Stereo Imaging

[short skirt high heels 0]

I transpose connections so that if I pan the balance control of my mixer, the sound moves in the opposite direction on the speakers to that in my headphones.

 

I dare say that nobody on the dancefloor notices any difference but I think it is fair for them to be able to hear the stereo image "as it should be" if at all possible.

[Gary 0]

Different every gig for me...well...ok, there are only two options... Left in Left/Right in Right.... or Left in Right/Right in Left etc...

 

I've got two XLR leads running from my amp case to my system case...they're both the same colour...they get pushed into the two required 'oles...but...which way around? I don't concern myself unless something special is happening that night - eg: Two people on different sides of the room/stage will be using different mics, in which case, I'll use a seperate mic mixer with PAN controls on the mic outputs, and then of course, which speaker/channel becomes more important - as I'll PAN the mic of the guy on the left, to the left by maybe 30%, so the audience will hear the guy on the left, sounding more prominant on the left side of the hall (slightly)

 

 

[Corabar Steve 0]

Needs an I don't care option.

 

I run my mixer in Mono so the sound is the same on both sides. I think the only time stereo sound is important is when you are listening to something at your leisure on headphones.

 

People dancing won't care what side of the dancefloor a sound is coming from, what they might care about is if they are very close to one speaker (& far from the other) & can only hear half the song as a result of a stereo split. 2 not particulaliy mobile disco tracks that are very guilty of this are David Bowie - Space Oddity & Lenny Kravitz - Are you gonna go my way, next soundcheck play either with only one channel on & see how wrong they sound.

 

What about if you use a (single) L1 set up??????????

[digitaldistortion 0]

Needs an I don't care option.

 

I run my mixer in Mono so the sound is the same on both sides. I think the only time stereo sound is important is when you are listening to something at your leisure on headphones.

 

People dancing won't care what side of the dancefloor a sound is coming from, what they might care about is if they are very close to one speaker (& far from the other) & can only hear half the song as a result of a stereo split. 2 not particulaliy mobile disco tracks that are very guilty of this are David Bowie - Space Oddity & Lenny Kravitz - Are you gonna go my way, next soundcheck play either with only one channel on & see how wrong they sound.

 

What about if you use a (single) L1 set up??????????

 

100% Agreed!

[Dukesy 0]

What about if you use a (single) L1 set up??????????

 

Mono switch on the mixer?????????

:bouncy:

[DJ Marky Marc 0]

Stereo all the way... the music is in stereo so why would you run it in mono.......

 

but which way round dont realy matter as long as it sounds good...

[Kingy 0]

100% Agreed!

 

And I agree too.

 

The only exception is when PAing a band.

[Jimbo55 0]

Switching the left and right (wrong way round) would annoy me. Normally leave it in stereo unless speakers are not in a typical setup or a large venue. Lets face it we (usually) are in the middle of the two speakers so it might seem selfish but I like to hear the stereo image (admittedly the wrong way round).

 

Single L1 I use mono

[RobbieD 0]

I transpose connections so that if I pan the balance control of my mixer, the sound moves in the opposite direction on the speakers to that in my headphones.

The exact opposite of you!

 

I connect speaker so that the left channel drives the left speaker (for the audience). I'm sure it doesn't make any difference to the audience, but I'm anal about things like that! (I sometimes use mono if the speaker need to far apart, or point different directions.)

 

But I wear my headphones back to front! (I.e left 'phone on right ear.) - Mainly because I find split cue mixing easier having the incoming (cued) track in the right ear.

[norty303 0]

I always (with very few exceptions) run in summed mono.

 

Stereo is only really beneficial if you happen to be in the 'sweet spot' otherwise you just end up hearing the speaker you happen to be closest to.

 

If you go into a venue that has their own PA and does mainly bands, you'll find its normally in mono anyway.

[Andy Westcott 0]

I might do some expeiments with a summed mono setup......

 

As it is, I just connect whichever lead comes to hand into whichever input on the amp - I don't watch or care about retaining correct left-to-left connections, as it really makes no difference to the stereo image.

 

You might get someone who will wonder why the guitar on 'Radar Love' comes out of the left speaker at home, but came from the right at the disco, but I somehow doubt it.

 

The only thing I do watch is making sure the left amps go to the left speakers as seen from my position, as this helps with diagnostics should anything go wrong.

[Dynamite Discos 0]

This thread has made me chuckle! I have literally never clocked onto the fact that when i'm setting up and i connect hte "right" speaker to the right side of the amp i'm behind the setup and i am infact "transposing" as you so eloquently put it (or failing to transpose - it has been a long day in the lab!!! But i guess you're absolutely right! Not that i think it would make much difference but hey ho!

There you go...unobservent me!

[norty303 0]

Just to show how little difference it makes, i've had people who should know better come up and complement me on the good stereo image i produce from my mono system.....

[Corabar Steve 0]

I always (with very few exceptions) run in summed mono.

 

Stereo is only really beneficial if you happen to be in the 'sweet spot' otherwise you just end up hearing the speaker you happen to be closest to.

 

If you go into a venue that has their own PA and does mainly bands, you'll find its normally in mono anyway.

My point exactly.

 

What about if you use a (single) L1 set up??????????

 

Mono switch on the mixer?????????

:bouncy:

& if your mixer doesn't have a mono switch? (They don't all have them)

[Danno13 0]

Like Dynamite said.. i've never thought of it being the other way round for the crowd.

 

I've tried using the mono switch a couple of times whilst sound checking.. and to me it sounds dull, so I always run in stereo (but probably with L&R the wrong way round!)

[Andy Westcott 0]

Running in mono can sometimes dull a track as Danno has noticed, especially if it has been recorded in 'dual mono' or whatever they call it rather than true stereo.

 

For example, a ride or high hat may be set to come from the right, but by summing it will come equally from both, but at a lower level. Shouldn't in theory make a difference, but it does seem to.

[HalfPint 0]

Running in mono can sometimes dull a track as Danno has noticed, especially if it has been recorded in 'dual mono' or whatever they call it rather than true stereo.

 

For example, a ride or high hat may be set to come from the right, but by summing it will come equally from both, but at a lower level. Shouldn't in theory make a difference, but it does seem to.

 

 

Its a phase thing, combining two tracks can result in less. the reason is phase.

 

taking it to an extreme: if you have say a two cymbals, with one recorded with say a positive movement of the speaker cone, and on the other channel the other cybal has a negative movement. the combined signal is reduced because the two signals have merged and cancelled each other out.

 

Obviously, this is just an example and its never this extreme, but if a signal has been made in stereo then a small amount of this will exist and a summed mono signal can change the output as it was designed to be heard.

Edited January 30, 2007 by HalfPint