A perfect mix does not only sound good from your fancy stereo speakers, it also needs to work out from a single boom box. Learn how about making a mix sound in mono, so that you can concentrate on making a large sound.
How much did you make a mix that sounds great in stereo, but it crashes into a mono, and it crashes? Mono compatibility is something you have to take seriously when mixing, as this is how many of your listeners are going to hear your album. If the guitars twisted into the edges of your stereo picture vanish on a mono Bluetooth speaker, the way they interpret the track will greatly alter.
At a fundamental level, it is important that you understand the phase principle. Phase problems are the main cause of poor mono compatibility in mixes, so it is important to nag this idea. Phase problems can occur at the recording stage when many microns are positioned at different distances from a single instrument. How to avoid this is a different subject during the recording stage. In this post, I will mainly address how to recognize and repair phase problems when mixing.
Start Your Mono Mix
There is a lot of debate around mono mixing. Some people think you ought to start your mix in mono and then add stereo width. Others claim that you can simply check your mono mixture during the entire mixing process and fix phase problems as you find them. Truly, there is no best way to do this when it relates to personal choice and any approach gives you favorable results.
The start of a mono blend is helpful because it allows you to set your levels correctly and use EQ to massage various elements together. The idea is that you bring a phenomenal song into mono and only then start panicking elements and applying other techniques for stereo expansion. In the past, I used this approach several times and it almost always paid off.
The start of a stereo mix will still work, but you must be mindful of mixing decisions and how they affect mono-compatibility. It is also necessary to check your phase correlation metre frequently. Many people mix this way, even though it can be considered a more dangerous, sophisticated way of mixing.
At the end of the day, it is only by listening to it and changing as appropriate that the mix transforms into a mono. You may use a phase correlation metre to detect phase problems and use your ears. Be careful to recognize problems with phases before they get out of hand and will pay off by the end of your mix.
