Stereo Enhancement

[::XeS::]

How many of you guys usually use any sort of stereo enhancement?
Usually my mixes don't sound really wide like some of the pro albums I listen and I can definitely hear mixes that sound wider than others.
I think lot of mix/mastering engineers use a little bit of stereo enhancement because there are mixes that otherwise can't be so wide without some sort of work.
I remember also Charles Dye uses stereo enhancement on his mixes so it's not a total no no

 

[ahjteam]

yeah, I use this thing called "pan knob". makes my mixes sound like super wide, and it gives space in the stereo spectrum like a motherfucker.

But for real, try to fix your problem at the source. The stereo enhancement plugins are just bandaid for cancer.

 

[guitarguru777]

But for real, try to fix your problem at the source. The stereo enhancement plugins are just bandaid for cancer.

+1

I use it for "effect" sometimes on a vocal part or solo. Other then that useless in my opinion.

 

[::XeS::]

Of course, there are plugins that make the mixes super wide but they ruins them. Other stereo enhancer like ozone, if used in the right way, can improve the stereo image without ruin the mix

 

[greyskull]

not a fan...
-1 for stereo enhancement (phase/centre ruining) Plugins

 

[::XeS::]

But when you compare a simple mix with one of your references and you notice that the guitar are waaaay wider on the reference...sincerely I start to think there is something else to get that kind of wide sound.
If I pan guitars 100% left and right, also with some eq differences to improve the stereo effect, and the reference sounds way wider....I don't know what I have to think

 

[Ermz]

I was actually pleasantly surprised by the Ozone 4 widener. Prior to that I never even considered it. If anything you can keep it subtle and widen only the high frequencies. Can sound really cool.

 

[::XeS::]

Yes, definitely. You can select the band you gonna widen and it's a very cool feature. I tried it today and I got a decent wide effect without ruin the structure of my mix

 

[narcossintese]

Never on the 2bus, but Sometimes I use the free voxengo one on 'single-tracked' mono sources. It opens space in the middle and fills the sides. For example, when I´m recording only voice and a single acoustic guitar, I use it on the guitar. I´ve also used on a single backing vocal track to make it somewhat like a stereo delay (well, it actualy is).

 

[xFkx]

yeah, I use this thing called "pan knob". makes my mixes sound like super wide, and it gives space in the stereo spectrum like a motherfucker.

But for real, try to fix your problem at the source. The stereo enhancement plugins are just bandaid for cancer.

Yeah, and why use a compressor if you can ride the faders, kind'a silly attitude. I like to use stereo enhancers on the guitar bus with really subtle settings for the last 5% in terms of stereo image.

 

[ahjteam]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3D_audio_effect

Stereo widening

Widening of the stereo image can be achieved by manipulating the relationship of the side signal S and the center signal C

Ok, now that I understand what it does, I can tell you what you can do instead. Basically you just decode LR to MS then use an EQ to boost/cut frequencies differently on the channels, say cut bass and boost treble on the side and vice versa on the mid channel. then decode MS back to LR. Use any EQ that has separate controls for left and right channels. You can do the encoding/decoding with for example the free Soundhack Matrix (available as vst, au and rtas): http://www.soundhack.com/freeware.php

So the signal chain is Matrix LR to MS - EQ - Matrix MS to LR

Yeah, and why use a compressor if you can ride the faders, kind'a silly attitude. I like to use stereo enhancers on the guitar bus with really subtle settings for the last 5% in terms of stereo image.

Because compressors do other things too than just change the amplitude of the track. It's called character.

 

[Ermz]

And as you've established stereo wideners certainly do something different than position something in the stereo field. The extra width is a psycho-acoustic effect, so it can be used to create surreal sonic spaces, which you cannot really do with a standard pan knob, creative tool as it may be.

 

[xFkx]

Because compressors do other things too than just change the amplitude of the track. It's called character.

Well no shit, and stereo enhancers do more than pan knobs.

 

[Machinated]

i remember reading something in a bendeth interview about ted jensen using an m/s eq for mastering which gives more width

 

[-Noodles-]

I use stereo wideners mainly on delays and reverbs.

Makes the mix subtle in "beyond" stereo width - without collapsing the "mono-compatibility" that my* mixes have..



*edit - I use it.. don't know anyone else who uses them this way.

 

[ahjteam]

Well no shit, and stereo enhancers do more than pan knobs.

BUT my point is that the stereo enhancers mess with the phase and can make the material non-mono-compatible on the spectral range they are working on, which can mean you are doing more damage than helping the mix. same with compressors too, they do more harm if you don't know how to use them properly.

But yeah, never on a master bus, on individual tracks maybe.

 

[XnaySaturo]

I have yet to hear a mix on this forum that has stereo widening and doesn't sound off.

I would be happy to be proven wrong though.

 

[JeffTD]

M/S processing on the 2bus can help, and I do the Charles Dye/everyone and their mothers ±9 cent eventide split harmonizer thing.

 

[Fragle]

i know exactly what you're talking about, and there are a few ways to get closer to that sound:

- slightly different guitar sounds left and right....a little really goes a long way here
- M/S processing during mastering. tbh, that seems to be a matter of taste....some guys love it, some don't. lots of pro's use it though.
- last but not least, check out the SPL vitalizer! you can demo the plugin for a few weeks IIRC, so check it out. it's a stellar plugin. i love that damn thing. not only does it have a superb stereo widener that sounds awesome when used in moderation, but also a few cool little gimmicks to shape the bottom end of the mix, and a HF exciter that sounds nothing like all the other exciters i've tried...way better. you can also grab the hardware version dirt cheap at the 'bay.

 

[AudioGeekZine]

I was actually pleasantly surprised by the Ozone 4 widener. Prior to that I never even considered it. If anything you can keep it subtle and widen only the high frequencies. Can sound really cool.

This is what I do too, also lows width reduced around 50Hz.