The Beatles - Stereo vs. Mono: What's the Difference, and Who Cares!?

[mc1382]

Stereo and Mono are both the same except for a few missing vocals or missing instruments or sound.

[gretschdrummer100]

Which is the intended way the Beatles wanted the songs to sound?

[kainthevampireduck]

@gretschdrummer100 mono up to what ended up being magical mistery tour.

the first two albums sound kinda ok in stereo because the mono mixes are just downmixes of the two channels, but a hard day's night and beatles for sale sound destroyed. the same could be said about rubber soul and revolver.

anyway, I recommend at least rubber soul, revolver and past masters 1 in mono, I dare to say "you don't know the songs" if you haven't listened to them in mono.

[DJGTechHL]

At times I prefer Mono on some of these songs purely because of the panning used in the stereo. Who is the guy that decided to pan an entire drum track way to my left ear? Do they know how uncomfortable that makes people's right ear?

[gunjabeans]

A lot of the stereo mixing was done without the 4 Beatles in the studio. It is my personal belief that George Martin and Geoff Emerick took artistic liberties to make ultimately good production decisions that would have been a source of conflict in the studio had the Beatles been present.

[oopsbabyhung4]

I think she's leaving home sounds better in stereo. to me it works better as a slow song!

[LennonHarrisonFan96]

I've got the Stereo Box Set (I got it the Christmas before last) and I asked for the Mono this just passing Christmas and I didn't get it.I saw it for $99 at a store and I'm saving up for it.I think it's good to get both the Stereo and Mono,even if they sound different like the examples you gave.This is a really good video btw,it was interesting to hear.

[Puch1969]

I'm so tired is sung by John.

[brodieman1999]

@Puch1969 Right, but Paul sings backing vocals.

[newfuckingwave]

i think the only way to really hear the beatles, at least up until sgt pepper, is in mono. all the creative effort went into the mono mixes is those days, and the stereo mixes were just put out to fulfill contractual obligations. i say this not only because i'm big on hearing things the way the artist intended, but because most producers from that era couldn't make a very good stereo mix. they just weren't used to it

[MattHatter]

@newfuckingwave I really think we the fans are going WAY overboard with the whole stereo vs. mono debate. Yes, the early songs, which were recorded on twin-track tape machines DO sound better in mono because there's just too much separation in the stereo, but when you get to "A Hard Day's Night" which were on four track machines, the stereo sounds fine. Stereo wasn't a record company conspiracy. You'd have to admit that "Revolver" is great in stereo.

[newfuckingwave]

@MattHatter mono or stereo, so long as it's on vinyl it'll sound good. fake stereo and mono fold-downs are a different story (of course those are also fun to hear once in a while . . .). i just think mono edges out stereo a bit, but everyone has a different ear. also to me mono sounds better digitally, but that ain't saying much

[MattHatter]

@newfuckingwave Oh I totally agree on that awful "DUOPHONIC" as Capitol Records called it. Feels like you're listening to a song standing at an angle! Now THAT was a record company conspiracy.

[TheHarmonicWheel]

Excellent!

[miniroll32]

This is interesting, but their have been so many re-releases of The Beatles albums that most won't recognise the Mono mixes. Also note that Mono and Stereo releases differed in different countries and years. I own my parents original LP's, all from the original releases of each and every album, and the 2009 CD's are spot on. I'd rather hear them in their original Stereo release.

[LaencinaMusic]

But I dont undertand, this means that are different takes of if I fell? how is that possible?

[MattHatter]

@LaencinaMusic Yep. Sometimes different takes were used for each mix. Maybe a different vocal take sounded stronger for the mono or whatever.

[WalrusMuffins10797]

She's Leaving Home is also in a different key... strange.

[JacobDoomGuy1994]

@WalrusMuffins10797 thats because too they pitched up the albums and sped it up a little faster.

[texs2007]

To this day nobody knows why "Don't Pass Me By" is faster in the Monophonic mix.

[beatlesfan464]

@W857TYWH408576NW0348 You're a dumbass.

[W857TYWH408576NW0348]

@beatlesfan464 why because i don't like the beatles?

[beatlesfan464]

@W857TYWH408576NW0348 Why are you on Beatles videos anyway?

[W857TYWH408576NW0348]

@beatlesfan464 stumbled into it.

[beatlesfan464]

@W857TYWH408576NW0348 Well you must have searched something related to it.

[W857TYWH408576NW0348]

@beatlesfan464 i looked up how to hook up surround sound. the mono vs stereo thing is the connection.

[beatlesfan464]

@W857TYWH408576NW0348 Why did you click this video?

[W857TYWH408576NW0348]

@beatlesfan464 was interested to see if it actually played something in stereo and then mono

[BeatlesGeorgeJohn]

may I just say, the thing with Im Only Sleeping and the backwards guitar.. Yes, there is a difference between the stereo and mono, but there was also a difference between the US and UK versions too, so technically there were four different versions of that song. Great vid tho, loved it. =)

[andy86i]

mono is great, but the quality on this video is not good enough to show off the immersive quality of the stereo.

[henrikhankhagnell]

mono sounds better!

[TheKenfig]

Don't notice any difference with Paperback Writer, except the timing of when the riff starts again after just the vocal harmony sections

[d347b2]

If you listen to music with headphones or earphones a lot, I'd go for mono. I can't listen to panned vocals in one ear without feeling ill after about 5 minutes.

Mono boxset + A Hard Day's Night in stereo + Help! in stereo.

Sgt Pepper and disc 2 of the Mono Masters are the most obvious improvements over stereo. Lady Madonna, Hey Bulldog, Paperback Writer, Rain, We Can Work It Out, Revolution, all sound so much more punchy and vibrant without the extreme separation of the parts.

[huntr7777]

From what I have read, the Beatles and George Martin did the mono mixes together, then George did the Stereo mixes by himself. This would explain the difference in "speed" to "She's Leaving Home" which led to a bit of friction between Paul and George Martin.

[sas147741]

The mono version kicks ass

[costan86]

I noticed a difference in Drive my Car too: in stereo version there's a cowbell on the right channel, that is missed in the mono mix

[kimonsk]

Conclusion: we must buy both stereo and mono!

[elVitor4]

wow cool

[LMTR14]

nice and informative video

[Raikaage]

I'm all for stereo, but to be really honest MONO sounds way better here. Maybe because it was made for mono and not stereo.

[roofrack101]

Fantastic video! Thanks for clearing things up

[MsAnnestube]

My daddy had a record from RCA that was from guitarist Django Reinhardt and recorded in the 1930"s but my album I inherited is STEREO! That"s RCA in 1938!!!???

[Gooseberry51]

@MsAnnestube May the recordings ar from year later... the final albums of JR are recorded in stereo but in the beginning of his career things were recorded in mon.

[hereinthebronx]

I'LL TAKE STEREO ANY DAY,ANY SONG!

[nightcrawler511]

in sgnt. pepper reprise you can still hear paul in the end in mono but barely

[nightcrawler511]

i prefer stereo it sounds more clearer and not so stuffy

[nightcrawler511]

then how come there aren't mono version of 'yellwo submarine,abbey road and let it be' ?

[Gooseberry51]

@nightcrawler511 At that time stereo was more common so there was no reason to have both mon and stereo versions of a record...

[MyVideoStop]

@nightcrawler511 Actually all the songs on the stereo Yellow Submarine album appear in other mono albums.

The title song is on the mono Revolver album. All You Need Is Love is on the mono Magical Mystery Tour album. All Together Now, Only A Northern Song, Hey Bulldog, and Its All Too Much, appear on Mono Masters.

[Dman31619]

if you wear headphones such as i am now you can slightly hear some things buried in the mix such as pauls shouting in stereo sgt pepper reprise

[ChurchillCigar]

I prefer stereo except for the first two albums.

[ledbeatle123]

Ohhhh yeah... Mono and Stereo mixes are great!!!

[gbaby627]

there are many differences between stereo and mono. The biggest one being that mono sucks

[superrengui]

i think i'l go for the stereo because it has got more songs

[SuperSonicJohnson]

Go stereo!

[hifijohn]

i believe the hand clapping in obla di obla da is because its out of phase. when you sum the two channels the cancel out.

[Malote8]

great job man!

[josgenesis]

For the firsts albums, the mono is better, because the sound of the beatles isn't big at this time, but when you listen the albums after sgt. peppers, stereo is better, because it allows you to appreciate the details of his albums, which is not restricted to just two guitars and drums

[meloveyou38]

@josgenesis I agree!

[cheergirl744]

so which one is closer to sounding like the original?

[Morahman7vnNo2]

I like Monophonic more than Stereophonic.

[M3town33]

@Morahman7vnNo2 I agree. Mono was a bit better.

[lapislazuli248]

@Morahman7vnNo2 What about Duophonic aka "making a mono taped and mixed album to sound like a stereophonic one"?

[Morahman7vnNo2]

@lapislazuli248 I like to call that Quasi-stereo.

Frankly, if I'm not wearing headphones or have a decent PAIR of (real) speakers then I can hardly tell the difference.

[heerserjordi95]

some things are missing in mono,some things missing in stereo.

but sterao sounds better. so i would go for stereo

[TheOneartist]

In Honey Pie, the guitar is actually there in the stereo, it's just not there in the 5-second part you put in the video. It seems like they just mixed the small bit of noodling out, and kept what was necessary in the stereo mix

I'd say The White Album is where stereo was a priority. Helter Skelter is one minute shorter in mono, and some of the songs, like Reolvution 1 and 9 (if you can call #9 a song) didn't have a unique mono mix.

Talk about being topsy turvy compared to the previous stereos.

[guitarlad89]

why are some elements added/missing to the mono/ stereo versions? couldn't they just be combined and get the best of both worlds?

[TheOneartist]

@guitarlad89 Because stereo was a marketing gimmick back then. It was required for bands by the labels to issue both stereo and mono versions, but nearly all artists and producers worked and cared about the mono versions. Then when the band was done, they'd walk out the door and let some engineers quickly put together an acceptable stereo mix for market.

For most albums this lasted until really late 1967/beginning of 1968. For singles, this lasted until later, more like 1969.

[TheOneartist]

@guitarlad89 Sgt. Pepper, for example, took 3 weeks to mix in mono and for The Beatles to be fully satisfied, while the stereo took just 3 days and was done without them.

John Lennon was especially frustrated later on about their songs only being released in "stereoized" versions. He called the stereo version of Revolution "a pile of ice cream", but the mono a heavy record.

The White Album had both mono and stereo mixes, but they actually worked on the stereo then, and I'd say it's much better

[sterbus79]

This morning I noticed a difference at the end of Hey Jude: the MONO version lasts some more seconds in which you can hear way more clearly Ringo's change of tempo that in stereo is much shorter because of the fadeout!

[Velvetaeroplane1]

Yeah I liked it two it was really good

[tbsva152]

Thanks for doing this! Really awesome. In my opinion I prefer mono version, you can see the real intention of the Beatles :)

[harrykemma]

Is there a part two of this ?? or are you gonna create one in the future ??

i watched the full 7 minute show

and i like !!

[capitolemiproducer]

Excellent, but check this out. America had some alternates too! All the Beatles Second Album (mono and stereo) had severe echo added. The mono version of I'll Cry Instead was re-spilced to last longer. I'M Only Sleeping has different mono stereo mixes (total of 4 mixes worldwide). I Am the Walrus single has 4 seconds of orchestra before "Yellow Matter Custard" Anytime At All mono mix has piano solo missing. Day Tripper Stereo missing a guitar on intro

[Anitrop]

This is enlightening. Thank you for posting.

[musickheroe]

so wich version you think is better?

[DeeckyCobennon]

Oh man... i'm not a purist, but seeing the versions in this way...

the "new" stuff clearly lose something... wow

[anderzom]

for me CARES! thanks greatttttt video! comparation!

[elodionocesa]

I just heard mono for the first time today, im switching to mono.

[apeshitdig]

Lucy in the sky with Diamonds has way more effect on the vocals during the chorus.

[youtubbs67]

Hahaha Don't Pass Me By in mono sounds really weird! I'm glad that's not the first version I heard.

[TPTGopher]

Another one on If I Fell (which, since I had it in stereo in in the movie and mono on the CD, was a WTF for years until the box sets came out) - John's opening is double-tracked in stereo, single in mono.

[nycjv321]

are you comparing both box sets? It might just be me but the stereo sounds significantly worse in quality...

[thrillerman83]

It seems mono was dominant in their early years, and starting with Magical Mystery Tour, stereo starting getting it's groove. I prefer the mono version of the White Album, but it has some slight, loveable touches in the stereo. Either way, it's the Beatles, and that's all that matters.

[stlydan]

thanks for re-posting. noticed it was missing from my favorites. has been saved once again. appreciate the effort you put into this. much prefer mono over stereo in not only Beatles music, but everything else. thanks again......

Memphis

[jakestardust]

this is awesome thank you for posting!

[DAWNED]

Wow....thank you ever so much! A lot of work must have gone into this but I really appreciate comparitive work like this. It also answers the question raised by all the reviewers, some of which I could not understand what they were talking about.

Great job!

[GeorgeHarrison00]

4:34 Paul is dead! really really dead! paul is dead right paul is dead right now! yeyeh you know that paul is dead!

[LadderEnterprises]

NOTE THAT IN HEY JUDE 2:58 YOU CAN HEAR JOHN SAY ****ING HELL. better in the stereo version. :D

[6arcsn1sky]

@LadderEnterprises Actually it was Paul who said that.

[LadderEnterprises]

@6arcsn1sky I DON'T BELIEVE YOU!!

[6arcsn1sky]

@LadderEnterprises Why should you since I read most articles say Paul said it.

[KaineSpawnX]

Glad you reposted this video! The different mixes are fascinating.

[harrykemma]

We want a part 2 !!! please?

[CookieetheWookiee]

I agree, make another one.

[edwardar]

Absolutely brilliant video! Please do another one with some of the more subtle differences!

[yourtubesteak]

All the little differences aside, in most cases, the mono versions simply sound more powerful. Sgt Pepper is a perfect example.