Monaural or monophonic sound reproduction is sound intended to be heard as if it were emanating from a single position. In contrast, stereophonic (stereo) sound is recorded and reproduced using two audio channels. The most notable difference between mono and stereo sound is that stereo sounds are capable of producing width perception, while mono sounds are not. Mono audio means that only one signal is sent to all speakers.
This can be beneficial if you want to bring all of the audio layers to the foreground, regardless of which audio channel they play on. Mono sound recording is done primarily with a microphone and only one speaker is required to hear the sound. When a listener is sitting in the center between two speakers, the mono signal will appear to be in the center of the plain between them. In today's era of technology, most signals are more compatible with stereo sound, rather than mono sound, which was widely used for radio transmissions in the past.
One way to find out if an audio file is mono or stereo is to open it in a program like Audacity and check if it has two waveforms (stereo) or just one (mono). Mono mode provides more power and clarity at lower frequencies; this can be useful if the track doesn't make the most of the stereo field and the bass frequencies compete with each other (if they exist on both channels). In places that have several speakers, such as clubs, cafes or restaurants, the stereo system can cause phase cancellation problems and therefore make mono the right choice.
