The spread function (bottom right of the UI) is causing major mono incompatibility/phase issues across my patches.
A great effect in stereo but when I check my mix in mono it takes a massive hit out of everything over 200hz. Rolling it back to 50% helps some whilst retaining the character but the mix still isn’t good in mono.
A 180Hz high-shelf EQ at +6dB regains some of the characteristics.
Any solutions? Or a SOLID idea of what it does so I can recreate it without the phasing artifacts? Cheers!
It’s just a knob that when turned to 0 gives you l+r mono signal. Like when you have a single mono osc playing and turn that to 0 the level increases due to summing.
Just make your patches less wide to begin with if you need more mono.
Some tips:
Use less Unision or detuning amounts on the patch, or less on a particular oscillator.
Effects such as Flanger and Phaser would only add to this as well.
Multiband compression can also sometimes really mess with your phase and can sometimes be the issue.
Loads of Reverb will also effect mono compatibility
Check if you have anything mapped with stereo modulation
Otherwise it depends on the patch/sound what approach may be best.
For example, if im making a bass sound, I might have the sub osc route Direct Out to keep it uneffected.
If it’s a piano sound, maybe I’ll detune it a bit less and have a secondary osc nice and wide instead.
Hope this helps!
Edit: just wanted to mention, the stereo knob is not a stereo widener - it’s simply a knob from mono (0) to full stereo (100) signal. Like @HermanVonElsewhere mentions at 0 it is the Left and Right channels summed together. Meaning, if your patch is not mono compatible at full stereo, it’s simply not mono compatible and will also not be mono compatible when set to zero. Hope this makes sense ![:slight_smile: :slight_smile:](https://forum.vital.audio/images/emoji/twitter/slight_smile.png?v=12)
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Thanks Larry and Herman.
Short answer: “Stereo Unison” found in Advanced Tab->Oscillator Options, defaults to 100%. Dialling this down helped considerably. I’ll do my best to combine mono compatibility whilst saving the lush stereo voice movements I had.
Long answer: As Larry points out to a lesser degree EVERYTHING is the problem. I can hear a negative impact to my mono mix with pretty much every stereo effect. Especially this tune, built around chorused and fx’d Juno brass sounds and big stereo (above 120hz) fx’d basslines. The hard-panned dual guitar amp sims are a particular killer
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I guess shifting all the FX out of Vital into inserts/100% wet auxes, heavy subtractive EQ, m/s processing. Tips welcome! I’ve found a plugin which offers frequency specific phase adjustments - MFreeformPhase.
To hear things as stereo there needs to be a phase difference, and that phase difference means you’re losing some information when you sum to mono. This is true no matter where those effects are in the processing chain.
Edit: oh tips? Go easier on widening stuff with unison, chorus and whatnot. Go for minimum needed for what you’re doing. Build more space with spatial effects like reverb. That way you get more mono compatibility and even your reverbs have more space to live in.
All great solutions @alxzndr !
My only tip would be that “if everything is wide, nothing sounds wide” meaning it’s usually the contrast between the elements that make something standout. For example; a mono heavy arp sound with a super wide pad/atmos, or a nice mono bass pluck, contrasted with a lovely chorus bass sound. best of luck with the tune!