The difference between mono and stereo audio lies in the number of channels they send to the speakers. Mono audio tracks send only one channel for all speakers, while stereo tracks send two different channels, one for each speaker. Most people today opt for stereo audio because it sounds wider, more detailed and much more realistic. But what is the difference between mono and dual mono audio? Mono is a single track.
When mixing, a mono track can be rotated forcefully to the right or to the left and anywhere in between. The dual mono format consists of two individual tracks that are usually shown on the left and right. Usually, they would have a shared sound source (for example, battery overhead) and could be placed on a stereo track inside a DAW. The stereo will affect both the left and right channels equally. Add 3 dB of gain to 1000? That will be done on both channels.
If you want to affect only one channel of the signal, use dual mono. This will most likely make it possible to switch between affecting the left channel and the right channel. In general, mono or stereo audio is not categorically better than the other. Both types of audio serve a purpose. And both have features that can benefit your listening experience and your recordings if you know how and when to use them.
Recording in mono audio is easier and more affordable because minimal equipment is needed and requires no advanced technical knowledge. This is done by recording the main elements of a track, such as the main instruments and the vocals, in mono and the other supporting elements in stereo. But keep in mind that the playback will take place in dual mono mode, in which the audio signal is simply duplicated and played simultaneously on the left and right channels. That said, if you use monaural or single-earbud headphones, have a hearing impairment in one ear, or perhaps you tend to share your headphones a lot, it's best to use mono audio. For example, you wouldn't expect to see a bass line recorded by DI and the lead vocals sharing the same track in dual mono (stereo). Since stereo audio offers more immersive listening and is simply more appealing to the ears, most people choose it instead of mono.
As Dr. Spock would undoubtedly point out, it wouldn't be logical to put these clues together in a jumpsuit, Captain. This refers to mono audio that has only one audio signal that uses a single audio channel for playback or recording. In this scenario, you may want to switch to mono audio to bring all audio layers to the foreground, regardless of which audio channel they play on. Other effects processes also use stereo and dual mono, but compression is probably the best example and the easiest to understand. One way to find out is to open the audio file in a program like Audacity to check if the file has two waveforms (stereo) or just one (mono).
But if that's the case, why do some people continue to opt for mononucleosis? Surely there are times when it's better to choose the latter, right?.
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