Mono compatibility?

[GaryG]

Does anyone bother with this in the ambient realm?

I guess due to years of reading mags like Sound On Sound, I have it drummed into my head that finished tracks should still sound good when heard in mono. I struggle with this generally, the sound design is often my first consideration and it feels a major compromise to reign stuff in just for mono compatibility.

Maybe I'm selfish; *I* pretty much only listen to stuff on headphones nowadays so tend to produce to that situation. Hell, a compromise to me is plugging the speakers in to check a track doesn't sound too wide in the open air... I'd wager too not much ambient gets played on mono AM radios either though maybe the rising popularity of bluetooth speakers should be considered.

[GregH]

Does anyone bother with this in the ambient realm?

I guess due to years of reading mags like Sound On Sound, I have it drummed into my head that finished tracks should still sound good when heard in mono. I struggle with this generally, the sound design is often my first consideration and it feels a major compromise to reign stuff in just for mono compatibility.

Maybe I'm selfish; *I* pretty much only listen to stuff on headphones nowadays so tend to produce to that situation. Hell, a compromise to me is plugging the speakers in to check a track doesn't sound too wide in the open air... I'd wager too not much ambient gets played on mono AM radios either though maybe the rising popularity of bluetooth speakers should be considered.

no - not only that I am happy to assert that it isn't mono-compatible (unless deliberately so)

[sup909]

Never has really crossed my mind to consider. I know it is often times discussed for EDM since many clubs operate in mono, but the way most Ambient is going to be listened to these days is going to be in a stereo listening environment. Heck, I would even argue that we should think about mixing our stereo mixes with Pro Logic II compatibility in mind since we could "fake" surround sound, since the average home listener would likely be listening on a home theater setup.