Making things mono compatible. – Production Techniques Forum

The thing that seems to be the hardest for me is making a mono compatible mix that doesn’t change too much when switching from stereo to mono.

I usually mix LCR with guitars panned hard left and hard right. And they usually are way too quiet when switching to mono.

My new plan is to mix in mono and then simply pan everything afterwards…. And if there’s anything too loud that’s been hard panned I could try using a mid side processor to lower the sides without changing the mono mix.

At least that’s what My head tells me. Haven’t tested the theory yet.

Have you mastered mono compatibility yet? What was the aha moment? I think I‘m still waiting on mine. Not panning guitars to the left and right might be another solution, but I like it (and in stereo it sounds good)