Waves L2
Checked them all, and noone says mono in any setting or plugin form.
At first i thought phase cancellation but the Closed HH was not the only thing being panned

[alehoe]

Originally Posted by critza

Software? As in plugins?

On the masterbus i have Waves SSL Bus Compressor
Waves Renaissance 6 Band EQ
PSP Vintagewarmer
and Waves L2
Checked them all, and noone says mono in any setting or plugin form.
At first i thought phase cancellation but the Closed HH was not the only thing being panned

damn dude why so many things on the master?

but anyways, convert it to 256kps or 320kps make sure the mp3 is normal stereo and not joint stereo

[Sonic Julez]

No, not the plugins.
If it sounds right when played in your DAW, and it doesn't after being bounced to 2-track, there must me something wrong with the export settings in your DAW. (at least, that's what feels like logical to me) So we're (I'm) interested in those settings.

And, again, the mix is not mono at all, it's just very narrow.

@alehoe: what's the difference between 'normal' and 'joint' stereo in this case?

Edit: saw you added info about the export settings. Is the mp3-converter part of your ProTools workflow or do you apply it afterwards?

[alehoe]

Originally Posted by Sonic Julez

@alehoe: what's the difference between 'normal' and 'joint' stereo in this case?

here's a nice explanation

What is Joint Stereo? | Richard Farrar's Blog

encoding an MP3 track using joint stereo will give better quality for the bit rate used compared to using full stereo. For higher bit rates however (256kbps and above) it’s probably best to use full stereo.

[Sonic Julez]

I wonder if that difference alone could make a stereo mix sound like almost mono.

[dub3000]

low bitrate mp3 encoding can easily make stereo stuff mono if you're using a joint-stereo method.

the encoder has 128 kilobits per second (16KB) to get as much of your sound encoded as possible. if you're using joint stereo, it splits those 128kbps unevenly between the M and S channels to keep it as "good" sounding as possible. at higher bit rates it can use more on the S channel and you keep a bit more fidelity on your overall stereo image.

[critza]

Originally Posted by alehoe

damn dude why so many things on the master?

I usually put a compressor and a limiter on the master.........but this time i wated to boost the bass a little.

but anyways, convert it to 256kps or 320kps make sure the mp3 is normal stereo and not joint stereo

It was set to interleaved, and i was using Lame MP3 encoder from within a program called CD ex.

Anyways i uploaded a 320kbps mp3 here:
Crap2.mp3

[2Loud]

Originally Posted by critza

Software? As in plugins?

On the masterbus i have Waves SSL Bus Compressor
Waves Renaissance 6 Band EQ
PSP Vintagewarmer
and Waves L2
Checked them all, and noone says mono in any setting or plugin form.
At first i thought phase cancellation but the Closed HH was not the only thing being panned

thats a huuuuge CHAIN!!!

[critza]

Originally Posted by 2Loud

thats a huuuuge CHAIN!!!

For real? Or are you being sarcastic, i mean i did not think that it was a huge chain, what do you guys put on your master?

[alehoe]

Originally Posted by critza

For real? Or are you being sarcastic, i mean i did not think that it was a huge chain, what do you guys put on your master?

t-racks brick-wall limiter

and does the mp3 sound any different than what you had in your daw?

everything sounds normal to me, just a very mono sounding mix since it's just bass and drums at first

[critza]

Originally Posted by alehoe

t-racks brick-wall limiter

and does the mp3 sound any different than what you had in your daw?

everything sounds normal to me, just a very mono sounding mix since it's just bass and drums at first

I think i figured it out!
Something wrong with my built in crappy PC soundcard, when i listen in my iphone it sounds great, but all my productions sound MONO in my windows mediaplayer......................sweet jesus.
Thanks for listening, and btw i like your productions..........

[alehoe]

Originally Posted by critza

I think i figured it out!
Something wrong with my built in crappy PC soundcard, when i listen in my iphone it sounds great, but all my productions sound MONO in my windows mediaplayer......................sweet jesus.
Thanks for listening, and btw i like your productions..........

glad to hear you sorted it out and thanks!