Determine whether the problem is in the file
Try another pair of headphones and another recording. A damaged cable or playback balance setting affects many files. If only this recording plays on one side, the channel layout is a likely cause.
Keep the channel that contains speech
Open the channel inspector. If one channel has normal speech levels and the other is silent, choose the speech channel in the stereo-to-mono converter. Mono playback sends the recording to both sides on a normal player.
- Open the stereo recording.
- Choose “Left channel only” or “Right channel only.”
- Create the mono WAV and listen to its preview.
- Download the copy and check it in the destination player.
Do not mix channels blindly
If both channels contain useful but different material, split them first. A two-person interview may place one microphone on each side. If the channels are opposite in phase, averaging them can cancel sound. Keeping one side preserves that side, but discards the other channel.