Mixing in Mono: Better Mix Outcome + 5 Reasons Why To Do It!

Mixing in Mono

Introduction

Have you ever finished mixing and mastering your track, felt great about the final result, only to play it on your phone and suddenly it sounds off or just plain bad? This is a common problem for music producers, and luckily, there’s a simple and often-overlooked solution.

Sometimes, parts of your music get lost when played through cellphones, car stereos, or radios because the quality of those speakers is very different from studio monitors, or they might only have a mono (single) speaker.

Mixing in mono isn’t for everyone, but it can have some great benefits. If you haven’t tried it before, we recommend giving it a shot on your next mix. Just drop a plugin on your master bus that lets you sum the left and right channels into one, and see what mixing in mono can do for your music.

We don’t suggest mixing every track, picking sounds, or creating new parts while in mono. Instead, use it sparingly and switch back and forth between mono and stereo during your session.

Mono vs. Stereo

Let’s start with what “mono” means in music production. Mono refers to a single audio signal, like one vocal track recorded with a microphone. If you add a second microphone on a separate channel to record the same vocal, you’re now recording in stereo.

That idea isn’t too complicated, but things get trickier when we talk about mono vs. stereo for mixing. If you record or import mono signals into your DAW (digital audio workstation), the signal is usually split evenly—50-50—between the listener’s left and right speakers. When the left and right signals are different in any way, the track becomes stereo.

What’s Mixing in Mono?

Mixing in mono isn’t just about stacking single audio tracks in your songs—though it can definitely be that. Starting your mix by listening in mono is actually one of the easiest ways to begin. This approach works whether your tracks remain in mono or eventually become stereo.

In fact, some producers keep their levels in mono through most of the mixing process. That’s because mixing in mono not only gives you clarity while listening, but also makes it easier to catch mistakes in your mix.

For example, mixing in mono can help you spot phase issues between different waveforms. Mixing entirely in mono from start to finish won’t work for everyone. However, staying in mono long enough to build a strong foundation for your mix is always a smart move.

Why Mix In Mono?

Mixing in mono is a smart move because a lot of people listen to music in mono. Think about it: many people play music through their phone speakers or use just one earbud at a time. Plus, plenty of bars and shops use mono speaker setups. Ideally, you want your mix to sound great in all of these situations—not just on studio monitors or high-quality headphones.

Mixing in mono can be a little tricky, but if you do it right, your results will be much better than if you only mixed in stereo. For example, music can sound amazing when you pan instruments with similar frequency ranges to the left and right. But if you collapse that mix to mono, those instruments might clash with each other. That’s why checking how your mix sounds in mono is so important.

What Problems Can Mixing in Mono Fix?

Let’s dive into the advantages of mixing in mono, along with the benefits of occasionally switching from stereo to mono to check your mix.

It forces you to mix properly

At its core, mixing is all about adjusting the relative volume of the tracks, their frequency content, and their stereo position. If you remove the stereo position, you’re forced to focus more on the other two elements, making it clear where things need tweaking.

If you have two tracks, one panned fully right and the other fully left, it’s easy to tell what’s happening in each because of the stereo separation.

But as soon as you switch to mono and both tracks come out through the center, if the volume isn’t set right or if more EQ or compression is needed, it gets much harder to distinguish what’s being played in each track.

It reveals phase issues

When signals are out of phase, they can cancel each other out. While panned instruments usually don’t have phase cancellation issues because each is coming from a different speaker, collapsing everything to mono can cause problems if those tracks are even slightly out of phase—especially in the low end.

A simple way to spot phase issues is if, when you hit the mono button, some instruments suddenly sound thin or there are noticeable volume changes.

The center of your mix will sound great

A stereo mix that sounds great won’t necessarily sound good in mono, but the reverse is true.

If you manage to create good separation between different instruments in mono using proper level adjustments, EQ, and compression, your mix will not only sound great in mono but will actually sound even better in stereo.

Less ear fatigue

When mixing in mono, you’ll find you trust your ears more and can mix at lower volumes. Mixing at lower levels helps reduce ear fatigue, especially when you’re working on a mix for hours.

More accurate instrument balance

Another big advantage of mixing in mono is achieving better balance between instruments. Just like the first benefit, listening in mono helps you focus and position elements more accurately in terms of volume relative to each other.

How Do You Mix In Mono?

Every DAW has a mono button. Simply turn it on and start mixing! When you’re mixing in mono, focus on the volume levels of the different instruments. You want everything to be audible, but the most important instruments (or vocals) should stand out.

To do this, mix in “top order.” What does that mean?

Basically, it means mixing by importance. Here’s how you do it: bring all the faders down, then turn each instrument up one by one, starting with the most important one. Most of the time, the lead vocal is the most important element. After that, the order of importance depends on your style.

For acoustic singer-songwriters, the guitar or piano is usually the next most important after the vocals.

• For hip-hop, it’s often the drums and bass.
• For rock music, it’s probably the guitars and drums.

You should also start with the most important part of the song. Usually, this is the section where the most is happening at once. This could be the second or third chorus (where the energy often peaks), the bridge, or a big instrumental break or solo. So just loop that part of the song as you turn up and pan the instruments in order of importance.

One crucial thing: when you mix in mono, it’s much better to use a mono sound source instead of a phantom image created by a stereo speaker setup.

When Should You Stop Mixing In Mono?

Do you need to mix in mono all the time, or only mix in mono? Not exactly.

It’s perfectly fine to mix your whole song in mono. But before you bounce the final track, switch back to stereo and listen to how it sounds. If you’ve done a good job mixing, you might only need to make a few tweaks in stereo.

You can also do it the other way around. Mix in stereo first, then check your mix in mono and make adjustments before bouncing your track. Or, you might choose to switch between stereo and mono throughout your mixing session. Either way, it’s a good idea to mix in mono at least some of the time as a reference.

If you don’t mix in mono at all, you’re not making sure your song sounds good on every kind of sound system.

Conclusion

Mixing in mono is an extremely useful technique to have in your toolkit. It helps you identify and fix phase issues, and it can also clear up muddy mixes. Mixing in mono is a great way to learn about depth in your mixes. In the end, this approach actually helps you create a bigger, more spacious mix.

Most DAWs have a channel button or a plugin that lets you sum your mix to mono. For example, Logic has the Gain plugin with a mono button, and Ableton has the Utility plugin. If you use Focusrite gear, the Scarlett MixControl also has a mono button.

You never know what kind of speakers your listeners will use to play your music, so the goal is to make your mix sound as good as possible on any system—whether it’s an expensive stereo setup or a cheap mono speaker.