Stickist.com :: View topic - Any other fans of mono mode?

Captain Strings wrote:

Not a fan of mono when it comes to Stick. The output impedance always takes a hit and you lose the fullness that each of the outputs has when output separately. With an outboard mixer it's not so bad in that respect but I like certain EFX on the melody strings only - and the bass strings only. And you can't do that in mono, especially if you're taking mono right off the pickup block. I'd actually like to take it one step further and have the 3 highest bass side strings and the 3 lowest bass side strings have their own 3 string pickup. There's such a wide spread of not only note range on the 5ths tuned bass side but also a huge difference in string gauge and therefore ferrous mass that with a single magnetic pickup, certain EFX like compression don't react across the bass side strings evenly. Also because of the way bass + accompaniment can be played on those strings with the left hand, if they were divided, the 3 high strings could be EQ'd and processed to have their own voice. True, a triple output instrument would add another layer of worms as far as EFX and routing but it could still be done with a small mixer and 2 powered speakers. Emmett actually talked about the "3rd voice" idea a lot and he achieved it with a pedal that could selectively sustain stuff as he played and then he'd play over it almost like a momentary looper. When I told him of my imagined three way split pickup. He said: "Great - go build it - and make me one while you're at it."

Author:	paul [ Thu Apr 13, 2023 7:53 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Any other fans of mono mode?
I recently got an EHX Tri Parallel pedal to mix to mono. Happy with it so far. Stereo is cool if you're going to do a lot of processing but mono helps the two sides blend so well.

Author:	nashorn [ Mon Apr 17, 2023 1:59 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Any other fans of mono mode?
I played my Stick in mono for a while, I used a Boss Line Selector to mix the two sides. It was nice to use it as one big instrument, but eventually I returned to playing it stereo, because I missed using different effects for the two sides.

Author:	lagomorph [ Thu May 18, 2023 8:44 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Any other fans of mono mode?
I go back and forth. I run my Stick through an HX Stomp which has stereo inputs, so impedance issues are not an issue. I have patches for mono and stereo processing (that is, processing each side of the Stick independently, which can be achieved on the Stomp with a little signal path trickery), depending on what I want. I'd say 80% of the time it's mono though, I'm finding as I develop more and more on the Stick I tend to treat the entire fingerboard as a single entity.

Author:	earthgene [ Fri May 19, 2023 7:43 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Any other fans of mono mode?
Captain Strings wrote: Not a fan of mono when it comes to Stick. The output impedance always takes a hit and you lose the fullness that each of the outputs has when output separately. With an outboard mixer it's not so bad in that respect but I like certain EFX on the melody strings only - and the bass strings only. And you can't do that in mono, especially if you're taking mono right off the pickup block. I'd actually like to take it one step further and have the 3 highest bass side strings and the 3 lowest bass side strings have their own 3 string pickup. There's such a wide spread of not only note range on the 5ths tuned bass side but also a huge difference in string gauge and therefore ferrous mass that with a single magnetic pickup, certain EFX like compression don't react across the bass side strings evenly. Also because of the way bass + accompaniment can be played on those strings with the left hand, if they were divided, the 3 high strings could be EQ'd and processed to have their own voice. True, a triple output instrument would add another layer of worms as far as EFX and routing but it could still be done with a small mixer and 2 powered speakers. Emmett actually talked about the "3rd voice" idea a lot and he achieved it with a pedal that could selectively sustain stuff as he played and then he'd play over it almost like a momentary looper. When I told him of my imagined three way split pickup. He said: "Great - go build it - and make me one while you're at it." Genius.

Author:	earthgene [ Fri May 19, 2023 8:32 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Any other fans of mono mode?
Enjoying this thread, great to see so many options all working from the same instrument. Here are some of my thoughts on mono, dual mono and stereo. There is no right option, but it's the idea of having options that matters most to me. I have one of the ART PowerMix mixers - a great practice option, but i've found it's not gig-ready for me. The routing options with stereo also add some dimension for dual signal path instruments as well as a headphone jack out - you'd be very popular at a Stick event with one of these I like the expansive melodic possibilities of 2 independent signal paths, a single mono channel for the bass and full stereo for the melody side when playing unaccompanied. I run 5 channels for my solo event board, 4 on the melody (2 in full stereo) with ambient stereo effects and one for the bass side. It creates a beautiful sonic dimension that doesn't require too much trickery. When I'm playing the NS Stick, I play in dual mono. So, both sides mono with separate outputs for each side. There is less need for ambient wandering as I'm more focused on consistent and creative rhythmic interplay and the right hand is mostly optional. I use a Temple Audio Sum Mod module on both boards. The module takes 50mA and sums the output to a single channel if it detects only a single output cable is plugged in. This is great when used with a powered speaker for home practice. It allows me to use either my Solo event board or my NS board in multiple different stereo, dual mono or straight mono modes. Gary Jibilian is a gnarly mono NS player. I think it allows him to focus more on the groove, so it makes good sense if that is the intent. He also does a lot of looping, so that simplifies the signal pathing a little if you are playing in mono.

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Any other fans of mono mode? https://www.stickist.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=16534	Page 2 of 2

Author:	waltschwarzkopf [ Mon Jul 31, 2023 6:15 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Any other fans of mono mode?
I play exclusively in mono. I tried stereo at the beginning either by using two amps, stereo amp, or through a PA, but I always felt mono was best for me. MY SB8 has TheBlock with EMG which incorporates a stereo/mono switch, so it is very easy. My old policarbs had a Stickup, I want to install a stereo/mono switch, but didn't want to modify the original housing, si I made a stereo-to-mono cable with a TRS jack, which works wonderfully.

Author:	AnDroiD [ Mon Jul 31, 2023 6:27 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Any other fans of mono mode?
waltschwarzkopf wrote: AnDroiD wrote: Hey Captain: Being a 12-string DBR player I've thought about that. A lot. Make me one too. Could you share the string gauges of your DBR set? I know you're chomping at the bit, but I haven't gotten around to string changing (ordering) yet.

Author:	waltschwarzkopf [ Tue Aug 01, 2023 1:27 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Any other fans of mono mode?
AnDroiD wrote: I know you're chomping at the bit, but I haven't gotten around to string changing (ordering) yet. Alright, let me know if you do! So far I have official gauges for DBR medium.

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