[Stoner]

Could someone chip in and give a brief definition?

 

[PinkFloyd]

To listen to your music in Mono as opposed to stereo.

 

[gsferrari]

OK

Does this mix L and R or just send one through to both sides? which one is chosen? Have I got the idea wrong?

What is mono

I know its single channel but how do they get mono from stereo?!?

 

[PinkFloyd]

http://www.mcsquared.com/mono-stereo.htm

 

[sacd lover]

mono in this day and age = blend right/ left stereo signal into one signal. Mono BELIEVE IT OR NOT can sound more natural than stereo on many recordings. Originally mono preceded stereo and everything was in mono up until the early sixties. Some of my favorite recordings are the early Beatles mono versions of their first four albums. Mono doesnt have the seperation of stereo but it doesnt give you drummers with 10' arms either. I hear a more accurate spacial presentation(instruments and voices hold their positions) with mono but stereo opens up the sound and lets you hear individual instruments better. Stereo is obviously the standard unless multi-channel takes over(hopefully not), but mono can give you a sound that is much truer to the original recording; just not as flashy or exaggerated as stereo. I grew up listening to mono so perhaps I appreciate its naturalness more than most.

 

[PinkFloyd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sacd lover mono in this day and age = blend right/ left stereo signal into one signal. Mono BELIEVE IT OR NOT can sound more natural than stereo on many recordings. Originally mono preceded stereo and everything was in mono up until the early sixties. Some of my favorite recordings are the early Beatles mono versions of their first four albums. Mono doesnt have the seperation of stereo but it doesnt give you drummers with 10' arms either. I hear a more accurate spacial presentation(instruments and voices hold their positions) with mono but stereo opens up the sound and lets you hear individual instruments better. Stereo is obviously the standard unless multi-channel takes over(hopefully not), but mono can give you a sound that is much truer to the original recording; just not as flashy or exaggerated as stereo. I grew up listening to mono so perhaps I appreciate its naturalness more than most.

Plus you only need 1 speaker cabinet

 

[Stoner]

Kick ass answer, thanks guys.

 

[KR...]

Useful for Cds recorded in MONO

 

[krisbee]

Sorry to dredge up an old thread, but I felt I needed to explain why this switch exists, as I am trying to add one to my soon to be constructed cmoy amp.

The mono switch is used for when you listen to records originally recorded in mono. When you play a vinyl record with a stereo cart, it picks up clicks and pops in each channel, but when you sum the two channels with the mono switch, any variation in one channel is cancelled. Therefore, the information that is in both channels comes through, but the transient noise is cancelled out. So, to make it a bit more simple - surface noise is reduced. An added bonus is that the sound will become 3db louder.

If playing a stereo record, it will just sum the channels, and the mix will be wonky in some cases, which may not matter, or make a nice desired effect.

--Krisbee

 

[riffer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by krisbee Sorry to dredge up an old thread, but I felt I needed to explain why this switch exists, as I am trying to add one to my soon to be constructed cmoy amp. The mono switch is used for when you listen to records originally recorded in mono. When you play a vinyl record with a stereo cart, it picks up clicks and pops in each channel, but when you sum the two channels with the mono switch, any variation in one channel is cancelled. Therefore, the information that is in both channels comes through, but the transient noise is cancelled out. So, to make it a bit more simple - surface noise is reduced. An added bonus is that the sound will become 3db louder. If playing a stereo record, it will just sum the channels, and the mix will be wonky in some cases, which may not matter, or make a nice desired effect. --Krisbee

What if you play a mono record with a mono cartridge?

 

[t10]

LOL, I actually use a Stereo to Mono, 3.5mm to 3.5mm adapter at work virtually daily.

Not to be isolated from coworkers at times, I only use one earbud often in the office, and listening only to 1 channel makes you miss out too much. Bridging L and R channels to one mono for one ear works surprisingly well. Makes my day pass heck of a lot faster. Well that, and headfi

 

[krisbee]

Quote:

What if you play a mono record with a mono cartridge?

Then the switch isn't necessary. The mono cart only picks up the mono signal (side to side modulation).

When a stereo cart is used on a mono record, it picks up the "hill and dale" signal. This is a simple way of explaining it, but will work for the moment. Normally, a mono signal will still be present on the stereo cart, and pass along a mono performance. However, all that pop and crackle that is present on the left and right channel that is not similar to the mono signal will pass through. Flipping the mono switch will get rid of those transient noises that pop up in each of the channels, while allowing the mono signal to pass through. Now if the pop was on both L and R channels at the same time, it will come through, but usually small clicks will be on one channel at a time.

Since mono carts are designed for only for the side to side motion, most of this is discarded anyway. Flipping the switch might be fun, but shouldn't make a difference.

Oh, and if your stereo cart wasn't aligned correctly, I'm sure getting that signal dead in the middle is another reason you could use the switch (though, better time would be to align the cart).

--Krisbee

 

[zachary vex]

Quote:

Originally Posted by t10 LOL, I actually use a Stereo to Mono, 3.5mm to 3.5mm adapter at work virtually daily. Not to be isolated from coworkers at times, I only use one earbud often in the office, and listening only to 1 channel makes you miss out too much. Bridging L and R channels to one mono for one ear works surprisingly well. Makes my day pass heck of a lot faster. Well that, and headfi

excuse me, but if you use that adaptor (plugged into a stereo jack) you will short the right channel to ground and only hear the left channel in both ears. it's not a true mono adaptor. that has to be done at the mixer level. not at the plug level.

 

[nierika]

Is a good headphone feature for DJs to mix 2 tracks together by hearing stereo mixes in each ear simultaneously.

 

[t10]

Quote:

Originally Posted by zachary vex excuse me, but if you use that adaptor (plugged into a stereo jack) you will short the right channel to ground and only hear the left channel in both ears. it's not a true mono adaptor. that has to be done at the mixer level. not at the plug level.

I believe you are mistaken.

It bridges L+R channels, while having the same ground for both.

A simpe test proves this, plug this into your soundcard, connect headphones, move the ballance first all the way to the left then to the right, then do the same, with the adaptor plugged in.

If it multiplexed one channel into two, then when you move the ballance away from that channel, you would have NO sound in your cans, but you still do. Alas, it bridges L+R successfully into one juicy mono channel ;p