Was there a Mono Abbey Road or not?

I have heard that there was no Mono mix for Abbey Road. I tend to
believe that.

However a guy called Mirror Spock, who has created some great
"remasterings" of Beatles albums using vinyl sources, has a Mono Abbey
Road available. Is this just a fold down???
If so, I doubt it is even worth listening to...

Sean Daugherty...

There was no official mono mix of Abbey Road. However, the Mirror Spock
bootleg is not a fold down. It's actual mix, made (presumably) from the
stereo release, with noticable differences in various places. It's not
a must-have by any means, but it's worth listening to if you have the
chance.

DanKaye...

Sorry, but I'm losing the fine point here:
What is the difference between a fold down and "mixing it from the
stereo release"? Isn't it the same thing? How can you make mono from
stereo without "folding it down"?

terra...

If you combine (sum) stereo channels into mono whatever was in the center
will be louder by a good 3db. It can also create phasing problems depending
on how the original stereo was recorded. Plus stereo usually has more
reverb to help fill the more spacious sound field, so this can also be a
problem when combined into mono, too much reverb/echo.

A fold down generally will combine the channels then eq and filter a bit to
try and mitigate the aural deficiencies.

A mono mix is a separate mix specifically made in mono. A totally different
animal.

Chris Jepson...

I'm curious -- how are these bootleg remixes made, anyway? I'm assuming
the bootleggers don't have access to the original master tapes on which
each instrument is isolated on a separate track... so I guess they must
have some sort of technology that allows them to "re-isolate"?

Chris Jepson

Sean Daugherty...

I'm probably not using the proper terminology here, but my
understanding is that a fold down is basically just a combination of
the two stereo channels as they are, without any further alteration.
That's not the case with the MS disc: certain sounds have been
emphasized or deemphasized, for instance. The key example is "Oh!
Darling," which is missing the piano from the final verse. I suppose,
technically speaking, every official mono album is a fold down, since
they were all recorded multitrack.... :-)

It's not authentic, by any means, but it's interesting. I enjoy it in
the same way that I enjoy the Dr. Ebbett's stereo remix albums.

DanKaye...

Thanks for setting the record straight.