mono vs stereo

[thricegod1288]

Im a poor college kid, so I only have one mesa 4 x 12 cab

I have no doubt in my mind the stereo sound is miles above mono. But if i run one of these live with only one cab is it still

going to drop jaws and sound awesome?

 

[Dpoirier]

Yep.

In fact, the stereo features are of most benefit when recording, or for your own stage sound (ear candy), but the effect is mostly lost for the audience in a live situation.

 

[thricegod1288]

Yep.

In fact, the stereo features are of most benefit when recording, or for your own stage sound (ear candy), but the effect is mostly lost for the audience in a live situation.

thanks for the fast response

 

[randocaster]

I agree with Dpoirier with this too add. IF you have a stereo power amp. AND IF you are being mic'd through a stereo PA system, the concept of running your Mesa cab in stereo and running both sides through the PA panned hard left/right can make for some very cool effects at the gig. I run stereo FRFR in to the PA and for myself on stage with a pair of wedges. I love it!

 

[Sixstring]

I normally don't run stereo when I play but when I have the chance, in a hart beat I will run it.

 

[GM Arts]

I have no doubt in my mind the stereo sound is miles above mono. But if i run one of these live with only one cab is it still going to drop jaws and sound awesome?

I normally don't run stereo when I play but when I have the chance, in a hart beat I will run it.

You guys are gonna be disappointed. IMHO stereo is completely pointless in a typical club venue (and yes, I've tried it left/right, wide/narrow and top/bottom). Unless you're dead centre of the stereo image, you, and most of your audience, will hear sound strongly dominated by the closest cab. The end result is that most people hear LESS of your tone than if you run it mono.

It has it's place in controlled concert venues where most of the crowd are placed to hear the stereo image, and obviously for recording as well.

 

[craiguitar]

I always run a single 4x12 in stereo, mic it on both sides, into our PA. I love it!
Our PA is set to run the top end in stereo and the bass end in mono. (this is because Bass Frequencies are kind of omnipresent anyway, so there is little point putting them in stereo). Even with this setup, I still hear my delays crossing etc. Its a nice sound. Whether the audience could care less is another matter of course :lol:

 

[thricegod1288]

I always run a single 4x12 in stereo, mic it on both sides, into our PA. I love it!
Our PA is set to run the top end in stereo and the bass end in mono. (this is because Bass Frequencies are kind of omnipresent anyway, so there is little point putting them in stereo). Even with this setup, I still hear my delays crossing etc. Its a nice sound. Whether the audience could care less is another matter of course :lol:

total noob question

How do i run it in stereo with only one 4x12?

 

[InsideOut]

I always run a single 4x12 in stereo, mic it on both sides, into our PA. I love it!
Our PA is set to run the top end in stereo and the bass end in mono. (this is because Bass Frequencies are kind of omnipresent anyway, so there is little point putting them in stereo). Even with this setup, I still hear my delays crossing etc. Its a nice sound. Whether the audience could care less is another matter of course :lol:

total noob question

How do i run it in stereo with only one 4x12?

Dual jack plate on the cab. Wire 2 speakers to jack 1, and wire other 2 speakers to jack 2. Run L output to jack 1, R output to jack 2 You won't get huge stereo separation like speakers on either side of the drum kit etc, but it will definitely make chorus and other mod fx sound bigger. Wiring this way is also useful if you run 2 amp heads in mono. It's basically splitting your 4x12 into 2-2x12's.

 

[Muris_Varajic]

I always run a single 4x12 in stereo, mic it on both sides, into our PA. I love it!
Our PA is set to run the top end in stereo and the bass end in mono. (this is because Bass Frequencies are kind of omnipresent anyway, so there is little point putting them in stereo). Even with this setup, I still hear my delays crossing etc. Its a nice sound. Whether the audience could care less is another matter of course :lol:

They couldn't care less, spot on. :lol:

 

[GM Arts]

Dual jack plate on the cab. Wire 2 speakers to jack 1, and wire other 2 speakers to jack 2. Run L output to jack 1, R output to jack 2 You won't get huge stereo separation like speakers on either side of the drum kit etc, but it will definitely make chorus and other mod fx sound bigger. Wiring this way is also useful if you run 2 amp heads in mono. It's basically splitting your 4x12 into 2-2x12's.

This also messes up your speaker damping at frequencies where the left and right signals are out of phase (eg stereo chorus effects) which can cause some additional unintended effects. But really, if you like the sound then no problem.

You might want to experiment with a well sealed wooden divider inside the cab to separate left and right to effectively turn it into two 2x12 boxes inside the same cab. This should help tighten up bass response with loud stereo effects.

 

[Robboman]

I have no doubt in my mind the stereo sound is miles above mono. But if i run one of these live with only one cab is it still going to drop jaws and sound awesome?

I normally don't run stereo when I play but when I have the chance, in a hart beat I will run it.

You guys are gonna be disappointed. IMHO stereo is completely pointless in a typical club venue (and yes, I've tried it left/right, wide/narrow and top/bottom). Unless you're dead centre of the stereo image, you, and most of your audience, will hear sound strongly dominated by the closest cab. The end result is that most people hear LESS of your tone than if you run it mono.

It has it's place in controlled concert venues where most of the crowd are placed to hear the stereo image, and obviously for recording as well.

What he said! I don't know anyone on the local club circuit running stereo PA, so many rooms are weird shaped so it just wouldn't work. For your own 'ear candy', knock yourself out! I take more of a purist approach myself, stereo-izing a mono instrument with effects always seems a bit unnatural anyway. imo.

 

[Lopp]

+1 for mono live.

 

[6L6C]

+1 for mono live.

Me too!

 

[s0c9]

You guys are gonna be disappointed. IMHO stereo is completely pointless in a typical club venue (and yes, I've tried it left/right, wide/narrow and top/bottom). Unless you're dead centre of the stereo image, you, and most of your audience, will hear sound strongly dominated by the closest cab. The end result is that most people hear LESS of your tone than if you run it mono.

It has it's place in controlled concert venues where most of the crowd are placed to hear the stereo image, and obviously for recording as well.

I'm BLOWN away !!! A guitar forum where folks actually understand the futility of "stereo" guitar cabs for live use - in anything less than fully controlled concert environment (or recording). When I'm not playing, I run sound. OK - not for a living any more, but been on the tech end for 25 yrs. Lots has changed with technology and price in that time, but not [most] guitar players belief that stereo is good live.. until now !!

On other forums I've explained the reasons why stereo cabs do not work live 'til I'm blue in the face. Nice to see that folks here understand why its ineffective and lost on the average audience. I've lost count of the "discussions" I've had with guitar players who insist that a stereo split - one cab one the far side of the stage and the other near them, or two side by side - is nirvana. They just do not seem to grasp basic sound physics, stereo imaging and how sound is perceived by the limited audience inside the stereo image and its impact to those outside

Congrats on this post... 1st I've seen in yrs !

 

[Sixstring]

I have no doubt in my mind the stereo sound is miles above mono. But if i run one of these live with only one cab is it still going to drop jaws and sound awesome?

I normally don't run stereo when I play but when I have the chance, in a hart beat I will run it.

You guys are gonna be disappointed. IMHO stereo is completely pointless in a typical club venue (and yes, I've tried it left/right, wide/narrow and top/bottom). Unless you're dead centre of the stereo image, you, and most of your audience, will hear sound strongly dominated by the closest cab. The end result is that most people hear LESS of your tone than if you run it mono.

It has it's place in controlled concert venues where most of the crowd are placed to hear the stereo image, and obviously for recording as well.

No disapointments here... My response was more for my stage mix or at home noodling around. To me for guitarist running stereo is more of a personal enjoyment thing.

 

[sjaak]

I've been struggling with the stereo-thing for decades and the only time I got it right was with two amps two mikes and my g-force and no sound on my monitor
but a lot of the effect gets lost if you move a few feet
to get it ok for the audience you have too see it as two times mono
left and right sound both must be good sounds on their own
fractal and in-ear monitor did the trick for me but thats not everybodies piece of cake

 

[craiguitar]

1.Yes, I agree running a stereo rig Live doesn't really make a big difference.

2.BUT I think there is nothing wrong with doing so, if you wish to 'go stereo'
Many sound techs will either refuse, or agressively question you when you ask for L+R inputs, no doubt thinking you are a noob, or an idiot. (in the same way as when you tell them you have an Axe-Fx and are going direct )

3. I know many guys in bands local to me, and AFAIK, NONE of them are running a stereo rig, making me the only one I still refuse to alter my setup, just to join them.

4. Most of my patches are set up in stereo, and when I tried (Yes I did try to go) L+R Sum, something wierd happened to most of them. Levels differed, and some of them sounded 'squashed' somehow. I'm no expert, but I know I didn't like it.

So, although I say all of that as a way of qualifying why I choose a stereo setup in a live situation, I 100% beiieve it does not make me a bad person Please don't hate me

 

[MusicManJP6]

Stereo effects sound great when you are at home playing on your own or recording, but on the stage it seems best to run mono. The sound is just stronger and more consistent from all angles out front.

 

[Scott Peterson]

I've been a hardcore 'mono' guy forever it seems. The reasons stated above, quite well and totally accurately by GM Arts, are exactly on the mark. Anyone that's gigged a bit or ever run sound at all knows reality; and stereo is perceived only IF the listener is in the 'sweet spot' where both signals reaches them at the same time. Even places that run 'stereo' in actuality run 'dual mono' in essence, or upwards of 1/2 the audience misses up to 1/2 of the sound. If you are the right or left side of a 'stereo' mix in the audience, you do not hear the 'stereo' goodness. There's no one worth their salt with any reasonable amount of intelligence that can dispute that.

All that said, I set my patches up as stereo now; it sounds great when I am listening, recording, playing. When I play live, I just take the left channel out to FOH and my monitor setup. I don't change any output settings on the Axe-FX. It sounds great. I run direct to FOH, and in my presets (remember, set up in stereo) I pan my cab blocks (I run two in series) 25%R and 25%L so in the live mix from FOH or my monitor, you still hear both, though one is emphasized more than the other but I design my presets accounting for the cab I prefer on the left overall. Stereo effects (rotary, chorus, delay mainly for me) all work fine too. The same as stereo? No. Damn good and effective in a live context? Hell yes.

Reality says nothing is ever perfect; but the music I perform is about emotion, rhythm, melody and attitude. It's communicating on a very basic level with an audience. I don't play background music, so it's not about a hi-fi experience in the types of music I perform. Does it communicate what I want, the way I want it? Yeppers.

So I just play on.