Tracks for clubs - focus on mono or stereo?

[Vinor]

Hi all,
I have several questions:

-The tracks I am working on (Psy/Progressive Trance) are mainly for clubs so I would like to do my best to understand more about how to work WITH the sound systems in clubs and not against them.
I would HIGHLY appreciate if someone can explain to me what are the elements which are typically in mono (I.e. Kick, baseline etc.)
I am aware that everyone has their own way of doing music and what sounds good sounds good, I fully agree on the creative part,
BUT, although I like to do my music according to the way I see it, I still would like to make sure that it sounds right in a club as there are things which are known to experienced music producers and it would be great to learn it as well.
if delay on baseline will sound great on my monitors but will cause the baseline to loose it's punch and ultimately sound bad in many club systems, I'll choose the more consistent mono for the baseline.

- What about percussions, Hi-hats, pads, fx etc., I love using sample delay/ stereo delay/panning etc. as they obviously sound better then mono, but again, with regards to club sound systems and how they react to stereo, what is the general rule on using these effects?

- Subwoofer: I have Dynaudio BM6A which I'm very pleased with.
It might be a stupid question but it's still important for me to know so I won't buy something which I don't need (from a sound perspective only, nothing to do with money)
Subwoofers are an essential part of clubs and understanding them as well is very important.
I would like to know what is your expert opinion about if it's essential to have a sub in order to get the best mix for clubs or will it actually cause the mix to be less good as some claim.
(Erez Eizen from Infected Mushroom said that they don't use Subwoofer "I think that its really hard to tune a room with a sub.
so we work without."
I wouldn't mentioned it unless Infected sound was so amazing.

Thank you for your help!

[cron]

The vast majority of nights I've DJed at have stereo sound systems, although I've never played anywhere truly massive. The one time I saw someone have an issue was a friend's gig where the wiring was f**ked somewhere on a mono system and he ended up with no bass at all! I think the phase was flipped on one channel wherever the club did stereo-mono summing.

One thing you could do with your bassline if you want to ensure it still rocks a mono system is layer a mono sinewave underneath it. I tend to do my basses like this. Since the complexity in bass sounds is almost always in the mid-range, you can filter off the very bottom end of the main bass sound and then use a super-low mono sine underneath to fill it out. This also means you can apply pretty much any effect you please to the higher bass part without worrying too much about mono systems.

[geroyannis]

Make sure your tracks work in mono. I would go as far as saying you should deliver them in mono format. Few people in a club have the fortune to stand at the sweet spot and experience the full stereo magic.

[maclean]

As far as mixing goes add stereo effects etc if you want, however ultimately check the mix in mono and make sure it sounds fine when played in mono - thats all there is to it really. General rule is that you should make the bass and low elements mono and as you go up the spectrum can introduce some width. I normally use izotope ozone to do this.

As far as the sub goes: the real problems with acoustics happen to the low end because the wavelengths are huge and can take big giant chunks out of each other in your mixing space. If you play a loud bass sine tone and move around the room you'll hear it getting quieter and louder as you move around. Getting a sub means you'll get even lower frequencies and even more untamed bass.

If you have acoustic treatment it could be an idea but without it your just adding more untamed mush to your mix imo.

A good mix is quite possible without a sub imo.

[Mike20]

Sorry to Hi-jack the thread - but it is related,

what about mixing practically all in mono, then apple stereo enhancement effects on the master?

I noticed in this track when i summed it to mono when the track kicks in, everything feels a bit thinner while when you put it back in stereo - it appears the whole mix gets bigger - i figured this could be mastered with stereo enhancements but i didn't know.. it makes sense to me but i don't know if thats how it was achieved?

This track - @1..16 -

Any thoughts?

Thanks!

[highkoo]

I would go as far as saying you should deliver them in mono format.

Wat?

[thecontrolcentre]

I would go as far as saying you should deliver them in mono format.

Psy-Trance in mono? You're having a laugh ... and presumably you mean dual-mono

[bigdaveo11]

Sorry to Hi-jack the thread - but it is related,

what about mixing practically all in mono, then apple stereo enhancement effects on the master?

I noticed in this track when i summed it to mono when the track kicks in, everything feels a bit thinner while when you put it back in stereo - it appears the whole mix gets bigger - i figured this could be mastered with stereo enhancements but i didn't know.. it makes sense to me but i don't know if thats how it was achieved?

This track - @1..16 -

Any thoughts?

Thanks!

+1.

[geroyannis]

I would go as far as saying you should deliver them in mono format.

Psy-Trance in mono? You're having a laugh ... and presumably you mean dual-mono

I don't go to clubs that play electronic music in general, but when in a club everything I hear is mono really. This is because of the placement of multiple speakers, multiple reflections on objects and bodies and of course the placement of me. What I hate though is when I'm standing close to a speaker and only listen to half of the information, you know, like standing close to a speaker carrying the left channel information when the cool background guitar licks are mixed mainly on the right channel.

I'm no Psy-Trance expert (at all) but I enjoy listening to some stuff and I understand how stereo sounds and fx are vital in this genre. I just doubt that these huge stereo sounds translate well in a club, that's why I suggested delivering a mono version of your track when possible.