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Increasing Stereo

I have noticed a lot of songs seem to be very stereo these days, almost the way music has more compression over the past few years, it seems adding more stereo is a way to make a song sound bigger. I know chorus and reverb are tools which can add stereo to a sample or synth. However, I have found that sometimes, though they add stereo to a part, they might make it sound a bit off. Also, there is adding stereo separation on a channel, or even the master.

Does anyone have any recommendations on making parts more stereo such as a snare/clap? I have a lot of snare and clap samples which are pretty mono and I just don't hear these parts being mono in tracks now days. Is the best way to avoid the problem to choose samples and synths that are already stereo?

Also, is adding some stereo separation to the master too broad an approach, with adding it to individual parts being better in most cases? I have added some stereo separation to the master in some WIP's and like the result, but I don't have expert ears.

Basically, what things do you do for stereo sound design?

PSP Stereo Controller. Sonalksis Stereo Tools. M/S processing.

A nice trick is to layer similar yet subtly different sounds across the stereo field.

the amount of m/s capable plugins make it rather easy and mono friendly. Follow a snare with a slightly delayed clap using m/s eq putting the highs on the side. So many ways to do it really.

Upstereo annnnnd it's free

http://www.quikquak.com/Prod_UpStereo.html

Or

Ableton simple delay.

100% wet
Left and Right both set to time, not sync
Pull them both down to 0 or whatever the lowest setting is
Feedback at 0
Offset one or the other to taste.

quote:

Originally posted by kevin shawn Upstereo annnnnd it's free http://www.quikquak.com/Prod_UpStereo.html Or Ableton simple delay. 100% wet Left and Right both set to time, not sync Pull them both down to 0 or whatever the lowest setting is Feedback at 0 Offset one or the other to taste.

I just tried the simply delay trick and it worked great, thanks!

I find haas based stereo widening easy but tends to pose the greatest mono compatibility issues.

quote:

Originally posted by Looney4Clooney I find haas based stereo widening easy but tends to pose the greatest mono compatibility issues.

I often do HAAS based stereo imaging but you're right, you MUST check it in mono.

Using a sample delay like that can cause weird phase cancellation.

The most obvious solution before resorting to all the above-mentioned methods is...drum roll please......panning.


One well-known trick is to double a part, pan the two copies opposite L/R, and subtly shift their timing and/or pitch. This will give you a very wide stereo image and leave the middle of the stereo field open for other mono parts (e.g., lead, vocals).

quote:

Originally posted by cryophonik The most obvious solution before resorting to all the above-mentioned methods is...drum roll please......panning. One well-known trick is to double a part, pan the two copies opposite L/R, and subtly shift their timing and/or pitch. This will give you a very wide stereo image and leave the middle of the stereo field open for other mono parts (e.g., lead, vocals).

Shifting it in timing is basically the HAAS effect simplified but the issue with doing that is you can get phase cancellation even if one side is pitched differently.

I like distorting L and R separately. The meat of the sound stays focused, but the artifacts are wide as hell. Sounds great.

i am adding some reverb on the master channel to glue things and create this effect, also using panned lfos on some percs and hats helps to create this effect

reverb on master?

quote:

Originally posted by clay reverb on master?

yes on the master stage, i have seen many pros doing this i am using the izotope ozone reverb probably a normal reverb doesn't work this way.

It has to be very subtle i use a lot less than what the electronica preset adds (1.7-2.5 depending on the track)

I prefer focus over artificial space anytime
Verb on master is something Celne Dion could use, not really suitable for dance music, unless you want it to sound like produced in a fishbowl

quote:

Originally posted by Rodri Santos i am adding some reverb on the master channel to glue things and create this effect,

Interesting. Could you post or link some examples of this method for widening the stereo field?

This could serve:

http://mworksmastering.blogspot.com...-mastering.html

(Video and text is the same) 3rd use is what we are talking here.

My advice would be to have a section at the start of your track without bass and see how the shape of the kick and percussion changes, you'd not want to be too noticeable and i've found that the kick since often has a longer tail than percs.

As the video mentions too - mainly 3 application

- repair chopped off stuff
- blend room acoustics
- increase warmth (Celine Dion type music)

None of these really apply to EDM, softening and soothing is not what you generally want.

What Clooney said, is the most logical route.

But to make it more interesting choose different samples for lower/higher clap.

quote:

Originally posted by Raphie As the video mentions too - mainly 3 application - repair chopped off stuff - blend room acoustics - increase warmth (Celine Dion type music) None of these really apply to EDM, softening and soothing is not what you generally want.

Why should not apply? He is not talking about celine dion music but rock/metal mostly, rock music is not that different, you have a very present bass and a softer kick (depending on the band when you see them live the kick bursts your chest) if you look to a metal waveform looks like a 140 bpm extracompressed track. Compare contrast a Bryan Kearney track for example with a Dragonforce track it's esentially the same... both sound hell overcrowded.

Here there is a small clip i've just done first without reverb and then with reverb + saturation.

Mastering reverb example by Rodrisantos on Mixcloud

Rodri, if it works for you it's fine
All I'm saying is that it comes at a cost
and as you are doing your own mastering, it makes no sense to do it on a stereo mixdown, just treating the elements that you feel would need it, would make more sense

quote:

Originally posted by Raphie Rodri, if it works for you it's fine All I'm saying is that it comes at a cost and as you are doing your own mastering, it makes no sense to do it on a stereo mixdown, just treating the elements that you feel would need it, would make more sense

i won't discuss with you, you are the mastering engineer, you have the gear, you have the experience your opinion counts but... i read this on an izotope tutorial i believe and explained what i said started using it and i see it works but maybe would hurt more if you don't do things like i, that i've been trained this way, do.

I would definitely advise against putting reverb on the master as well. That just seems like a really cheap way to attempt to fix a problem in your mix to begin with. It's just not ideal.

quote:

Originally posted by Rodri Santos Here there is a small clip i've just done first without reverb and then with reverb + saturation. As you can see the kick has like a deeper tail but check how the claps and hats sound more stereo?? (which is the OT) also check how the kick becomes more present along with the bassline.

I hear more depth, warmth, and cohesiveness, but not really more width. The snare sticks out of the mix a lot more, but doesn't sound wider. Maybe if you added reverb at the track level and panned it away from the source, you might get a wider stereo image. Or maybe I just need to listen on something better than my earbuds lol. Anyway, it improved the sound and not in a Celine Dion sort of way so thats good.

quote:

Originally posted by clay reverb on master?

Its the future

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