Question about stereo vs mono effects live

Yes, if nothing else in the preset is stereo.

Yes I understand. But let's say there would be a digital stereo delay in the preset, it would just turn into mono right and as long as it is not a ping pong delay it would still sound good just be in mono instead of stereo?
 
Yes I understand. But let's say there would be a digital stereo delay in the preset, it would just turn into mono right and as long as it is not a ping pong delay it would still sound good just be in mono instead of stereo?
If it's a stereo delay, and the right channel is in any way different from the left channel, you will only get part of the delay sound. Will it still sound good? Depends on how you've set up the delay.
 
Yes I understand. But let's say there would be a digital stereo delay in the preset, it would just turn into mono right and as long as it is not a ping pong delay it would still sound good just be in mono instead of stereo?
In many cases, yes it will sound just fine. Only way to know is try it yourself.
 
i always run mono if nothing else because I don't want to confuse the sound person. This brings me to another point or question. when I setup patches using my headphones I usually use one of the studio reverbs and it sounds awesome because of the width it adds but really is there any real benefit even running a reverb except maybe for leads which a delay can works just about as well anyway in a live environment? Plus it sucks so much cpu. Do most of you use a reverb on all your patches?
 
i always run mono if nothing else because I don't want to confuse the sound person. This brings me to another point or question. when I setup patches using my headphones I usually use one of the studio reverbs and it sounds awesome because of the width it adds but really is there any real benefit even running a reverb except maybe for leads which a delay can works just about as well anyway in a live environment? Plus it sucks so much cpu. Do most of you use a reverb on all your patches?
I don’t, unless I need a specific effect, usually a LOT of verb. I think it just gets in the way as a “always on” thing. I’m already playing in a room, so there is natural verb happening, or the mixer can provide it if I need it (always on).
 
Still a little confused about mono/stereo. As I wrote above, I would like to keep my setting for output 1 at stereo at all times, because I run this at home. However, I will make two versions of my presets, stereo and mono.

Two scenarios:
1. If I run stereo output 1 and send two XLRs to the FOH, use no stereo effects, but stereo cabs that are both panned to the center. Will this basically be the same as running with one XLR and panned by FOH to one side, or could it still be different since the FOH could pan my two inputs to each side in the FOH speakers? Or perhaps this would give phace cancellation issues..
2. If I run the same as the scenario above, but with only one XLR, will there be any difference?
 
1. If I run stereo output 1 and send two XLRs to the FOH, use no stereo effects, but stereo cabs that are both panned to the center. Will this basically be the same as running with one XLR and panned by FOH to one side, or could it still be different since the FOH could pan my two
inputs to each side in the FOH speakers? Or perhaps this would give phace cancellation issues..

With both cabs panned to center both XLR outputs will carry exactly the same mixed signal. On the FOH it would make no sense to use both outputs, just use one cable and pan it to the center. Taking both outputs and panning them L/R would yield the exact same result. There will be NO cancellation effects caused by the FOH setup.

2. If I run the same as the scenario above, but with only one XLR, will there be any difference?

No
 
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1. If I run stereo output 1 and send two XLRs to the FOH, use no stereo effects, but stereo cabs that are both panned to the center. Will this basically be the same as running with one XLR and panned by FOH to one side, or could it still be different since the FOH could pan my two inputs to each side in the FOH speakers? Or perhaps this would give phace cancellation issues..
You're asking a bunch of questions all jumbled together.

@ChristThePhone nailed it. In this scenario, each side of your signal is identical. Left and Right are identical. You can call it stereo, but it's really just two identical mono signals. There won't be any phase cancellation or other issues. But they're identical, so why not just send him one signal? FOH can pan it however you and he see fit.


2. If I run the same as the scenario above, but with only one XLR, will there be any difference?
No.
 
If I was your soundguy I'd take the stereo signals of each guitarist and pan them as far as it sounds right to me. I want it to sound good at the FOH, so if u are a visitor and a soundnerd (like i am) go stand next to the FOH. No soundguy can make sure that ppl standing in the first row will hear the music perfectly (even with nearfields-speakers). If u are looking for even spread sound across the venue you would need cinema like acoustic-treatment and more than 2 speakers for sure!

So feel free to give the mixer/soundguy the stereo signal, but make sure its mono compatible (no Phase-Reverse between L and R).
 
In our band one guy plays most rhytm and the other melody lines on top of it. If both are panned to each side it can give a less than ideal hearing for people standing on the sides, whilst if both were stereo, both sides in the audience would get the full tonal picture. Would not stereo be the best option or is it too complicated to mix?
 
Easiest: both guitarist provide a mono signal, the sound tech pans them +/- 20% left/right to achieve some separation.

A little more complicated: both guitarist provide a stereo signal, again the sound tech pans the stereo signal 20% left/right to separate the sources.

This works as well with one guitarist providing stereo and the other one mono which is what we do. Never pan both sources hard left/right but just a little to achieve separation.
 
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If I have a preset with two cabs using stereo ultra res, and I only run mono live (sometimes I do not have the chance to run stereo). Will I still get the combined sound of both cabs, summed to mono, or will it by default only use one of them? The cab block is the last in the chain in the preset.
 
If I have a preset with two cabs using stereo ultra res, and I only run mono live (sometimes I do not have the chance to run stereo). Will I still get the combined sound of both cabs, summed to mono, or will it by default only use one of them? The cab block is the last in the chain in the preset.
That depends on how you’ve configured the collapse to mono on your AX8. You choose what will happen. And it also depends on how you’ve panned your stereo cabs.
 
That depends on how you’ve configured the collapse to mono on your AX8. You choose what will happen. And it also depends on how you’ve panned your stereo cabs.
By "collaps to mono" are you talking about specific settings in the I/O menu?

I am quite sure both cabs are panned to the centre.
 
By "collaps to mono" are you talking about specific settings in the I/O menu?

I am quite sure both cabs are panned to the centre.
If they’re both center then left and right outputs get the same signal no matter what you do.
 
By "collaps to mono" are you talking about specific settings in the I/O menu?
You said that you sometimes you run mono when you're playing live.

- If you just plug in one side of the stereo pair without doing anything else, then you're only sending one side of your signal to FOH.

- If you set the output mode to Sum L+R, then you are mixing both the left and right inputs, and sending both to FOH.

- If you set output mode to Copy L->R, then you are sending just the left side to FOH, no matter whether you're using the left or right output.

You set output mode in Setup > I/O > Audio.


I am quite sure both cabs are panned to the centre.
If both cabs are panned to center, then the output of your Cab block in mono.
 
So this thread got me thinking, I've been in the fractal family ,starting with the Ultra . Always had a great tone with studio monitors and head phones But live never could get what I wanted, its been a rabbit hole , oh maybe speakers ,maybe a new power amp. I got rid of the ax2 because of this.

So last year got the ax8, same thing , Live playing with a old ADA power amp with preamp tubes( had a matrix) and a stereo 2x12 cab. I've read (almost every thread ) , put a graphic EQ in ,put a perimetric eq, try this try that , another rabbit hole .I'm tone anal . I drive myself crazy ,spend more time tweaking than playing,45 years (Yes I'm an old rocker)

Then comes this thread,I stopped thinking stereo,I set my I/O to sum left + right, changed my effects to mono and went into a 2x12 cab with Celestion 75's .Its the tone I've been looking for. Not sure if it was what because running stereo with the speakers in the same cab .Alway had this maybe some type of out of phase thing going on. but never could get to sound like plugging into a tube amp with a bit of reverb, Untill I tried this .

I do keep the power amp on , no cabs of course. but tweaking has been narrowed down to just the amp main page.Two things happened to get to this point is I bought a used Marshall jvm 410h and this thread . Love my marshall, using the 410 in the ax8 ,have gotten confused which one I was using when playing with tunes .
 
Honestly, I went stereo on day one in 2015 just because of the enhancer block that I Always used.
In my last band we were two guitarists and my fellow was mono mic'ing a cab.
In the end at live gig we put him mono center and I was left and right using two XLR.
Worked like a charm, it's only a matter of sound level.
His rythm was dead center so everywhere and mine was L&R so center except when I used multi-delay and other stereo effects.

I couldn't think of a way to mix stereo and mono, if there are two guitarists and mono is enough then just go mono and adjust panning to taste.
Or both guitarists can be stereo like a guitarist + keyboard duo would be.

my 2c
 
Also, if your signal is stereo to the board and the sound engineer decides to pan your stereo signal to center for some reason it starts to sound wonky to my ears...mono just sits better in the room from each listener's location in the room....my 2 cents.
 
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