Knowledge Base / ROUTING
Listeners hear audio on only one side
Separate a listener-device problem from a missing channel in your broadcast. Test music and microphone independently so you can locate the stage where one side disappears.
Reviewed · Follow the instructions supplied with your own rental.
Before you start
Use headphones, a familiar stereo track and a helper on another device. Note whether only the microphone, only the music, or every source is affected.
Compare the listener devices
- Ask a second listener to open the same supplied listening URL.
- If only one person hears a missing side, compare their headphones, output connection and device balance settings.
- If both listeners hear it, watch the left and right meters in your mixer and broadcaster.
- Test music alone, voice alone, and the combined mix. Record which test loses a side.
If the microphone alone is affected
A microphone is commonly a mono source. A mono signal placed on only one side of a stereo input can leave the other side silent. Check the selected input channel, source pan or balance, and the mixer’s mono-to-stereo routing controls. Centre the intended voice in the mix and make another listener test.
In Mixxx, its microphone guide distinguishes a single mono input from a stereo microphone input. Also check the interface’s monitoring controls: hearing your voice in both headphone ears does not prove the broadcast receives both sides.
If music or every source is affected
- Confirm that the source reaches both left and right input meters before the encoder.
- Check physical connections and the intended input-channel pair, following the audio device’s documentation.
- Compare another known-working track to rule out a one-sided file.
- Inspect pan and balance controls one stage at a time. Record a working setting before changing it.
Check it worked
Both listeners hear the music as intended and a centred, clear voice. Test the loud passage and spoken voice again after reconnecting or reopening the applications.
Keep stereo and mono decisions separate
Do not change the whole station to mono just to hide an untested routing fault. First establish which source and stage are missing a channel; choose your final encoder channel mode using your rental instructions and intended mix.