Balancing mono?

Sometimes when I listen to a mono mix it feels like I have to adjust the balance control one way or the other (from the mid point position) to make it sound right, but since it is mono how could this be? Or is it just my imagination?

 

check your hearing.

 

stop moving your head while you listen, or re-toe you speakers

 

First thing, are you combing the channels by either a mono switch or double Y cords?
If you aren't it might be a problem with the record. (assuming it is vinyl your listening to.)
If you are and you have a tape deck, put it in record mode and see if the LED's match up. If there not even you might have a bad cable.

 

When you reverse the channels does the imbalance shift to the opposite side? Some LPs and CDs are not really "true" mono but were mastered in stereo - a mono tape transfered with a stereo playback head. I have at least a handful of LPs and CDs that "lean" to one side or the other. If it doesn't happen on every mono album and you've ruled out bad cables, it's probably the mastering. But if the same song sometimes shifts one way and then the other and at other times sounds fine then...do you have bad allergies or sinus problems?

 

First thing to check is that both your speakers are in phase - ie +ve amplifier output terminals connected to +ve speaker terminals. If ONE of these is reversed, then you will have great difficulty getting the vocals centred on a mono recording.

 

Does it happen with headphones, too? If yes, then something in your system (or your ears) is out of balance. If no, then it could be speaker cabling, room acoustics, or an unbalanced system.

Harry

 

CDs and modern records are mastered in two-channel mono. On a modern CD sometimes both channels are made digitally identical but sometimes they are not - as is almost always the case for older CDs. In that case it is up to the mastering engineer to ensure the levels of each channel are almost perfectly equal such that the image is practically dead centre when seated between your stereo speaker set-up. However, there are plenty examples where the image is very noticably off centre.

For pre-digital era LPs the off centre mono is very common.

I find that with compilations of mono material often some tracks will be off centre while others are dead centre. It is no surprise that the people mastering these comps don't have their own internet forums.......

 

There ya go! That's one possibility. The other is that some mono recordings just aren't balanced well.

 

Headphones or speakers, or both?

BTW, an experience exactly like this helped me discover a minor hearing problem, so check your hearing isn't a joke, actually!

 

couldn't have said it better myself.

 

Earwax! Seriously!

 

When the original poster said:

did I misinterpret the bit about it being "sometimes" off "one way or another"?

Unless the OP is having random hearing problems in both ears then I'm guessing it is the CDs/LPs wherein lies the problem..........

 

Right!

 

I'll bet you he has severe toe-in, if so, just the slightest head movement makes it seem crazy.