VST Mono

I saw some vst where they have the same name but on has mono after it. Do I use the mono on say bass and vocals? What I am doing right now is I don't use the mono at all. When do you use mono and when do you use the other one?

Plugins have virtual outputs that are analogous to those in real devices such as stomp boxes and amplifiers. Some have just one output and they are true mono effects. Some have two outputs, and when used on a mono track simply output the same signal to both sides, so they still work OK - with caveats.

Things can get weird when you mix mono tracks with stereo effects and vice versa. If you put a stereo-only effect on a mono track, you're basically turning it into a stereo track because in the virtual signal chain the outputs of the effect are stereo. Conversely, putting a mono-only effect on a stereo track effectively turns it into a mono track.

Sometimes these conversions take people by surprise, such as when a mono track doesn't seem to pan correctly because it's no longer a mono track. Or when a stereo ping-pong delay effect disappears after adding a mono-only amp sim.

You don't often get both mono and stereo versions of effects, but when you do have that luxury, be sure to match them to your track (unless, of course, you specifically want to convert mono to stereo or vice versa).

So in answer to the original question, yes - use the mono versions on things like bass and vocals.

Ok so I added Izotope Alloy to my kick and so I used the mono version of alloy. Now When I do that the kick's signal on the meters is panned more on the left. I use SD3 kick and in the mixers view it is panned center and so is the track pan. But when I add the alloy version without the "mono" after, it doesn't change the pan and stays center on the meter. Is this because when I set up the SD3 I checked the "All synth output stereo" and used the mono version of alloy?

Hey Dave, Thanks for the reply.

Ok I have done some checks and it turns out the wave form preview is stereo even with the fx bin bypassed and the interleave on or off. I did not freeze the track though, does that make a difference?

When I set my SD3 I did a check box on midi source (as I used my roland td9 drumset) and "all audio synth output stereo". So what I think happened is all my drum heads are now at stereo and not mono.

Ok thanks for the help Dave!

Many times I have listened to a "final" mix, only to go back and remove tracks and FX because they simply cluttered the mix and did nothing to make it better.

 
I spend a quite a bit of time on an fx adjusting it right  and after a while delete it because it doesn't do much. Though some of the smallest changes add up to make a good mix. It happens quite a bit

It's like sculpting: starting with a big piece of granite and chipping away everything that's not part of the naked chick inside.

 
Nice anaolgy

To see if the pan shift is real or imagined, freeze the track. If the waveform is mono, then it's all in your head. If the waveform is stereo, bounce it to split mono and compare levels. If still uncertain, flip the phase on one of the clones, solo both of them and bounce them to a third track. If that track is a flat line, then it's all in your head. If it's not a flat line, then it's a bug in Alloy and a question for iZotope!