Stereo to Mono question

If you mixed a stereo track into a mono track, does it just take the left or right stereo track and make that into both tracks, or does it blend the two tracks into the same thing on each side? I hope I'm being clear here...

Here is a diagram to help

1) L-R ----> L-L or R-R

2) L-R ----> L+R-L+R

you're saying you made it mono but its still 2 channels and with identical info?

i believe they are mixed

I think it's the latter. It blends both the L + R channels to create the mono mix of the two tracks.

Cool, thanks guys, just was curious about how that worked.

Why does Stereo exist? Most of music doesn't even use it.

are you deaf in one ear, or something?

  bocae said:

Why does Stereo exist? Most of music doesn't even use it.

I'm sorry ?! Did you really mean that. Almost everything from the last couple of decades uses some sort of Stereo feature :undecided:

  mcbpete said:

  bocae said:

Why does Stereo exist? Most of music doesn't even use it.

I'm sorry ?! Did you really mean that. Almost everything from the last couple of decades uses some sort of Stereo feature :undecided:

Okay, maybe, but discretly. I probably have auditive problems, who knows? If Stereo stopped existing, it would not matter me.

I took everything you said with a grain of salt until this, but wtf dude. Try panning all the way to the left and right on your stereo, in most cases they are different. I guarantee your beloved BOC make heavy use of stereo.

Some Beatles tracks even had vocals all the way to one side and instruments on the other, so it is not a new thing.

  six said:

Some Beatles tracks even had vocals all the way to one side and instruments on the other, so it is not a new thing.

Probably not the best example (even though they were one of the first commercial bands to use Stereo recordings) as George Martin had become deaf in one ear and thus as a result some of Beatles' works are horribly produced in stereo (famously one of their tracks had everything panned in the right ear (instuments and vocals) with a solo tamborine in the left ear. :laughing:

I just don't pay much attention to music.

Most of of it is the kinda thing you DEFENITELY notice if it was gone. If for example, you took any song by like Autechre, or BoC, or or FSOL or whatever yanks yer chain... and convert it to mono. Then play the two tracks side by side.

actually, I've notice AE don't use lots of panning.

check it out... lots of center image stuff

  mcbpete said:

  six said:

Some Beatles tracks even had vocals all the way to one side and instruments on the other, so it is not a new thing.

Probably not the best example (even though they were one of the first commercial bands to use Stereo recordings) as George Martin had become deaf in one ear and thus as a result some of Beatles' works are horribly produced in stereo (famously one of their tracks had everything panned in the right ear (instuments and vocals) with a solo tamborine in the left ear. :laughing:

Yeah for this reason I can'tstand to listen to beatles stuff on headphones most of the time, the panning is done so horribly you get the weirdest most annoying 'stereo' image.

  mcbpete said:

  six said:

Some Beatles tracks even had vocals all the way to one side and instruments on the other, so it is not a new thing.

Probably not the best example (even though they were one of the first commercial bands to use Stereo recordings) as George Martin had become deaf in one ear and thus as a result some of Beatles' works are horribly produced in stereo (famously one of their tracks had everything panned in the right ear (instuments and vocals) with a solo tamborine in the left ear. :laughing:

Which track was that? It has been a long time since I listened to the Beatles...

  bocae said:

  mcbpete said:

  bocae said:

Why does Stereo exist? Most of music doesn't even use it.

I'm sorry ?! Did you really mean that. Almost everything from the last couple of decades uses some sort of Stereo feature :undecided:

 

Okay, maybe, but discretly. I probably have auditive problems, who knows? If Stereo stopped existing, it would not matter me.

Stereo is key for seperating different frequencies or for odd effects. If everything is centred then the mix can sound quite bland and uninspiring. I think some bad examples of stereo seperation were on a few Newcleus tracks where the vocals (rappin') were panned largely to the left.

This goes all the way back to the first stereo records - listen to any 50s or 60s jazz, you'll find that very often the lead soloist is hard panned. 60s pop is very often hard panned for the different elements, not just the Beatles.

Any mix engineer worth his salt, even now, will ensure that their mixes work in mono, by ensuring there are as few phase-cancelling stereo sounds as possible. Many people receive FM broadcasts (and internet streams for that matter) in mono, so this is still important.

Also, bass frequencies should ALWAYS be in mono, as it makes it very difficult to cut a vinyl record if there is too much stereo bass information. More recently, .1 subwoofer systems have also made this a very important aspect of the mixdown.

Lee "Scratch" Perry always insisted that his mixdowns were 100% mono, supposedly for philosophical reasons but, I suspect, because most Reggae sound systems (and nightclub systems to this day, AFAIK) are actually mono.

Just to add, and extract from a Lee Perry interview:

Q: Why are most of your recordings in mono?

Well mono mean one heart, one thought, one love, one destiny, one aim, one alternative. So I defend only the one; anytime is a split personality I know then can be problem and danger and I don't support it. I support all-in-one, one communication, one Itation, one Iration, one faith, one human destiny. Anytime you come out with that, then I don't think you're parallel. You're confused, you're a mascot! And I don't defend mascot.

  xy_politics said:

Well mono mean one heart, one thought, one love, one destiny, one aim, one alternative. So I defend only the one; anytime is a split personality I know then can be problem and danger and I don't support it. I support all-in-one, one communication, one Itation, one Iration, one faith, one human destiny. Anytime you come out with that, then I don't think you're parallel. You're confused, you're a mascot! And I don't defend mascot.

Fantastic. Much love for Lee Perry :heart:

ignorant. as much as i like lee perry('s music)...

has he cut off one ear, one testicle and poked out an eye, etc..? to go with this "one" thing.

  tauboo said:

ignorant. as much as i like lee perry('s music)...

 

has he cut off one ear, one testicle and poked out an eye, etc..? to go with this "one" thing.

No, he hasn't; nor does he hop around on one leg, ride a unicycle, or eat only half his bounty bar, but I wouldn't call the guy ignorant. This man has helped shape music culture around the world, and done it by recording in mono - maybe we should say he is twice as good because of that.

Or maybe we could say that the fact his records are in mono, in no way relates to how good his music is.

Stereo is, essentially, a gimmick.

another analogy could be volume - having every instrument at the same level. he was innovative but not enough to see the uses of stereo. probably put off by hard-panning (pure speculation).

spring reverb is a gimmick :tongue2:

  bocae said:

Why does Stereo exist? Most of music doesn't even use it.

Because good recording engineers who record rock bands record with microphones in different sides of the room, and they feel that they can do the best recording that sound best to human ears in general by having the microphones setup in stereo. If you've heard one of the better albums by a rock band called Low then you would perhaps understand a little. Well, a lot of the most brilliant rock albums were recoreded in stereo. Those brilliant albums songs would be just as great in mono

BEcause stereo ended up being the great way of listening, it was normal to sell two speakers with every system. This is kind of a money reason thing because you're buying two of something, that's twice as much product for a company to sell which might even make twice as much profit.

As techno or after KRaftwerk less great music came out like electro and stuff. As the years went on we ended up with all our favourite 303 music or sh101 bass music, but realise that this is just artifically stereod and for the most part we don't even need this. People vigourosly defend stereo as they defend VST 303 emulators and stuff, just ignore those people man. If you want, just use one speaker, because you don't need two. Honest

  xy_politics said:

Stereo is, essentially, a gimmick.

you could argue that every single aspect of music is a gimmick.

its only a gimmick, if you use it like one.

  Kcinsu said:

  xy_politics said:

Stereo is, essentially, a gimmick.

 

you could argue that every single aspect of music is a gimmick.

 

its only a gimmick, if you use it like one.

Music is something done most usually for pleasure to the ears

Stereo is useful for live music, but for our kind of music, it's just a gimmick.