Converting vinyl rips of Mono to Stereo?

[DoctorDoodle19]

Hi everyone!
I'm new to vinyl, I'm used to CDs.
But when I got an album set recently called World Trip For Big Orchestra, I was so excited, only to find, the audio is Mono.
When I use Audacity to change the Mono audio to Stereo, nothing happens.
It says it changes from Mono to Stereo, but it doesn't.
Because when I put the original audio file in that is mono, it says it is stereo.
So here's my question:
How do you convert vinyl rips of Mono to Stereo?
I think the audio is Mono, but the hiss and pop noises of the record are interfering with the fact that the original audio without the hisses and pops is mono.
Is there any way around this?
If not, I can deal with it,
but then it gets really confusing.
Because tracks from this album have been redistributed to Extreme Music LTD, who are now putting this stuff on streaming services in PERFECT STEREO...
So did they just have a perfect, stereo record of this, untouched and unplayed?
It seems too good to be true.
So there has to be some way to do this, but I don't understand how.
I also understand there are "fake" ways to make something stereo, but I'd rather try and get the real deal.
Let me know!

- DoctorDoodle19

[LibraryGuy78]

Because tracks from this album have been redistributed to Extreme Music LTD, who are now putting this stuff on streaming services in PERFECT STEREO...
So did they just have a perfect, stereo record of this, untouched and unplayed?

I think they get the tracks in stereo via master tapes, i'm pretty sure they don't source the tracks from the Harmonic LPs since Harmonic licensed them from Brilliant-Musik.

[Lord Thames]

Yes, Harmonic were still releasing albums in mono into the early 70s, even if the original recordings were made in stereo - from a business perspective it makes sense as all their clients were still working in mono, but for people like me who want stereo wherever possible it's jolly frustrating!

There's no way of converting mono albums into stereo in Audacity - if it's mono going in, it'll be mono going out!  If you're working with a mono album in Audacity, always record it in mono (or mix the recording down into mono afterwards), it always sounds MUCH better. 

There are supposedly professional reissue labels who record tracks off mono vinyl with a stereo cartridge and don't fold them down, and it annoys me intensely!

[DoctorDoodle19]

So then, does anyone have these two albums, (or just the first one) who can record it in mono, so I can convert to stereo? I think that's what you said to do?

[LibraryGuy78]

So then, does anyone have these two albums, (or just the first one) who can record it in mono, so I can convert to stereo? I think that's what you said to do?

if it's mono going in, it'll be mono going out! 

LT said that mono LPs can't be made into stereo.

[DoctorDoodle19]

Ah, I see.
Were these LPs ever made into a stereo version?

[nidostar]

So then, does anyone have these two albums, (or just the first one) who can record it in mono, so I can convert to stereo? I think that's what you said to do?

Hi DoctorDoodle19 I'm not sure you fully understood LT's post. It may come across rather negative but no, it is not possible to convert a mono audio track to stereo. That is fact.

I shall briefly explain the background to this but I think you need to do some in-depth studying of audio recording techniques which I would expect are available on the net. Since the late 1950s recording studios started making their recordings in stereo. But they didn't always release the recording on vinyl in stereo. At the time most radio and TV stations would broadcast in mono simply because the technology wasn't available to broadcast in stereo. As a result record companies would release a stereo and a separate mono version of the recording. The mono version being preferred by TV channels and AM radio stations. In some cases the two versions were mixed down separately in the studio resulting in a very different version between the two. The best example I can think of to demonstrate this is to listen to the mono and stereo versions of The Beatles Sgt Pepper album. Side two the segue from Good Morning to the Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Band Reprise best demonstrates this. But many of Columbia's recordings of Sinatra differed in overall sound quality when comparing the mono release with the stereo one. In fact there are examples of Sinatra aficionados preferring the mono version to the stereo.

Since most of the broadcasters using library music at the time broadcast mainly in mono the libraries released their music in mono. Unfortunately once a recording is in mono there is no going back. It is not possible to recreate a stereo version of a mono recording.

[DoctorDoodle19]

This makes sense now, Thank you!

[jonno]

Thank you for your words of wisdom, Nido, always welcome & most appreciated! I love your reference to the iconic Sgt Pepper's Beatles classic album which will always be an alltime favourite!

[Mr]

Cool to hear you're getting into vinyl! And a great first pick

I'm not sure if this is what you meant, but just to clarify; even if the LP itself is in mono, as in this case, you could still record it in stereo. If you do that, you'll essentially have the same audio track in both the left and right channels.
If Audacity only allows you to record in Mono, you should check the settings, however. Stereo should be the default.

If you're used to CDs I understand that the hisses and pops might be a bit offputting at first, hah. Speaking from experience, acquiring a record brush or cleaning kit makes a massive difference. Unfortunately many library LPs weren't cared for very well, or have had long lives on dusty shelves (or worse), and need a bit of love to sound their best. It makes a bit of sense with how "disposable" they must have felt at the time - one of my Themes LPs has a big coffee stain on the sleeve.

If the record is in mono, why record it in stereo? Well, if a mono record is in particularly bad shape, this can actually be rather useful, as the left and right channel (though having the same audio) aren't necessarily noisy at the exact same times - so you can edit/switch between the two and generate a superior whole from two inferior "halves", so to speak.

[DoctorDoodle19]

As a note - I don't actually own this album, I just got it from the forum.
Which means that I don't know if the ripper of the albums recorded it in mono or stereo.
And if they recorded it in mono, I could ask them to record it in stereo, but I think they might've recorded it in stereo because that's how Audacity saw it, unless like you're saying that is a default setting.

[WSBG Returns Yet Again!]

As a note - I don't actually own this album, I just got it from the forum.
Which means that I don't know if the ripper of the albums recorded it in mono or stereo.
And if they recorded it in mono, I could ask them to record it in stereo, but I think they might've recorded it in stereo because that's how Audacity saw it, unless like you're saying that is a default setting.

Since the LPs I got were mono, I recorded them in mono, because the audio is more distorted and noisy when I record them from my turntable in stereo on Audacity.

[DoctorDoodle19]

Oh, I see.
Thanks anyways for responding!