mono vs stereo?

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Surreal
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mono vs stereo?

#1 Post by Surreal » Fri Apr 17, 2009 11:41 pm

An article I came across today: http://i.gizmodo.com/5216258/sorry-ster ... a-lot-more

Not much in the way of tech explanations, but I think some of my gear has a mono/stereo switch on them, I think I'll give that a try tomorrow.

edit: some other interesting reads:
why we need audiophiles
difference between $100 and $100000 speakers

Surreal
Posts: 402
Joined: Fri Aug 25, 2006 3:31 pm
Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

#2 Post by Surreal » Fri Apr 24, 2009 1:17 am

Mucked around with the mono vs stereo thing the other day. The effect was more noticeable in the higher ranges, with the horns particularly. Switching to mono took out some of the sharpness and gave the music a mellower feel with a somewhat broader soundscape. I can't really quantify it as better or worse, just different. Some songs I felt sounded better in mono, some better in stereo. I can't comment on the base since I had a separate sub sitting in the corner.

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keither
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#3 Post by keither » Thu May 14, 2009 2:46 pm

A lot of older tracks hard pan instruments to one side or the other. If you're working with a stereo PA, you can lose instruments as you move across the room. All of the PAs I set up run mono.

SoundInMotionDJ
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#4 Post by SoundInMotionDJ » Thu Jul 22, 2010 7:14 am

keither wrote:A lot of older tracks hard pan instruments to one side or the other. If you're working with a stereo PA, you can lose instruments as you move across the room. All of the PAs I set up run mono.
I use stereo for (almost) all my PA setups.

In rooms up to 40ft wide, I use a pair of tops and setup to 1/3 the room.

In wider rooms, I will bring additional tops and run them "L R L R" (repeat as needed for more tops). That setup preserves the stereo image, and keeps people between "L R" pairs.

Surreal
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#5 Post by Surreal » Fri Jul 23, 2010 9:03 am

I was at a small event recently where I was playing music through the band's equipment and realized I was only getting one channel because (d'oh) they only had one speaker. I think it was Count Basie/Jimmy Rushing - Sent for you Yesterday, where I noticed the vocals were coming out all muffled and echo-y. I wound up bootstrapping into mono by plugging my L/R inputs into channels 1/3 on the mixer.

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Eyeball
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#6 Post by Eyeball » Tue Jul 27, 2010 4:14 am

Surreal wrote:Mucked around with the mono vs stereo thing the other day. The effect was more noticeable in the higher ranges, with the horns particularly. Switching to mono took out some of the sharpness and gave the music a mellower feel with a somewhat broader soundscape. I can't really quantify it as better or worse, just different. Some songs I felt sounded better in mono, some better in stereo. I can't comment on the base since I had a separate sub sitting in the corner.
One of the comments was - "Just flattening the stereo mix down to mono is NOT the same thing as the original mono mix."

The mono mix was different than the stereo mix, so just combining the stereo mix into one channel will not give you what is heard on the mono mix.

The mono versions of any number of Capitol albums from the transitional period of the late 50s into the early 60s have a far richer and deeper sound than the stereo mixes which often sound shallow and thin.

The difference is so prominent on certain albums that collectors chose to own both the mono and stereo versions.

The one I recall the most was a Nat King Cole LP "Love Is the Thing". The mono version was like hearing a single channel in FM. The stereo version sounded like AM radio played on a transistor radio. The difference in the sonic ranges was amazing. The mono won.
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