logo Sign In

Despecialized mono soundtracks remixed to stereo

Author
Time

Forgive me for asking something possibly ignorant, but what has been done for these? Does it mean you’re using the stereo tracks as a basis, while retaining the unique sound and voices from the mono mix? Or is it a more comprehensive work, using the score, the separate tracks from the dolby and editing of your own?

Caligula’expanded OST, V2 Released
The Shining’s complete OST
Ghidorah, The Tree-Headed Monster (English dub synched to Toho cut)

Author
Time

It’s the mono soundtrack as delivered in the despecialized download remixed to stereo using the stereo/multichannel mixes as a guide only. But no stereo, multichannel, score, or anything else is mixed in, so it retains all the mono elements (extra dialog, timing, special effect sounds, audio levels, etc.) that are different in the mono mix, but introduces nothing from stereo or other sources.

Author
Time
 (Edited)

I don’t understand this at all. You mean you just converted the mono directly to stereo, which is… pointless? Considering receivers can do it with the push of a button and it doesn’t really do much of anything anyway since you can’t magically make two channels out of one? I can only see this as being worthwhile if you just used the mono as a guide, extracted the unique elements and inserted them into one of the stereo mixes and/or made a mix from scratch. Now that would be an interesting project. Forgive me if that is indeed what you did, but the way you are wording it is a bit confusing.

Author
Time

The value of the mono mix is not so much that it is a single channel, but that it is a different official mix, with different vocal takes used than in the stereo or multichannel mixes, different sound levels for certain elements, different placements in time for vocal parts, different special effect sounds, additional dialog, etc. I didn’t want to create a new “special edition” mix from scratch, but to enjoy the unique official mono mix, but in stereo.

I don’t know what “just converting the mono directly to stereo” means. Receivers cannot do what has been done here. If you can’t magically make two channels out of one, why do you say that receivers can do it? If I extracted the unique elements of the mono mix and inserted them into one of the stereo mixes, then it would be a new mix since the stereo mix has unique elements of its own. I wanted the official unique mono mix (and only that), but to present it in stereo. You can download and listen to one of them and see if you think I succeeded.

Author
Time

“But then it’s not real stereo, since the same audio would be heard in both channels.”

No, it’s stereo. Listen to it.

Author
Time
 (Edited)

MMiS, if you explained how you converted mono to stereo, people might be able to perceive the value in what you’ve done.

Author
Time

I think he’s saying he not only put unique elements from the mono mix into the stereo, but also removed bits of the stereo mix that weren’t in the mono mix.

Author
Time

Well, I’ve downloaded the Star Wars (ANH) mix and I think it’s just fake stereo. Sort of like they did with mono Beatles singles in America back in the early 60’s. “Duophonic”

Author
Time

Well that’s the worst possible then… Ouch. Seriously, just listen to it in mono, fake stereo is cancer.

Author
Time

Density said:

Well that’s the worst possible then… Ouch. Seriously, just listen to it in mono, fake stereo is cancer.

Are you sure it’s not an abortion?

Author
Time

TV’s Frink said:

Density said:

Well that’s the worst possible then… Ouch. Seriously, just listen to it in mono, fake stereo is cancer.

Are you sure it’s not an abortion?

When used in an ambiguous sense, cancer can be used to describe anything which spreads within something else and is damaging. But that still isn’t really applicable to mono-stereo conversions, so I’m not really sure what the intent was.

Author
Time

Darth Lucas said:

TV’s Frink said:

Density said:

Well that’s the worst possible then… Ouch. Seriously, just listen to it in mono, fake stereo is cancer.

Are you sure it’s not an abortion?

When used in an ambiguous sense, cancer can be used to describe anything which spreads within something else and is damaging. But that still isn’t really applicable to mono-stereo conversions, so I’m not really sure what the intent was.

Jesus Christ there are positives and negatives to this site’s obsessive nitpicking at everything, that’s for sure.

Author
Time

If it’s duophonic, it’s duophonic. If it’s stereo, it’s stereo. From what I’m reading this isn’t in any way either “remixed” or “stereo”, it’s “rechannelled mono”. In other words, duophonic.

Correct me if I’m wrong.

"Right now the coffees are doing their final work." (Airi, Masked Rider Den-o episode 1)

Author
Time

It’s not duophonic. Dialog is anchored in the center, while sounds and music are left or right or moving in the stereo image, just like the stereo mix. Eventually, someone will download and listen for more than a few seconds, and they will see. People have strong opinions of “fake stereo” based on prior encounters and attempts. If such preconceptions can be laid aside and this listened to with fresh ears, you may like it. Try it, don’t cost nothin.

Author
Time

I think people are just a bit confused. Your 1st post is just “check it out!”

It’s best to start a new topic with what you were trying to achieve and then go into a little detail how you went about doing it (what programs, what sources, what exactly you did). I think people are definitely interested in different things but we’d like to know the ins and outs.

What’s the internal temperature of a TaunTaun? Luke warm.

Author
Time
 (Edited)

Unless you have access to some pretty good filtering software, turning the mono mix into stereo would be very hard if not impossible. You have to have a way to filter each individual sound and musical instrument and then rechannel it form the single mono channel to match the left/right placement in the stereo mix. I’ve thought about this and the easiest way I’ve settled on is to take the best match Dolby Stereo mix and split out the channels and replace the center channel with a filtered version the mono mix where it differs and then clean the other tracks to make sure no cross over sounds from the stereo mix interfere with the new mono mix sourced center channel. That may prove nearly impossible, but it sounds easier to me than filtering the mono mix.