The Rolling Stones - "I Can't Get No Satisfaction" -- mono-stereo comparison

[ificandream]

I never have been able to understand how the Stones came up with such a great mono mix and such an awful one in stereo. (Top link mono, bottom link stereo)

[link:

&ab_channel=NothingLikeVinyl|]
[link:

&ab_channel=JohnDrake6|]

[Casady1]

1. Stereo

and mixing was still in its infancy. They were producing stereo for maximum channel separation of instruments vs a good soundstage .

[Hugh_Lebowski]

2. Because mid-1960's, records were recorded in order to produce a superior mono mix

because mono was how 95% of people listened to music. Stereo was a novelty and stereo mixes were kinda created 'after the fact'.

Back then in particular, you used different recording techniques when primarily looking to create a great mono version at the end of the process vs. a great stereo version.

Also, the process of making mono records was a lot better-known/understood than making stereo ones. Stereo was way more 'experimental' at that time.

I prefer listening to lot of Beatles in mono as well, for this same reason. I think the first record they made with a serious eye towards it's eventual Stereo sound was MMT, and even that one arguably still sounds better in mono.

Abbey Road is the only Beatles album I think is unequivocally better in Stereo, myself.

Sgt Peppers is cool in stereo of course, but I vary on which version I prefer from day to day practically.

[Docreed2003]

5. Agree totally on the Beatles in Mono

I think I read that the mixes the Beatles had a hand in we're all mono and the stereo mixes were done after the fact.

[highplainsdem]

10. Right.

[msongs]

3. one barely hears the acoustic sounding guitar strum on the mono mix nt

[brush]

4. I don't have the ear. Which is stereo and which is mono?

I sure do love those nasty guitar licks of the opening though. That's Keith Richards I take it?

[Docreed2003]

6. Yep...and he initially hated that fuzzed out guitar sound

[highplainsdem]

11. Keith had wanted horns used for that riff. The other Stones preferred

the sound from the fuzz-tone pedal. He was outvoted.

[Docreed2003]

7. This may be the first time I've listened to a side by side comparison

But the stereo mix is wildly off there...I haven't listened to any "remastered" version recently but I'd have to believe that they are closer to the mono version as that sounds more "true" to the song, at least in my ears.

[highplainsdem]

8. ificandream, the particular stereo remix you have there is not an official one. The

description says that the guy who has that YouTube channel remixed it himself, and he's done this with other records as well, according to the About information.

In this case he did "a slight stereo remix...of the original stereo mix." In other cases he used open source software to convert mono to stereo. He says he's retired and this is his hobby.

[highplainsdem]

9. Btw, I've skimmed YouTube videos and haven't found anything I'm sure is an

official stereo mix. I used Google too and found an article that had originally included the official stereo mix released in Europe, but that video had been removed for copyright reasons.

[ificandream]

12. The video I included sounds close to the Japanese CD I have ....

... that has the original stereo mix. I didn't notice this video had been remixed, but it's pretty close to the original track.

[highplainsdem]

13. Thanks! It's good to know it is only a slight remix. I ran across the info

about that YouTube user doing his own remixing because I'd checked the description for any mixing credits.