Mono or stereo for playing live ?

[JMS 2]

I always thought the obvious answer was stereo but I'm not so sure anymore.

I've been using 2 keyboards live for some years and always ran them stereo to the board.

I assume the sound engineers always panned them hard left and right, but I can only guess.

 

Anyway I added an old mono hammond clone lately (Korg CX-3 first version).

After using it live for some time (mono obviously) I wanted to improve the onboard leslie sim and bought an equally old Korg G4.

That one has stereo outs. Through my headphones and studio monitors, the improvement regarding spread/separation and overall leslie quality is obvious.

 

I've been using the G4 at band rehearsals since but I cannot come to like it as much as in my studio.

Actually I'm quite ashamed to admit I like the goofy mono CX-3 onboard leslie better.

I can't really put my finger on what's going on, but I notice it really fits better in the band mix.

Then I tried the G4 with a mono setting at rehearsals and I almost can't hear any difference between both leslie units.

 

This makes me think that it might probably be the same through the FOH.

Maybe one has to stand right in the centre of the audio field to appreciate the stereo effects.

At rehearsal I'm not, and at a gig only say 1/4th or 1/3rd of the people can be considered centre stage.

Hearing only one side of the stereo field is probably worse than a mono sound ...

 

And I bet I never noticed it before because I never used a leslie effect which has a much harder panning effect than chorus, flanger etc ... that I use with the 2 other synths.

 

What are your thoughts ?

[Plink Floyd]

Hard to say about sims in a nightclub, but a stereo mic'd Leslie in a studio isn't really the same sound as a Leslie in a room, 10 feet away from your ears. That might as well be mono, eh?

[tremens]

stereo all the way, even if through one speaker

[coyote-1]

Mono. Simple, gets it done. No phasing issues.

[The Pro]

There is extensive debate here about stereo vs. mono and it mostly boils down to opinion, unless you are micing something with more than one mic or using a digital piano that does not have a mono output (some Yamahas) in which case summing the signal to mono can create phase cancellation of the signal.

 

I use stereo amp or stereo PA always unless I have no choice but mono.

[Nillerbabs]

Also depends on the gig. If I played medium or large sized stages, I'd use mono for sure - only a fraction of the audience would benefit from this improved sound. Alas, so far my gigging has been restricted to venues ranging between small and infinitesimal. In such conditions, where everybody will be able to hear the stereo effect, I gladly use both rhodes vibrato, ping pong delay and leslie sim. Not only is it better sounding than mono, but it is also downright fun, etc. the sound of a tune can be dramatized and 'widened' quite a bit by putting the leslie on slow after having played for some time on stop. I love it when I do that and I see grins spreading over half the audience's faces...

[toddkuen]

I've experimented with stereo but I think mostly its not worth the bother - even for larger gigs - for a couple of reasons:

 

- You need a full stereo path which is a bother for multiple key boards.

 

- You need the sound man to realize its stereo and "do the right thing", i.e., support stereo with proper separation, panning, etc.

 

Mostly I've found the sound men only think in terms of mono, i.e., the keyboard is just a guitar and requires only one mic or line.

[Darkstorm]

Stereo. Of course in some instances the sounds gonna end up being mainly mono for foh sound. That might be done for better mix to the audiance thats more to either side. A leslie speaker on a stage is stereo. Its at a specific spot within the left to right and front to back range for sound. The same as if youd placed it there in mixer receiving its mono signal which he then places at say 2 oclock left and just a little to the rear. Irregardless, if you go far enough from a stereo source of sound its gonna sound mono to you. Cause the soundstage size is too small to create and significant heard left to right or front to back panning in the sound field. Course if far enough away and in right locale, that trumpet blair might sound like stereo due to sound bouncing off the cliff over there. Lol.

 

So for personal monitor prefers stereo, for venues where audiance from left to right can hear the full mix well, stereo also. Otherwise mono or mainly mono.

[Masaaki]

How about two speaker amps like Roland KC880? actually I've never heard some kb players using it, but it's got a pair of speakers and may do the leslie job well? I don't know, do you?

[JMS 2]

Well the Leslie is going to be mono from now on.

Tried several settings at rehearsal last night and mono sounded definitely better. Less "spectacular" but much clearer and defined.

 

Actually to be more precise, I'd say that the slow leslie sounds much better in stereo, but the fast setting just doesn't sound right when bouncing all around the place ...

[JeffLearman]

Absolutely. Mono or stereo. There's no point in going higher. ;-)

 

Seriously, I use stereo, but I'm a hobbyist playing for my own joy. If I were a pro gigging more steadily, I'd simplify.

 

If done right, stereo sounds better. With good imagery, you can play at a lower volume and get more clarity / separation. (With massive wall-to-wall imagery for every patch, you'll annoy your bandmates.)

 

But requires more to work well. More money, more setup time, more carrying, and most important, better setup in the venue's mains. Few venues are really well set up for stereo: the speakers are too close to the audience.

 

However, with the right kinds of stereo effects, it's not necessary for anyone to be in the middle to get good imagery. For my patches, you'll get a good enough sound anywhere in the house, even when too close to one speaker to hear the other at all. The better the venue setup, the more people get the benefit of the imagery.

 

Only use it for imagery; not panning (though stereo vibrato can be great). With panning, folks too close to the opposite side will lose out.

 

With Mono, so many fewer variables; you're more certain to get what you expect in more venues. I play the same few venues frequently, where this is less of an issue. I always make sure FOH at stereo venues know to hard pan; at mono venues I know what to feed them and how to set up my monitors so that at least the folks in front will get some stereo image, and the rest will get a good mono feed. And I'll hear what inspires me to play my best.

 

But in the end, it's a personal choice, and depends a lot on just what gear you have and how you use it. Mono sure is simpler, though!

 

In either case, you need to make sure your patches all sound good enough in mono, without too much phase cancellation, because some of the audience will hear it this way. Many digital pianos don't sound very good when summed to mono, though oddly enough, some of these sound fine when they end up essentially mono farther back in the venue.

 

I like that fast Leslie bouncing all around the place sound ... reminds me of the real thing, when properly located, or when using 2 leslies on opposite sides of a stage. Sometimes I think the best way to use a Leslie is stick it kinda near a corner and then put a gobo in front of it, so all of the sound is reflected.

[tremens]

Absolutely. Mono or stereo. There's no point in going higher. ;-)

 

why not?

 

 

 

p.s.

I play quadro quite often and higher...

[Masaaki]

like....dolby 7.1?

[Karma1]

I like to use stereo since the music I'm doing is ambient soundscape-type stuff with lots of evolving pads, panning, and motion in the sounds I use. I loose some of the depth and sonic detail in mono.

[Bugzie]

As a sound guy I have to say that getting the FOH sound to carry a stereo signal isn't difficult and makes a significant difference. I run my rig as a "stereo" or actually "dual mono" setup. The swell of pads or a decent Leslie sim can be stunning to say the least. At the volume you have to run in most pubs/bars it adds a nice dimension to the sound. I recently did a gig where the Keyboard player brought his brandy new Electro 3 73. The Leslie sim was just shy of breath taking. The biggest mistake made is that people think that the two different signals have to be panned hard left and right. Thats where you end up with only part of the crowd enjoys the " stereo" sound. Back the pans off a little and you get the effect and still have enough sound to notice the difference.

[tremens]

the point is we have to go with current trend and the trend is as on Avatar movie - surround , both with images and audio so mono is not an option.

 

 

 

P.S.

God gave us everything in stereo so come on, playing mono is a sin.

The only person allowed go mono is Dick.

[dan88z]

I run stereo on stage 90% of the time. It sounds great to me. One wedge at each side of me, sounds like a giant pair of headphones with the sound swirling all around me. I send a mono signal to FOH from the monitor send of my mixer. I go mono on gigs where space is tight or where I'm only using 1 keyboard.