How to force dual mono in 2.1

[jzoidberg]

Hello,

I'm trying to force mono audio in a video file with stereo. It only has sound coming out the left channel. With previous versions of VLC I remember right clicking and changing to mono very easily. This option seems to be missing in 2.1. Basically I want to force the left channel on both speakers. How would I do this in 2.1 please?

[Rémi Denis-Courmont]

The menu was renamed Stereo mode from Audio channels. It works the same way as before.

[packzap]

I don't think it does. Previously there was a "Mono" option under the menu Audio, Audio device (screen shot of version 2.0.8 below).



This allowed listening to audio content with the left and right channels combined into mono. A much needed feature to check for proper mono summing and phasing of the stereo signal. Also, mono is a nice feature to hear something in both speakers, if by chance only left or right channel content is present.

Please bring the mono option back!

[Cato]

It still works, but it is a bit more tricky now.

You cannot do it by simply right clicking the screen and opening the "Audio tab". Instead you have to go to "Tools" in the top panel, and then choose "Settings".

After settings is open you have to mark "Show all" in the bottom left corner, in order to open advanced settings.

After, that, in the list to the left - go to audio. Somewhere in the middle there is a line which says "Stereo audio output mode". By default it is marked "Stereo". However, you want to choose "Left" or "Right" depending on which speakers audio you want to force to become mono sound.

For me, I then have to restart VLC after having changed this, and thereafter it is forced mono sound.

Hope this works!

[packzap]

Hi Cato,

Thanks for pointing this out. However, this doesn't have the option for the full dual mono mode. That is the combining of the left and right channels into one mono channel. In other words, the left channel is fed to both left and right; and the right fed to both left and right. What you pointed out is no different then simply choosing Audio, Stereo mode, and then left, right, or reverse, from the main VLC menu.

We want true mono, dammit!

[AhhShark]

WHAT?????????

WHY WOULD VLC REMOVE MONO OPTIONS?

WHAT THE ***********************

[RichiePiep]

Hi all,

So far, I've been using VLC Player version 1.1.11 for only one reason: that I could instantly switch the Audio Device setting from Stereo to Mono for each bit of media I played.

Let me explain.

I'm partly deaf in my right ear, so with extreme stereo separation, like two people engaged in a dialogue with mostly one person on each channel, I often have to revert to mono to be able to understand what is being said, also professionally speaking.

Furthermore, there are a lot of videos on YouTube and elsewhere, which due to transfer from old VHS video sources for instance, have good audio only in one channel, or where you get panning effects ('channel hopping') between left and right. To be able to enjoy this with headphones, you simply need to switch to mono, also if you have perfect hearing.

On top of that, there are a number of pop audio recordings from the early Sixties, such as The Beatles, Kinks or Small Faces, which are either in fake stereo (high frequencies in one channel, lower ones in the other), or have just split up the two-track tapes into one track (let's say, vocals) on the left, and the instruments on the right. As you can imagine, this isn't easy at all on people's ears! In fact, for all Beatle recordings, the mono mixes were always the preferred ones, the ones The Beatles and producer George Martin spent the most time on.

Why this mono option was scrapped in later VLC versions is really beyond me. It's an extremely useful function for audiophiles and auditorily challenged people like me. It's really too cumbersome having to go to your Preferences tab every time to change back and forth.

Please restore the mono audio function as it was, as I find I can hardly stick to VLC 1.1 versions any longer, as it doesn't support more recent video formats, its plug-ins are banned by browsers as outdated etc.

Or at least please explain to me why this at least to me very strange and undesirable decision was made.

Best,

Rich

[Rémi Denis-Courmont]

Come on. The change has been explained already, a number of times on this forum.

If the speakers or the listener require mono downmixing, it makes more sense to force mono in Windows OS audio settings than in VLC.

[RichiePiep]

Come on. The change has been explained already, a number of times on this forum.

If the speakers or the listener require mono downmixing, it makes more sense to force mono in Windows OS audio settings than in VLC.

No, I don't think so. If it had been explained properly, I wouldn't have posted this. Please tell me where to find a good explanation.

So I can remap the left channel to right or right channel to left, but as I've said, this is cumbersome when just playing a few videos or audio tracks. And it isn't proper mono! What if the sound bounces between two channels? What if the music is a fake stereo recording?

As for the Windows OS settings, I have no idea how to achieve this. I have Realtek High Definition Audio. I can configure this to stereo, quadraphonic, 5.1 surround and 7.1 surround. Where's mono?

And allow me one general remark. I think it's very bad practice to remove useful functionality from an application in higher versions. Why? As it is, things change on the internet every day. This means you can't rely on anything, but fortunately VLC has been extremely reliable and versatile during all those OS, format and software modifications and updates. The so-called solutions I see to my problem are very cumbersome, ill-defined or don't create true mono!

You don't discontinue grayscale conversion from image manipulation software either, would you?

If it ain't broke, don't fix it!

Rich

[Rémi Denis-Courmont]

I am not going through this again. Your insistance amounts to trolling.

[Ludrax]

Come on. The change has been explained already, a number of times on this forum.

If the speakers or the listener require mono downmixing, it makes more sense to force mono in Windows OS audio settings than in VLC.

that is often not available or needed for only few tracks(like aspect ratio override)

Windows 10 has been released and like Windows 8.1, Windows 8, Windows 7, etc., does not have accessibility support for half-deaf people.
Does Microsoft have a plan to implement this accessibility feature at any point, or are we going to be subjected to this again?
I am not interested at all in a driver-implemented mono feature or a suggestion to use a mono adaptor.

As for the Windows OS settings, I have no idea how to achieve this. I have Realtek High Definition Audio. I can configure this to stereo, quadraphonic, 5.1 surround and 7.1 surround. Where's mono?

[RichiePiep]

I am not going through this again. Your insistance amounts to trolling.

As you can see I'm a new member, and I registered only because I couldn't find a decent answer to the problem I encountered. I don't want you to explain all of this to me personally, just provide me with a link to where I can find a solution. Dismissing it doesn't help.

Doesn't it make more sense to let the system deal with volume control too? Why do we need this slider in VLC? And if the video is too dark, you can adjust the brightness of your monitor, right? Furthermore, I really can't see how to achieve proper mono on any other level.

I happen to be hearing-impaired, as I've said, a situation I can't help and which is bad enough for me, and to be called a troll, or close to it, amounts to an insult on your part.

If you're happy to lose another customer, who has been very satisfied so far, and actually recommended VLC to all my friends, please go ahead.

Rich

[Rémi Denis-Courmont]

Doesn't it make more sense to let the system deal with volume control too?

Yes, it does. VLC 3.0 let the system do exactly that, and there is an option in VLC 2.2.

Why do we need this slider in VLC?

We don't need. It's just there for a mix of convenience and historical reasons. You can do the same with the Windows mixer or, if you have them, volume keys.

And if the video is too dark, you can adjust the brightness of your monitor, right?

Sure, that's what most people actually do.

But if it's video-specific, there is the argument that you should adjust the brightness of that video. If on the other hand, it's user-specific (as is side deafness), then it makes a lot more sense to set up the operating system properly (and pick an adequate operating system as well): there are no reasons to have mono for VLC only.

P.S.: You very much sound like a troll at this point.

[Rémi Denis-Courmont]

It took less than a minute to find the references:
https://forum.videolan.org/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=114005
https://forum.videolan.org/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=115203

[RichiePiep]

First of all, could you stop insulting me, my integrity and my technical skills?

I've been asking a pertinent question on this forum, and I can see hardly any solutions coming from the staff, only 'let the system handle this'. How and why remain a mystery to me. I also see a lot of users being angry about this loss of functionality. Simply ignoring this won't make it go away. And no, your links are not self-evident or easy to find, as the lack of mono was my issue, not surround.

I made it clear in my first post that I'm partly deaf in my right ear. This means I can enjoy stereo, but not always, e.g. when there's extreme channel separation. So as not to make this a private impairment issue alone, I also pointed out two examples where people with perfect hearing have issues: bad dual-channel transfers, which are quite common from converted audio and video tapes to people carelessly waving their handheld camcorders or smartphones around, and fake stereo or heavily panned audio tracks, which are again hardly rare in media from Disney's Fantasia (1940) to Shel Talmy's record productions around 1965-68.

This requires a quick player solution you can switch on and off, not a 'deep' system change.

Finally, if I read Jean-Baptiste Kempf's comment correctly, could the option return for future versions, as he says "It won't be fixed before 2.2.0". Well, we have 2.2.1 now, but could this still happen?

Rich

[packzap]

Unfortunately, in Windows most sound card settings do not have the mono option. Nor is the mono option available in the Control Panel, Accessibility options like it is in the Apple Macintosh OS. Therefore, being able to select (left+right) mono in VLC in the Audio, Audio Device menu was a godsend. Please consider bringing back this most helpful feature.

[register281009]

It is really a shame that this useful option was removed.

I have the headphones with a bad right ear (it is very quiet). So the sound in some videos is broken for me. There is no valid Windows options to solve this problem AFAIK and Audio filters in VLC make the sound really strange.
Making the sound mono in VLC would be very helpful.

Please consider bringing back this most helpful feature. By the conversation above I can see that the answer would be something like "buy a new headphones, you stingy little beggar". But I would appreciate this feature in the next versions together with a sufficient number of other users.

Best regards.

[Rémi Denis-Courmont]

Re the topic of this thread, dual mono is still supported and working as before. Select Left or Right in Audio: Stereo Mode (previously Audio: Audio Channels).

[register281009]

Thank you for the reply.

I am not sure about EVERY user in this thread, but for me it makes sense to make mono sound from combined both left and right channels.
I already have the right channel barely audible in my old headphones.
In case of dialogue current option lets me hear only right or only left person speaking, it would be cool to hear both sides.

This allowed listening to audio content with the left and right channels combined into mono. A much needed feature to check for proper mono summing and phasing of the stereo signal. Also, mono is a nice feature to hear something in both speakers, if by chance only left or right channel content is present.

Please bring the mono option back!

I guess working as before should include the possibility to combine left and right channels into mono.

Best regards.

[Rémi Denis-Courmont]

"Dual mono" is not combining left and right channels. Dual mono is using a single stereo audio track to transmit two separate mono audio tracks. This is (unfortunately) commonly used for multilingual content in some parts of the world (e.g. Mandarin on Left and Cantonese on Right).

It makes absolutely zero sense to down-mix dual mono to real mono.

[register281009]

I guess then there should be a separate topic like "How to down-mix stereo to real mono?" with a request to bring back a useful feature that makes no sense?
I believe that this request is already conveyed in this topic and it makes absolutely zero sense to multiply it. Am I wrong?

All I need to know is that this request is understood (and not how stupid and unreasonable it is), it is not like I want to bother anybody. If it is not stated clear enough, I can try to be more understandable.

Best regards.

[Rémi Denis-Courmont]

That's a different topic and has been covered at great length already, notably here https://forum.videolan.org/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=115195

[soundwaive]

I am using Windows XP SP3, regular stereo speakers with subwoofer / headphones, and VLC 2.2.1.

After updating VLC a long time ago, I experienced the same problem changing the audio to mono and have failed to find a workaround on my own. I will explain a typical scenario and what I tried to remedy the problem.



Here is my example:

A video has imbalanced audio due to incorrect channel downmixing during encoding. That means that the source audio was 5.1 and got improperly downmixed into regular stereo. When played, sound effects and music are heard mostly in the LEFT channel while voices primarily come through only the RIGHT channel.

The older VLC can take BOTH channels and mix them together into true mono so that everything can be heard from both channels, equally. Channels are not discarded, they are mixed. The option to do it is easily accessible. A simple click or two and imbalanced audio becomes whole again with nothing lost.

The new VLC cannot perform this action. It can only force the left channel into both sides or only the right channel into both sides. It cannot combine both channels into one true mono stream that outputs from both sides. No matter what option is chosen, an audio channel will be discarded. This is acceptable for certain circumstances, but not for the circumstance we have been trying to explain in this thread.



The Windows OS cannot perform this action, either. I will explain:

I can go to: Control Panel > Sounds and Audio Devices > Speaker Settings > Advanced > Speaker setup.

I can choose "Laptop mono speakers" from the drop down menu (it's the only mono option there) but it does not affect the way the audio comes out of the speakers/headphones. I can still hear stereo audio. (The list of options never made any difference even when I had a great soundcard and a 6.1 setup with true surround sound.)

I have found that similar settings in newer versions of Windows had no effect, either.


I have also tried 3rd party software which claimed it could perform the function we desire, with no luck. (Some 3rd party audio software even comes bundled with the audio drivers that might be able to do it but I do not have a soundcard/software combo that gives me a working option.)



I even tried this in VLC:

Tools > Preferences > Audio > Filters > Stereo to Mono Downmixer.

It gives only the option to keep a single audio channel and discards the rest. Doesn't matter if I chose Left, Center, or Right... Or if I enable/disable the downmix algorithm... This mono downmixing filter only produces garbled distorted audio for me (though I have plenty of CPU power and RAM to spare while it plays, so I know it's not my machine's performance).


Therefore, unless we get really lucky with 3rd party audio filters, the original mono option in VLC must be reinstated or we must downgrade to older versions.


I have followed the links. I have read the other failed explanations which skirt around the real issue (plus, the original 5.1 audio option debacle is another can of worms which I will not discuss here). I am not here to "troll" or cause trouble, so please do not be dismissive in a negative way. I simply wanted to constructively add to this discussion and I want this issue to get the attention it deserves from people who actually understand what is going on. It's so easy to understand and I know of no other way to explain it. The computers and the users are not at fault. VLC's functionality has been hindered. This is a fact which cannot be argued. Once fixed, we will no longer need to complain about it. My logic is sound (pun intended).

[Rémi Denis-Courmont]

Actually the "fact that cannot be argued" is that VLC functionality has been enhanced. The Audio device sub-menu now does what it actually means and what it always was intended to do. Changing device is essential on modern computers, where multiple audio output devices are the norm (analog, HDMI, Bluetooth, etc).

And contrary to popular conspiracy theory, the Stereo mode sub-menu did not change in any ways from the Audio channels sub-menu, other than the name.

[dvoice]

Not sure why some seem to be so offended by asking these questions. Perhaps there is some misunderstanding

There are numerous reasons why a user such as myself has had difficulties playing a stereo file and would want to play a stereo file in mono instead:
a) any problems along the analog output chain- soundcard, cables, mixer/amp, speakers
b) less than ideal stereo listening conditions- from small room to large venue, very few spots are equidistant from the speakers, hence it is possible to miss "information". (Most clubs and bars actually play music in mono for this reason; when FM stereo radio signals are weak, they revert to mono).
c) as mentioned, poor initial recording or mix balance
d) checking overall balance in mixdowns
e) physical issues with headphones
etc.