Weirdness with mono on master output

[strikingtwice]

What exactly does the Mono stereo button on the master output in logic do? I thought it was just going to sum the tracks, but I started getting all types of weird behavior.

 

I had up the electric piano plug-in just for testing. The levels were all over the place and the sound was bouncing back and forth between my phones. I've decided to try with a mono source. I used a microphone on a mono track. Now, it is only coming out of my left phone. I figured that it would still be coming out equally from both phones because it would just be putting the same signal in the left and right.

 

I even tried a mono sampler plugin, and that had some very weird behavior.

 

There isn't a way to select L,R, surround on the Output 1-2 stereo selector like there is with the channel mono-stereo selectors.

 

What am I missing?

[Eric Cardenas]

Insert a gain plugin on the Stereo output and engage the Mono button there.

[David Nahmani]

First, keep in mind:

 

Output 1 channel strip is hard-wired to the Output 1 on your audio interface, cabled to the LEFT speaker.

Output 2 channel strip is hard-wired to the Output 2 on your audio interface, cabled to the RIGHT speaker.

 

When you route an audio signal to Output 1-2, it will reach those outputs whether or not there are channel strips present in your Mixer for Output 1, for Output 2 or for Output 1-2 (unless you start soloing channel strips....)

 

What exactly does the Mono stereo button on the master output in logic do?

It turns the Output 1-2 stereo output channel strip into an Output 1 mono output channel strip.

 

I thought it was just going to sum the tracks

No. To sum the left and right channel you'd have to sum them before they reach the output. For example following Eric's suggestion you use a plug-in to sum both the left and the right signals on an insert on the Output 1-2 channel strip, then you route that sum to both outputs so you can hear a mono mix in the center of your two speakers.

 

I used a microphone on a mono track. Now, it is only coming out of my left phone.

If you turned your Output 1-2 channel strip into an Output 1 channel strip and soloed something on your mixer, then Output 2 will automatically be muted - therefore you're only routing signal to Output 1 (=LEFT speaker).

 

There isn't a way to select L,R, surround on the Output 1-2 stereo selector like there is with the channel mono-stereo selectors.

That's because the Output 1-2 Channel Strip is hardwired to Output 1 and Output 2: you cannot route that audio to any other destination (you'd have to use another channel strip). Basically Output 1-2 is your last chance to manipulate the audio signal before it reaches Outputs 1 and 2. You can't use Output 1-2 to reroute the signal somewhere other than Output 1-2.

 

 

Hope that helps?

[strikingtwice]

Thanks. That all makes sense.

 

So if i'm making a sound effect that may consist of both stereo and mono sources, what is the best way to work it? From what it sounds like combining both of your ideas, i'll have to keep the output 1-2 stereo, put a gain plugin on that channel and then just delete one of the channels for a mono file?

[David Nahmani]

You could route the outputs of all your channel strips to a bus, make the Aux that receives that bus mono, and route it to the mono output "Output 1", and bounce that mono signal by clicking the Bnce button on the Output 1 channel strip.

[strikingtwice]

Thanks dave i'll try that. So is that the quickest way people export mono's for VOs or other things like that?