Stereo sound in clubs - rant

I fully understand why many/most clubs run mono sound. I’m starting to play out finally, and this is really on my mind.
My material has a lot of soundscape-y stuff that, while it sums well enough without disappearing, really loses life in mono.
I know there’s not much I can do about it other than organize events in certain places with hired sound that will run stereo, but I’m going to be playing a lot of places where I have to prepare my sets for mono, and frankly it’s really irritating.
I’ve read that there are big, well-funded clubs that run stereo for the main floor, and have mono feeds as fill-ins everywhere else. Same with some of the big festivals, from what I understand.
A LOT of what I listen to has wide stereo imagery throughout. Listening to some of it, when I hit the mono switch, the life goes out of it. Are these artists only playing out through stereo sound systems? Does it matter?
I’m just bitching here. I know how to prepare my material for mono, but man does that kill some of the spark.

oh man, if lack of stereo is your only woe wrt soundsysyems when gigging, you have been blessed with venues that have extraordinarily good sound :diddly: How about annoying bass resonances around 60Hz and poor low freq transient response, very distorted high frequencies, too loud/quiet etc

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More often than not when playing records in clubs I can’t hear a fucking thing but bass… most would never know how often djs are totally struggling and not able to enjoy it. But yeah, with most clubs I’ve been too in the uk, sound is still an after thought. Too much DIY culture (especially in Manchester) that don’t think about how to actually do it.

Watched venetian snares slag the system and engineer over the mic for half a set then walk off stage leaving his looper running in a certain basement venue in Manc during his last tour… this was a permenant setup too.

shocking that’s where we are today tbh. Especially with so many more engineers about… (tho most still make a living off engineering acoustic bands rather than electronic performances)

EDIT - sorry I realise this isn’t really what youbwhere getting at… I witnessed an argument at a festival last year between DJ and engineer who was saying all systems are mono… it’s a total cop out and lack of know how that makes this acceptable… I remember one room had just one huge stack of speakers (about ten foot high and wide) all on one side. :smile:

We do have some good engineers and systems in these parts. Competition’s tough; if you’re not good, you’re out quick. It just seems to be axiomatic - club sound = mono.
I messaged the sound guy at a place I played recently and am scheduled again soon. He’s a competent, friendly fellow, and his reply was the system was hardwired in mono and there wasn’t even a way to run my stereo mix. I’ve only been a studio eng so that was a new one on me…