D*A*M Forum

What are folks thoughts on mono mix's!?

Just recorded 4 tracks with the band I'm in, they sound better in mono to me and I think it suits ye olde skool nature of the band, but the drummer prefers stereo, having his kit spread out with space and the like. The tracks were recorded for 100 odd squid, so I'm fine with mono or stereo so long as it sounds good.

Mono for me gives a punchier more unified sound, stereo when done wrong just sounds weird and unnatural. It can be very cool when it's done well of course, but that usually takes loads of time to get right.

I prefer mixing in mono too, far easier to get levels right, lets you focus on the tone and balance a lot more.

Something I hate though is the more modern approach of having everything sort of stereo, but still coming out of both speakers if that makes sense!? Yuk!

Anyway I find Mono appealing, what about you guys!? What bands have released stuff in mono lately!? The last band I can recall doing so was The Stairs.



Thoughts, opinions!?

I don't know anything about sound, but The Stairs' sound is alright except for the drums. It does sound way too home recorded or something. Maybe it's his kit, but they don't sound all that great. I will say, the thing that would fix it is fixing his kick to sound less like a thud and more focused and tight. That would save the whole thing, imo. Was I in any way intelligible?

Sickle wrote: stereo only when necessary.

I like this way of thinking.

...

Trevor, the sound of the drums is more to do with how they've recorded and eq'd rather than any issues about mono.

Yo

The thing about older mono records that is appealing is that people spent more time making the mono mixes sound good. Stereo was sort of a gimmick back then and they generally rushed through those mixes.

--Brad

If it's good enough for Brian Wilson and Phil Spector...

I've been trying to learn how to record/mix etc for my own band over the last few months and wondered why my panning didn't seem to have any effect. It turned out i'd been mixing in mono for the last 2 months . Once i sorted out the stereo correctly i definitely noticed a difference, the sound seemed less focused and i could pick out the individual parts more easily. I can see a benefit to both though, i think if you're going for that live garage punk sort of sound mono is a good thing.

Creepyfingers wrote:Yo

The thing about older mono records that is appealing is that people spent more time making the mono mixes sound good. Stereo was sort of a gimmick back then and they generally rushed through those mixes.

--Brad

Very true. Rubber Soul is a perfect example with the instruments on one channel, vocals on the other & levels where they shouldn't be. My general approach is to mix toward mono for less complicated productions & more separation for complex productions, so it's easier to hear all the stuff going on. Also, if there are two rhythm guitars, especially if played by two different people, I like to mix them hard right & hard left, that way the interplay between the two really stands out.