Stereo Width

[skatermanbob]

Joey I have a question for you. I've been trying to figure out how you make your mixes so wide. On some of the guitar sounds I hear (like the new color morale) it almost sounds like the guitars are panned center with a stereo delay that offsets the sounds just slightly to the right and left side to give it that extra width (or an almost perfect double). Regardless, the mix sounds huge! This is one of the things that I am unhappy with in my mixes. Do you use any stereo widening plugins? I've tried doing crazy things with panning reverbs on opposite sides with predelays and other little tricks, but in the end, it never seems to get as wide as your mixes. Would you please shed some light on this? Keep up the good work!

B

 

[timislegend]

mid/side processing helps restore specific spacial domains.

it will almost always improve your stereo image if you do it correctly.

 

[skatermanbob]

so you would suggest recording ms for overheads in drums? Some of my clients completely program their drums so this would be ruled out. I also usually run direct with my guitars... so should i mic the cab ms then?

 

[timislegend]

two different things... m/s is a stereo room miking technique and m/s mastering is using a plugin that employs an m/s decoder that will treat the stereo information separately from the mono.

that having been said; mono information (like guitars) can be processed in the center as well as the left and right separately which (depending on the technique) can result in a more pronounced mono signal and a clear stereo image.

i would recommend you experiment with the mastering but i also suggest you read some info on it because it always helps when you are confronted with plugin parameters you have never seen before thus making it simpler and a lot less confusing.

 

[skatermanbob]

interesting... i was only aware of the ms micing technique. I'll def do some reading on this. Are there any plugins that you would suggest I take a look at? Thanks for your input! Do you use any other techniques to widen the mix?

 

[timislegend]

izotope ozone has m/s processing... i'd start there.



edit:
i guess it's also important to add... i don't know if this is exactly how joey mixes stereo image. i'm sure a lot of it comes from quality converters and clock source but we can all be certain that after that it's all itb.

 

[andrewroni]

I'm interested in this too. Maybe somebody has some ideas about it? Mb tricks with Waves Center? Did anyone try to use it on master bus??

 

[LeSedna]

I'm not sure you can do more good than harm by trying to artificially create stereo width with m/s processing. You might use just a little bit of it, but Joey probably just records correctly correct guitars correctly tuned and correctly in time, in correct converters and correct interfaces, and he correctly processes them. If any part of the chain is not to a high standard, there is no point even trying too hard (although some sorcery happens sometimes but I would call that luck)