i dont know much about mastering but i know that widening the stereo image is something that can be done in mastering, but not sure if i can do something in mixing to make it wider. does anyone know anything about this?
I know mono compatibility is not a terribly important issue these days, but with any artificial widening that you do decide to play with, just be sure to check in mono and make sure you aren't completely destroying anything or creating any obvious phase issues.
A good way to make guitars (or anything) wider is to use an opposite panned very short delay with zero feedback and low pass filtered at about 3K.
This makes things seem further to one side because the signal arrives at your left ear (for a left panned signal) then the filtered signal arrives at your right ear slightly later. This is how your brain perceives distance and placement of sound. The short delay simulates the left panned sound arriving at your left ear first then the sound traveling around your head then arriving at the right ear.
if you have a mono signal (maybe a synth) thats hard panned left, send it to an aux and pan this aux hard to the right.
now change the phase on the right panned aux.
if you turn the volume fader up (slowly...begin with your volume fader completely down) now on the aux you will heare that the signal will go wider and wider...
that just causes phase cancellation
okay you are right...because its called stereo widening you have to use it with a stereo signal!
i never really use it myself, so i thought it will work with a mono signal too, but thats false.
so thanks for your note
that on the other hand causes phase cancellation AND leftward slanted stereoimage.
here's the deal with the stereo widening:
but...the basics about stereo panning are:
2. the more stereo widening you are using the more your mid is going quieter!
3. your bass is lost!
4. and be sure that you have a correct speaker position!
A good way to make guitars (or anything) wider is to use an opposite panned very short delay with zero feedback and low pass filtered at about 3K.
This makes things seem further to one side because the signal arrives at your left ear (for a left panned signal) then the filtered signal arrives at your right ear slightly later. This is how your brain perceives distance and placement of sound. The short delay simulates the left panned sound arriving at your left ear first then the sound traveling around your head then arriving at the right ear.