What’s the difference? Which is better?
Mono recordings, in simple terms, have all the musical parts competing for the same space. This means that all the sound is centered, resulting in a potentially "punchier" sound. On the other hand, stereo recordings split the musical parts between speakers, creating a sense of "space" as the music moves from speaker to speaker around you.
In today's music landscape, most recordings are made in stereo.
However, there has been a resurgence of mono with reissued records. It's worth noting that mono records generally have less impressive sound quality compared to stereo due to factors such as when they were originally recorded and the number of audio channels used during recording.
To understand this better, let's talk about audio channels. An audio channel is simply a source of sound—like a speaker or microphone. Mono utilizes one channel while stereo uses more than one channel. Interestingly, even if you play your music through just one speaker or headphone (even if it's a stereo recording), you essentially create a mono experience.
When audio is recorded, it can be done on multiple channels or just one—this is where terms like mono and stereo come into play. In mono audio recordings, all channels that make up the recording are combined onto one track; everything is on this single track. As a result, when you listen to a mono recording with both ears, you hear exactly the same thing without much layering or complexity compared to stereo.
Stereo recordings are different because they utilize two separate channels during recording. When listening to a stereo recording through speakers or headphones with both ears engaged properly (one ear per side), each channel plays completely different tracks simultaneously. If you were to shut down one speaker or remove an earphone from one ear while listening to a stereo recording, you would not hear the entire recording as intended, unlike with a mono recording.
The beauty of stereo recordings lies in their ability to immerse the listener more fully into the music by creating a spacious effect. In most cases, stereo recordings have bass in one channel and treble in the other, allowing for a more dynamic listening experience. For example, if you listen to Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train," you'll notice his opening vocals rolling from the left speaker to the right. This is a great demonstration of how stereo can create an expansive sense of space within music. Mono cannot provide that type of listening experience.
Ultimately, whether mono or stereo is better depends on personal preference and context. Mono can offer a focused and direct sound while stereo provides a wider sonic landscape. Both have their merits and are worth exploring to enhance your music listening journey. That said, if you intend to immerse yourself in a mono experience it would be wise to invest in a mono phono cartridge to get the best result possible.
Click here to learn more about mono versus stereo.
Billy Thorpe's recording of "Children of the Sun" is another great example of stereo recording technique.