... These days what I struggle with the most is making a mix that sounds good in both stereo and mono, because most people seem to listen on mono devices with crappy speakers these days (phones, iPads, etc.) . I come up with a mix that sounds good in stereo, but when I turn on the mono button something will be too loud, or not loud enough.
At some point in the mixing phase (after you got the panning the way you want) you should mix in mono only for awhile. I have also heard that EQ'ing in mono is an excellent way to get sonic separation since you won't be fooled by the stereo panning. Use professional tracks from your favorite artist as a reference tool. Note that they always sound good in mono also. Generally if it sounds good in mono it will sound great in stereo.
Really good points there. When I'm not in the middle of a client or personal project, I spend a lot of time "AB'ing" some of my favorite artists' songs. For those who haven't heard the term it usually refers to attempting to recreate a mix perfectly of a song you know well. The process really teaches you to LISTEN. I've learned so much from doing this. I may not use the exact process someone else used to create a song, but if I get close enough I usually learn a lot on the trip. By this time I have enough cover songs recorded from my AB'ing exercises I could release several albums...if I could afford the royalties.
I think a lot of folks tend to stick to what works for them, or doesn't, because they get comfortable with the process and don't really want to experiment with new things. Recording, mixing, mastering are extremely subjective after a point. There are literally millions of possibilities when creating a project. So I think you have to have fun with it. Experiment and learn to listen.
Thanks for your post. Some really good things in there to consider.
Bob
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