DEAD CENTER IN PRO MIXES/MASTERS

[Mahdes]

Hi Guys!!!

I gathered some pro mixes/masters and search the parts when only one mono signal is playing in the center without any effects (opening riffs - Iron Maiden - The Wickerman, Opeth - Reverie etc..). I put the analyzer on it and I see (also hear) huuuge difference between their dead center and dead center in cubase.

Analyzer shows me that mono signal has different frequencies on the left and the right channel. It is also very very slightly off center.

Some of those mixes are ITB so I dont think it is only analog to blame.

Same goes for the hard panned signals.

Here is the PIC
View image: Dead center Pro vs Mine


So how is it possible to widen center of my mixes without delays, reverbs...??

Thank you for the answers.

 

[rapucore]

Adrian Smith's guitar in at least the intro of The Wicker Man is not dead center, it's slightly offset to the right. And it has very narrow delay/reverb. The slight pan move is most likely to get any clutter off the vocal space. I guess the same would go for Reverie as well.

 

[Mahdes]

Thank you for replay.

Well, maybe it is slightly offset, but still the signal is wider than the normal offset and also - very important - normal offset does not have different frequencies in the left and right. It is total mono.

I tried also Nightwish - Feel for you (and many more). Bass intro is dead center but wide! It also has a slightly differences in the stereo.

I saw video where guy achieved a similar effect with console emulation - NLS I think. Do you guys have some experiences with it ? Does it affect the width somehow?

 

[rapucore]

I saw video where guy achieved a similar effect with console emulation - NLS I think. Do you guys have some experiences with it ? Does it affect the width somehow?

Some console emulations have crosstalk or wow/jitter or whatever which affects the pan somewhat randomizing all or some frequencies, giving the track some "imperfections" and life/vibe.

 

[rapucore]

Some of the "dead center" tracks in songs you've listened might have some kind of stereo widening via phase going on, only focusing on select frequencies and done very subtly. I wouldn't stress too much on the wideness of the dead center to be honest.

And to go back to The Wicker Man, I already fixed my typo on an earlier post. The delay/reverb is not completely mono, but possibly very narrow, and it too seems a little offset with one side having a little more and the other a little less.

Say that the delay/verb was hipassed at a certain frequency, then that would explain why the side with less of the delay/verb would have slightly different frequencies.

 

[BassTard]

I'd agree to rapucore. It's most likely a tiny amount of stereo reverb - maybe just tails and down by approx. 20dB. No need to narrow it down after just adding a little bit.
You're absolutely right - some analog emulations will add different behaviour on L&R as well. (Brainworx Console being the most meticulous in this regard.) But I'll bet most of it is simply due to reverberation, which is low enough to be perceived as part of the signal.

EDIT: I listened to the tracks - there's defenitly reverb on Wickerman. Feel For You also features some slow flanging (maybe it's phasing - hard to tell on the crapy U-Tube video), which might add some slight stereo-effect as well.

EDIT 2: Regarding the question: "Can analog emulation add width?"
In my experience it may, but especially when used on a lot of different sources in a multitrack mix.