Stereo or Mono? How do you do it?

[Notes_Norton]

Of course, there is no right or wrong way.

I create my own backing tracks, and I pan the bass and drums hard left and everything else hard right. Feed the stereo mix to two channels on the mixer but pan both channels center. So coming out the speakers, everything is mono.

This does two things for me.

1) It gives me the ability to pump up the rhythm track or subdue it a bit depending on the gig. If they are younger and dancing, I'll add about 3db to the left channel, if they are older and having dinner, I'll back it off 3. I also tweak the bass EQ.

2) I'm not opposed to stereo. but in most rooms I play in, too many people are either to the left or to the right of the mains. That means they are very far from the stereo sweet spot and will not likely hear the music mixed right.

So for me, the mix coming out of the speakers is mono.

How about you?

Insights and incites by Notes

[SLScott86]

My powered mixer is mono only. Problem solved. I don't miss stereo much, especially since it's just me and a guitar up there.

[Bob Dey]

I usually have two speakers in stereo, but sometimes mono is better. A situation that comes up once in a while that calls for mono - the manager wants one of your speakers outside or pointing in another direction for another area.

Now that I'm using a single bose system it will have to be mono.

I've always mixed all of my BT in stereo.

[daklander]

Mono. IMHO, stereo has no place in the type of gigs we usually play nor is it really workable in the venues we normally play.

[daddymack]

Notes, you hit it correctly...stereo is not a good format for live music because the sweetspot is not going to cover the room. Even in the instances where I can run a stereo mix out, I will run both channels essentially mixed mono for that reason. I also do not pan channels left/right for live, everything has to be centered in the mix in order to cover the room.

[Graeca]

 

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Notes_Norton wrote:

 

 

Of course, there is no right or wrong way.

 

I create my own backing tracks, and I pan the bass and drums hard left and everything else hard right. Feed the stereo mix to two channels on the mixer but pan both channels center. So coming out the speakers, everything is mono.

 

This does two things for me.

 

1) It gives me the ability to pump up the rhythm track or subdue it a bit depending on the gig. If they are younger and dancing, I'll add about 3db to the left channel, if they are older and having dinner, I'll back it off 3. I also tweak the bass EQ.

 

2) I'm not opposed to stereo. but in most rooms I play in, too many people are either to the left or to the right of the mains. That means they are very far from the stereo sweet spot and will not likely hear the music mixed right.

 

So for me, the mix coming out of the speakers is mono.

 

How about you?

 

Insights and incites by Notes

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My mixer has stereo capability, but I almost always do it "mono", for the reasons you outlined.

[Shaster]

I do about three or four rooms that have stereo capable house systems, but on 95% of the gigs where I supply the PA I only bring one speaker - so I'm obviously in mono. And even with my smallest speaker (8") I've been asked to turn down. Drums on one channel, bass on the other and keys are panned center so they are on both. I roll the treble way off my hats and cymbals and let the bass and kick carry the load.

Way, way back I ran stereo fro a time, and while it was fun for me, I realized (even then) that practically no one else could hear the effect. As we know, you have to be close to dead center to hear the stereo imaging. And center is just a small portion of your audience. Add to that the fact that once alcohol is involved, every nuance, including stereo, goes out the window.

[Bob Dey]

 

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Graeca wrote:

 

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Notes_Norton wrote:

 

 

Of course, there is no right or wrong way.

 

I create my own backing tracks, and I pan the bass and drums hard left and everything else hard right. Feed the stereo mix to two channels on the mixer but pan both channels center. So coming out the speakers, everything is mono.

 

This does two things for me.

 

1) It gives me the ability to pump up the rhythm track or subdue it a bit depending on the gig. If they are younger and dancing, I'll add about 3db to the left channel, if they are older and having dinner, I'll back it off 3. I also tweak the bass EQ.

 

2) I'm not opposed to stereo. but in most rooms I play in, too many people are either to the left or to the right of the mains. That means they are very far from the stereo sweet spot and will not likely hear the music mixed right.

 

So for me, the mix coming out of the speakers is mono.

 

How about you?

 

Insights and incites by Notes

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My mixer has stereo capability, but I almost always do it "mono", for the reasons you outlined.

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What mixer is it? Does it have a mono switch?

[Jimbo_Keys]

I guess i'm in the minority running full stereo.  Then again, i generally set up with the speakers behind me just a few feet apart, so what everyone else hears is basically a mono image anyway.

 

- Jimbo

[pogo97]

I like a little width to my piano and that applies to other keys, too. A mono Leslie is no Leslie at all. But those can go stereo without causing the "can't hear the singer and the guitar's too loud" problems of spreading the instruments across an imaginary stage.