losing reverb in mono

[Dyno]

I've noticed when I listen to my mixes in mono that the reverb almost disappears. Is this a common problem with stereo verb? What's the best solution?

Thanks,
dyno

[tiger vomitt]

try flipping the phase of one channel on the reverb's return

not terribly common in stereo reverbs, but it does happen. sometimes a company will wire one output with its polarity reversed to make the reverb sound super wide. it's bogus tho. sometimes it happens inadvertently.

you could also just use one side of the reverb, making it mono and subsequently mono-friendly.

[NeglectedFred]

It happens to me even with my TC Natives plugin, not that it's completely gone in mono, but it fades drastically. I think it, as well as many other verbs, messes with the phases for more dimension when in stereo..

I often configure the plugin for mono, or only use 1 mono return from my verb units.. I find the end result is thicker if I run 2 mono verbs with slightely differing parameters than one stereo verb.. There are exceptions, of course.

[Dyno]

Yeah...if I just use a mono return and pan it to the center, the verb stays intact when mono'ing the mix, but then you lose the dimension of a stereo verb. I guess it's a trade off.

I have the same problem with recording acoustic in stereo...it always sounds like crap in mono no matter what I do; flip phase, different mic position ect.

Thanks,

dyno

[Professor]

That's kind of what is supposed to happen to reverb in mono.
When you are listening in stereo, you are getting slightly different information from the two speakers, and the reverb uses the stereo field to make the space seem larger. But when you collapse to mono, the entire sound field is reduced to a single-point source - so you aren't going to get any sense of a larger room. A lot of guys worry about having too much reverb in a mono mix because it makes the mix sound muddy with poor definition from the instruments.
I'd suggest mixing for a higher common denominator, rather than the lowest. Yeah, you could drop all your reverbs to mono, and if you're only mixing the verb in for color and not for space, then it's no big deal. But if you want space, then accept the fact that the stereo and mono mixes will sound different.
Personally, since almost everything I record involves acoustic instruments and the reverb is used for space first and color second, I am always mixing for that higher common denominator of the stereo listener. In fact, as I switch between mono and stereo, I tell the artists that what we expect in mono is for the image to collapse to the middle, including the loss of the 'room', but that we want to make sure none of the instruments are lost. Reverb is supposed to go away, but not the bass, or the lead guitar.

-Jeremy

[SKEETER]

Because most reverb units are in stereo, when you combine the left and right channel you get some phase cancelation, that is likely what is happening. The reverb in the right channel is likely out of phase with the one on the left. If you use the same delay times on your reverbs, change them, or change the style of reverb (for example instead of room reverb use small hall), and see if that makes a difference.

[covert]

To be a bit more precise, many reverb boxes use phase tricks to get a wide sound. Some of these cancel when reduced to mono.