Stereo or LR sum , when running mono ?

RDH

RDH

Fractal Fanatic
Just thought I'd see what most of you guys are using when running mono ? There have been some discussions in the past about it, some said LR sum causes some phasing issues, but can't seem to find them!
I've allways ran LR sum , but thinking about trying stereo left out! There are things I like about it and some I don't, wanted to see what's been working best for you guys? Any input would be Great! Thanks in advance!
 
A signal that uses stereo imaging will like have issues if collapsed to mono. It is probably best to use one side of stereo or copy left to to right.
 
javajunkie said:
A signal that uses stereo imaging will like have issues if collapsed to mono. It is probably best to use one side of stereo or copy left to to right.
Click to expand...

Hmm ... not sure I like the first option as I use offset stereo delays.

But, I (too) would like to hear more from the community on how folks manage the transition from stereo to mono gig applications.

Do most folks build separate presets?

JJ - are there any unwanted artifacts from copying left to right?

Is there a boost to the volume when you do that? E.g., from superposition into one channel?
 
copy left to right does exactly that: replaces the right channel with a copy of the left - no volume boost or anything. the right channel is just not present, and instead the sound from the left signal path is also coming out the right.

all of my presets are setup in stereo with certain stereo effects. i use a stereo setup on stage for me, but send just the left side to the mains. i've made sure that my presets sound good with just the left side though, so no "panning" effects, as it would act more like a tremolo (since the right side is simply not there).

i send the left only because it has the delay setting i want the audience to hear from my Dual delay (the right side is a shorter delay, i want the longer one to go to the main). i could easily just send the right side instead.
 
Seems to me if you want total control over what you are hearing and/or sending then you should just have a separate mono version of your presets. Simply summing the stereo or taking only the left side could give you dramatically different results.
 
Lots of your fancy stereo sounds disappear when summed to mono. Some types of stereo delays will cancel out and leave you with no delay at all. This can also happen even if you feed both sides to the PA. If it's a mono system (many large PAs are) or the sound guy pans both channels to center the same thing happens.

Always have a tested plan for playing in mono.

I don't even bother building stereo patches anymore. Its not worth it when it doesn't work at the gig.
 
I have 2 sets of patches. Mono for live and Stereo for recording. I dont ever use stereo live - it just doesnt work well in 90% of cases, unless you have a decent soundstage, playing thorugh a decent stereo PA, with an engineer who knows what he's doing, and your songs/sets are written for stereo guitar.
 
So, which is the "better" way to go mono: Sum L+R or Copy L->R ?

I just bought a FRFR powered monitor yesterday and today i've been translating my patches to work mono. Atm i use Sum L+R, but i'd like to know what others are doing with this kind of setup.
 
Easy rule to remember - Never sum. Nothing good comes from it.

If you have to, and you do not have to, copy l->r is fine. Just run stereo and take one side of it. Unless you are doing extreme ping-pong stuff, you won't notice it.
 
Scott Peterson said:
Easy rule to remember - Never sum. Nothing good comes from it.

If you have to, and you do not have to, copy l->r is fine. Just run stereo and take one side of it. Unless you are doing extreme ping-pong stuff, you won't notice it.
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I agree. I am fortunate enough to have had a stereo PA feed almost without exception. But many of my presets sound awful in mono.
 
I don't use stereo effects, but do use stereo cab blocks at times , and the thing that got me curious about this is ,when I run stereo (left or right only) if the stereo cab block is anywhere other than panned center the mix of cabs is changed(would be more so with copy left to right)! I ran stereo at last weekends gigs with cabs panned center and felt like it had better clarity than LR sum ? My imagination? I really haven't notice any phasing issues running either way, just seemed to sit better in the live mix. I think I remember a while back reading a lot of you guys were running one side of stereo, definitely remember Scott Peterson doing it,but might have been in Ultra days! Cliff , Scott , Yek , all you master Ax Men? which is best for you guys?
 
Ahh Thanks Scott! must have posted while I was typing!! That was the conclusion I was arriving at!
 
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