Recording only plays in one earbud? Make it mono so both ears hear it
Processed in your browser. Nothing is uploaded. Checked against sources on 16 Oct 2026.A microphone plugged into the wrong input often records onto only the left or right channel, so the file plays in one ear. Mixing to mono puts the same sound in both ears on every phone and earbud. The page measures each channel first: when one side is silent it suggests keeping the side with sound instead, which avoids the mix being 6 dB quieter. Nothing is uploaded.
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Most voice recordings gain nothing from two channels, and some are actively broken by them: a lapel microphone recorded onto the left only, a podcast guest heard in one ear, a phone call recorded with sides reversed. Mono also halves the size of an uncompressed file.
Why an average. Adding the channels would double the level of anything recorded on both and clip it; the average, (L + R) / 2, keeps a centred voice exactly as loud as before. A sound present on one side only drops by 6 dB in the mix, which is why the page suggests keeping that side instead.
Measured before the tap. Each channel's level is shown, and the page warns when both channels are identical (already mono in a stereo file), when one side is silent, or when the mix comes out at least 6 dB quieter than the louder side, the sign of channels that cancel because one is phase-inverted.
The rest of the article, and all 6 questions about Stereo to Mono Converter, are on the Stereo to Mono Converter page.
Drop the file on Stereo to Mono Converter, leave Channels on Mix to mono and press Convert channels. Both channels are averaged into one, so the level stays the same and nothing clips. The mono WAV downloads at the original sample rate and is half the size of a stereo WAV.
The sound was recorded onto one channel only, usually because a mono microphone was plugged into a stereo input. Choose Left only or Right only, whichever has the sound, to get a mono file at full level that plays in both ears. The page measures both channels and says which side is silent.
If one channel is the inverse of the other, which happens with a miswired cable or some stereo effects, averaging them makes parts cancel out. The page compares the mix with each channel and warns when it is 6 dB or more quieter; keeping one side avoids the problem.
Yes. When the file has one channel, the page offers Mono to stereo, which puts the same sound in both channels. It does not create a stereo image, which would need separate recordings, but it suits players and editors that expect two channels.
Rates and rules change; check the source before you rely on a figure.
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Same job, other tools: Hz Generator – Type a frequency in hertz and hear it, from 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz · Frequency Generator – Generate a steady test frequency for speakers, headphones or instruments · High Frequency Hearing Check – Screen the top tones, 4 kHz and 8 kHz, ear by ear, then test higher with a tone generator · Audio Sweep Generator – Play a slow logarithmic sweep and hear every rattle in the room · Headphone Frequency Test – Hear where your headphones stop, by ear rather than by chart.
On the related tools: Mic Test – See your voice on a live waveform and hear it played straight back.