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#1
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Newbie : How to play back in mono, and why
I have a question that seems pretty elementary, but the concept always
confuses me a little. Many times, engineers speak of using several microphones to mic an instrument, say, piano, but then mixing it in MONO. Other references I have say, "take the two signals and be sure to check them in MONO for phase cancellation." I don't know exactly how to put multiple signals in MONO. My questions are this: How does one take multiple signals and "put them in MONO?" Is just panning hard left or right? Or is it bussing to one track? Or something else? What else is a MONO check good for, besides checking phase cancellation? I know this is a user preference, but are certain instruments "better" mixed down to MONO, and for what reason? Thanks for any clarifications. |
#2
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"Tony Briggs" wrote in
news:Ce_0d.421813$%_6.92022@attbi_s01: How does one take multiple signals and "put them in MONO?" Is just panning hard left or right? Or is it bussing to one track? Or something else? Not hard left and right, but both dead center. Bussing to one track also works. What else is a MONO check good for, besides checking phase cancellation? Listen in mono strips the stereo cues the brain uses to interpret the "stage". It's like looking at a black and white photo. Without the color, the composition of the photo stands out better. Without the stereo spread, the "sound" stands out more. I know this is a user preference, but are certain instruments "better" mixed down to MONO, and for what reason? Point source instruments can easily be in mono. Even larger sources like piano and drum set can be collapsed to mono if you want them to occupy only a portion of the sound stage. Things that should be stereo are ensembles (whole band, backup singers, string quartet, etc.) and room sound. Even those point source instruments above can often benefit from a nice room and a pair of ambient mics. |
#3
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Pan them strait up...
-- Steven Sena XS Sound Recording www.xssound.com "Tony Briggs" wrote in message news:Ce_0d.421813$%_6.92022@attbi_s01... I have a question that seems pretty elementary, but the concept always confuses me a little. Many times, engineers speak of using several microphones to mic an instrument, say, piano, but then mixing it in MONO. Other references I have say, "take the two signals and be sure to check them in MONO for phase cancellation." I don't know exactly how to put multiple signals in MONO. My questions are this: How does one take multiple signals and "put them in MONO?" Is just panning hard left or right? Or is it bussing to one track? Or something else? What else is a MONO check good for, besides checking phase cancellation? I know this is a user preference, but are certain instruments "better" mixed down to MONO, and for what reason? Thanks for any clarifications. |
#4
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Tony Briggs wrote:
My questions are this: How does one take multiple signals and "put them in MONO?" Is just panning hard left or right? Or is it bussing to one track? Or something else? If you pan them all to the center, you have mono. Many consoles have a button on the monitor module that allows you to put the monitors in mono without affecting anything other than the control room outputs. This is very handy for a quick monitor check. Consoles that don't do this can be used with an external monitor panel that does. What else is a MONO check good for, besides checking phase cancellation? Getting a sense of how the recording will sound in mono. If you are relying too much on wide panning to get separation between instruments, you'll know it when you go to mono. Lots of folks listen in mono out in the real world, so knowing what it sounds like in mono is important. I know this is a user preference, but are certain instruments "better" mixed down to MONO, and for what reason? I'm not sure what you mean. Many instruments (especially vocals) are better when tracked as mono sources. --scott -- "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis." |
#6
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Carey Carlan wrote in
. 206: "Tony Briggs" wrote in news:Ce_0d.421813$%_6.92022@attbi_s01: How does one take multiple signals and "put them in MONO?" Is just panning hard left or right? Or is it bussing to one track? Or something else? Not hard left and right, but both dead center. Bussing to one track also works. Another note. When listening in mono, listen to just one speaker, not two both playing the same signal. True mono comes from a single source. |
#7
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Thanks you all for your answers - it's NOT such a complicated thing as I thought.... |
#8
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Getting a sense of how the recording will sound in mono. If you are
relying too much on wide panning to get separation between instruments, you'll know it when you go to mono. Lots of folks listen in mono out in the real world, so knowing what it sounds like in mono is important. Good point, Scott. I would also like to add that knowing what it sounds like in mono will also give you a good idea of what it will sound like when people are either listening far from the speakers or are off from center when they listen to it. A lot of folks don't understand how to listen to stereo speakers and will not be hearing it the way you intended it to sound. A lot of times their speaker placement is dictated by the way their living room is arranged and not arranged around the speakers, the way we would do it. |
#9
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Another note. When listening in mono, listen to just one speaker, not two
both playing the same signal. True mono comes from a single source. Yeah but few control rooms today have a dedicated centered mono speaker. In its absence just summing and playing back on the left and right give a good result. If you're mixing in mono, which is unlikely unless you're working with Brian Wilson of Phil Spector, a center speaker is a must. Phil Brown |
#10
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