OT: Am I the only MONO man on this forum?

Lorichs

Initially I just wanted to ask; what is the name of that effect that gives a mono track a stereo sound?

The reason i’m asking this question is because I don’t remember what stereo sounds like. I have been 100% deaf on my right ear since i was 8 years old.

Are there other “MONO people” on this forum? And how do you handle stereo, spread, head phones, mixing ect?

Being deaf on my right ear for 38 years is just normal in most aspects of life. I have my work arounds. But it really sucks when mixing and not knowing what the F people talk about when they say stereo.

wim

@Lorichs said:
Initially I just wanted to ask; what is the name of that effect that gives a mono track a stereo sound?

The reason i’m asking this question is because I don’t remember what stereo sounds like. I have been 100% deaf on my right ear since i was 8 years old.

Are there other “MONO people” on this forum? And how do you handle stereo, spread, head phones, mixing ect?

Being deaf on my right ear for 38 years is just normal in most aspects of life. I have my work arounds. But it really sucks when mixing and not knowing what the F people talk about when they say stereo.

Wider by Infected Mushroom is a dead-simple, free, app that can add the impression of stereo spread to a mono track. There are many other plugin options as well.

Short of a plugin, one simple technique is to pan the source to one side in one channel, then pan it to the other side and add a very small amount of delay to it in another. The timing difference provides the perception of stereo. This is often referred to the Haas effect or the Precedent Effect. Other ways to sweeten the pot are to use different filtering and other FX to each side.

That's rough thinking not having any stereo perception at all. But still, you can do a lot just by using logic backed up visually by stereo analyzers. By logic, I mean such rules of thumb as bass is usually centered, drum's can benefit from being gently panned to the relative physical location in the kit, clarity can be enhanced by moving similar frequency range sounds each to their own place in the stereo field, etc.. I've never gotten the hang of stereo visual analyzers. Maybe someone else can be more helpful there.

I think I would be sure to have someone who can hear stereo reason-check any work that I did based on any of the above, though.

cokomairena

I have no idea how to explain stereo because it is a "psychological" phenomenon.

edit: I do have a recommendation, listen to both channels independently just to make sure you don't have some blaring mistake that you are not hearing.

I also have a preset on SPAN that shows me the side channel on red beside the usual mix:

I got it from this excellent video:

jacou

As I understand it. The wider the stereo perception the more differences you have on the L channel vs the R channel. You get differences in time, differences in frequency or completely different instruments. So my recommendation is to make great mono mixes (like some Motown) and in the end maybe put some stereo reverb on certain instruments to get some subtle stereo into the mix without risking too much.

Simon

@Lorichs said:
Being deaf on my right ear for 38 years is just normal in most aspects of life. I have my work arounds. But it really sucks when mixing and not knowing what the F people talk about when they say stereo.

Interesting problem.

I would guess that it is going to be pretty difficult for you to mix tracks in stereo. You can listen to the right channel and then the left channel to adjust the relative volumes and tones of all instruments, but getting the right "feel" of the spacial balance effect of stereo (where to "place" various instruments in the left-to-right field) would require hearing in stereo - I think. I am just guessing here with no expert knowledge at all.

You might be better mixing the track the way you want it in mono and then getting a trusted person to do the stereo placement part of the mix.

You might want to have a long chat with this person and get their take on "good stereo" and also you should brief them on your preferences and aims for the tracks.

Or you could go all "Phil Spector - Back To Mono" and do your tracks in mono

Lorichs

Thanks for the reply @wim @cokomairena @jacou and @Simon. You make good points. I need to get a plugin for Haas effect.
I have used the concept of mimicing the physical placement of the sound source. But it is easy to over do it. The lesson has to be that it is better to do to little than to much 😊

robosardine

I don’t bother about stereo at all. I tend to think that if it doesn’t sound good enough in mono then it won’t sound any better in stereo either. I don’t want little bits and pieces floating all around the place - that’s not fooling me, it’s just annoying 😀. I want it all coming at me - like at a concert or a nightclub.
I have a good Sony radio with a single speaker which I enjoy immensely (when the music is of my liking - anything from EDM to Simon and Garfunkel). I don’t notice or miss the absence of stereo at all. I have never listened to anything on this radio and thought.. ‘you know what - that was a great tune….. but it would have been so much better if only I could have heard it in stereo’

I would rather spend my time on composing than working on the stereo field. You don’t get stereo listening to an classical guitarist or a string quartet or a pianist etc …. and they can sound really good.

johnfromberkeley

My dad was a young high school jazz pianist in San Francisco in the late 1930’s and 40’s (how cool is that?)

Then he was drafted into WWII and lost the hearing in one of his ears in a tank battle.

He continued to play the piano all his life, but he could never hear stereo.

I can’t tell you how much sadness I’ve felt over how “surgical” this strike was, stealing the one thing he loved the most.

cokomairena

@Lorichs said:
I need to get a plugin for Haas effect.

As long as you check in actual mono sum that shouldn't be a problem, but I think you are ok without mixing in stereo, you don't need to fake it.

Telefunky

The hint above about adding a little (!) bit of reverb at the end of the chain was a good one.
It won't change the mix, but sound gets a more natural impression. 10-20% of reverb is enough.
And the depth of the virtual stage (decay time) can even be perceived (and controlled) with one ear.
No need to worry about stereo because that's automatically generated for regular listeners.

Simon