In recent research I have found that quite a number of engineers like to mix in mono first.
The claim is that it gives them better control over finding left/right slots for the individual tracks.
I would like to give this a try. Anyone know how to set up the master output for mono so that both left and right speakers are outputting the same signal.
That is one of the most retarted things I have ever heard. Which engineers are these? Check your mix in mono - yes. Mixing in mono first, then listening in stereo is silly.
R-click on the top of the master fader, and select Stereo Dual Panner. Move both to center.
Cheers.
use the control room it’s got a mono switch.
MC
Bobby Owsinski would be one example who likes to mix initially in mono. He has worked with Elvis, Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Willie Nelson, Neil Young, and Chicago. I guess he might know something.
Thanks - I’ll check the control room option out. Never had occasion to use it before.
Well, i think that approach is not retarted at all. At least 90% of all music on Earth is being listened in Mono.
Who sits always in the sweet spot of a stereo setup? Only we idots in our studios. 
Mixing in mono is crucial! Think about it….
Regards,
Paul
Huh??? 90%?? Umm, no.
Where does Bobby Owsinski say that?
Oh, and you are welcome, BTW.
“The Mixing Engineer’s Handbook” from Bobby Owsinski.
Btw, a very very good book. Lots of background information from the top of the pros worldwide.
absolutely recommended to all mixing engineers!
In this book a lot of the pros say that at the end they always check the mix in mono too!
yes use MONO mode in the control room mixer. many people also have a mono switch on their monitor level control device (mackie big knob,…)
i think you lot are retarted , it`s spelt retarded . chek yer spelin
So you are telling me, that in that book, Bobby Owsinski specifically says to start off by mixing in mono, and then go to stereo? Unless I actually see that, I am not buying it.
The thing that gets me is the above “finding left/right slots for the individual tracks” comemnt. If you are listening in mono, how are there left/right slots, if there is no left/right? That makes no sense.
Check the mix in mono - yes, absolutely.
sorry for misunderstanding 
he says: check your mix for mono compatibility !!
this could be in the middle of the mix, and in the end too, or everywhere during mixing.
Do it everywhere, or certainly where you know stereo or muliple sources are in use (multiple mic drum recording for instance). Years ago, I found out the importance of this the hard way, when having recorded a guitar in stereo directly from the Line6 amp that was used. In mono it is gone completely! Check it here if you like (starts at 0:14). 
“Mixing and Mastering with IK Multimedia T-RackS,” by Bobby Osinski, Chapter 2-Monitoring, Page 15 - “Listening in Mono” -
“Sooner or later, your mix will be played back in mono somewhere along the line …” "Listening in mono is a time-tested operation that gives the mixer the ability to check phase coherency, balances, and believe it or not, panning …
"Many engineers listen to their mix in mono strictly to balance elements together, because they feel that they hear the balance better this way. … legendary engineer Andy Johns (Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones, Van Halen, Eric Clapton) once told me, “This used to be the big test [mixing in mono]. It was harder to do, and you had to be a bloody expert to make it work. In the old days we did mono mixes first and then did a quick one in stereo. We’d spend eight hours on the mono mix and half an hour on the stereo”
"The late Don Smith (Rolling Stones, Stevie Nicks, Eurythmics) once said, “I check my panning in mono with one speaker, believe it or not. When you pan around in mono, all of a sudden you’ll find the space for something that was masked before. If I want to find a place for the hi-hat, for instance, sometimes I’ll go to mono and pan it around until all of a sudden, it’s really present, and that’s the spot. When you start to pan around in mono on all your drum mics, you’ll hear all the phase come together. When you go to stereo, it makes things a lot better.”
'Nuff said.
I see the confusion here. Yes, some elements can be checked in mono but probably not all and mixing from scratch is pretty rare. Mind you, Phil Spector never got into stereo as he reckoned it lacked the rock n roll punch.
I would try it but don’t be too precious about it and use it as one of the tools / colours on your engineering palate.
Checking the panning and the phasing is probably the most common use for mono as a mix tool.
Certainly check vocal and brass sections now and again in mono as you go.
Everybody has their own process for mixing. Some are manic about some things and some are not. If they are successful then it’s probably worth taking some heed, but you’ll find someone else who is equally successful doing it some other way.
The original question was simply to find a good way to get mono output from Cubase. It didn’t need to turn into some kind of slap-fest because of one person’s unfamiliarity with the concept of mixing in mono.
Yes it is my intent to use it as a tool to improve my mixes. That’s all.
That wasn’t a slap fest. J Hayat was just a bit doubtful is all. We just hope you went out with more than you came in with. 
Epilogue: In the end, I set up the Control Room in Cubase. It has given me the ability to switch back and forth between stereo and mono output at the “push-of-a-button.” Good suggestion.
An additional side benefit for those who use IK Multimedia’s ARC room correction is that the ARC vst can be installed on the monitor channel in the control room so that it doesn’t have to be turned off when exporting the project out to a .wav or whatever other file type is needed. This is very convienient.
Shooting your valid question down as “retarded” was in my opinion totally unethical in what’s
supposed the be a… wait for it… FORUM.
I hope you’re not too put off from participating in the future,
and good luck with the mono mixing, I’ve no doubt it will make your mixes stronger in the long term.
Hazy
Mixing in mono is a very easy way to make sure that your tracks aren’t stepping on each other sonically. I’ve actually seen this done a number of times in major studios and have read/practiced it. It really allows you to achieve more space in your mix because you can zero in on the mud and clutter easier while listening in mono… So yes, this is an actual viable form or mixing.
I’m missing a basic concept here - what does it mean to “pan in mono”? I thought “pan” meant to move a sound from one place on the L/R panoramic stage to another?
Thanks for any help -