u/SureExamination5915

Looking for a technical perspective from people with real experience on large club and festival sound systems.

I produce melodic techno and I use stereo space quite aggressively: moving synths, L/R automations, wide layering to create density and unique effects.
At the same time, I’m very focused on mono compatibility (correlation under control, centered low-end, etc.), so it’s not random stereo usage.

My questions are:

• In real scenarios like big clubs or festivals (multi-stack / distributed PA systems), how much of the stereo field is actually perceived?
• Is the signal effectively summed to mono in practice, or does it depend on the system and listener position?

From a physical/acoustic standpoint:

• Do large systems behave differently across frequency ranges?
• For example, are there frequency bands that are inherently harder to reproduce evenly in the space (due to dispersion, phase interactions, distance, etc.)?
• Are there best practices to maintain impact and clarity on large-scale systems?

Goal is to understand how far I can push stereo design without compromising real-world playback.

If someone experienced in live sound / PA systems would also be open to a quick exchange or chat, that would be highly appreciated.