So I have some gears and instruments and they say that one Synthesizer I have should be connected in Stereo and not Mono, so I want to connect it in Stereo but the sound-system in the bar I want to jam in is working in Mono. So what's the point in connecting in stereo if the output is going to be in Mono anyway?
Also, I will buy Behringer Xenyx 802 and it has 8 stereo inputs, does this mean that I can plug in 8 different instruments or just 4?
The output of your synth is sending two channels, left and right, and depending on what effects or settings you are using, different parts of the signal will be on one side or the other. If you record the output of just one side you may miss signal that you need.
If your synth does not have a mono out in addition to the stereo output and you want to record tracks to jam to you will have to mix the stereo signal from the synth to a mono track so you can use it in a mono system like the PA
If you are using the synth live, then you need to send the left and right signals in to two different mono inputs of the PA and mix them in the PA.
The Behringer 802 does not have 8 stereo inputs. It has 4 channels for inputs, two of those have left/right line in. The system has a stereo left/right pan and stereo output. You can plug in two microphones and two line level instruments, or four line instruments.
You're not going to get the full range of any stereo signals in the final mix. That is, even if you plug L and R out into two inputs on the bar p.a., it's only going to produce mono, with exactly the same sounds coming from each of the p.a. speakers.
Which is a shame. A lot of the sounds I use on keys are much more effective when listened to in stereo. Hammond Leslie panning, stereo strings, vibes, for a start. Ping pong echo back and forth. If you only connect one channel - L or R - the p.a. will only receive info. from that channel. On some keyboards, one channel will sum it all, so at least no info. gets left out. Use the other, and you'll only get 'half' the sounds produced.
It may well be possible - I used to do it - to take a mono amp (as most are), and place that so it presents one channel, and plug the other into the p.a. Of course, limitations like space, or the venue not accepting 'messing with my sounds'.
By and large, the audience won't necessarily notice much difference between mono and true stereo, which is why a lot of things plugged into p.a. are panned central anyway. That, and it depends where the listeners are in the room. These days, I take my own small stereo p.a. and plug into that, with a speaker each side of me. That way, I get to hear what I like, but by the time it reaches audience members half way back, it's probably mixed itself to mono anyway!(Always preferred being in control, having heard too many 'sound guys' wreck the band's sound!) Yes good sound guys are worth their weight in gold, don't get me wrong.
So I have some gears and instruments and they say that one Synthesizer I have should be connected in Stereo and not Mono, so I want to connect it in Stereo but the sound-system in the bar I want to jam in is working in Mono. So what's the point in connecting in stereo if the output is going to be in Mono anyway?
Your synthesizer should work fine in mono. In this particular case, you are right - there's no point in connecting it in stereo. So just connect it in mono this time. You might want to check that the voices you're using work fine in mono.
Also, I will buy Behringer Xenyx 802 and it has 8 stereo inputs, does this mean that I can plug in 8 different instruments or just 4?
You can plug 8 instruments in in mono, or 4 in stereo. However, you don't actually have all the same facilities on all the channels on that mixer. channels 3/4 and 5/6 are stereo pairs sharing a set of controls, while it looks like channels 7 and 8 are just the aux return (which is a bit cheeky!).
So the mixer is best suited to mixing 2 instruments in mono and 2 in stereo.
