Mixing for mono compatibility

Follow these tips to get a mix that sounds good in stereo and mono…

The majority of club and festival soundsystems output stereo signals in mono. And if you’re stood in one of the rare clubs that does have a stereo speaker setup, you’ll probably be so close to one speaker that it may as well be in mono anyway! One of the most important factors when mixing dance music, therefore, is to ensure that your track sounds amazing in mono before you even test it in the club.

However, today’s club mixes must also sound fantastic when played on the radio or heard through two-channel headphones, which is why mixing in stereo is still the norm. But dazzling stereo mix techniques often involve processes that knock signals out of phase, resulting in phase cancellation and a weak mono mix. The only way to overcome this frustrating paradox is to create a mixdown that sounds lovely in stereo, but also solid in mono – no mean feat. With that in mind, here are three pro tips to ensure your mix straddles that line perfectly.

Before writing a club tune, place a utility plugin on your master bus and regularly perform a ‘mono check’ as you work. This will help you get a grip on any stereo signals you import (stereo synth presets, uber-wide drum samples, etc), and tame out-of-phase issues.

When dialling in stereo effects, consider the importance of the element you’re widening. Can you afford to lose it in the mono downmix? Kick, snare, bass and lead should obviously stay reasonably centred, while special FX and incidental percussion can be wider.

To optimise your mix’s mono compatibility and aide the impression of stereo, focus on making only one mix element extra-wide. This will contrast against the other centrallypanned elements, giving you both mono power and a stereo focal point for headphone listeners.