Nowadays, electronic music masters frequently use stereo width to create a stereo image in their mixes. The context is that audio mixing is a dynamic process that is constantly evolving. Technology advances continuously appear, and musical trends are changing regularly. As time goes by, new mixing techniques emerge. Around 1970, stereo imaging became popular when experts transformed monophonic master recordings into stereophonic ones.
Stereo Width: Widening and Placement Convention
There are some guidelines to keep in mind when focusing on the stereo image: widening conventions and placement conventions are the main ones. The stereo width of a sound tends to increase with frequency. So low-frequency sounds are usually in mono, whereas high-frequency sounds are usually in stereo. Placement convention focuses on the pan position of a particular channel. Hence, when focusing on stereo width, it’s essential to consider the placement of a specific sound in space.
Stereo width is important for kick, snare, sub-bass, and vocals. You need to place the sound in dead center in order to create a focal point for the whole mix. It’s also important that the background vocals are located around ten o’clock and two o’clock to avoid interference. All other musical devices, such as synthesizers, guitars, and overheads, you should place far away from the central area.
Stereo Width: Adjusting the Stereo Image
It’s extremely important that users place sounds in specific places so that they are able to adjust their stereo image. Pseudo-stereo is a useful tool that helps the user widen a mono track. You can do this by duplicating the mono track while delaying the clip of one of the tracks long enough to get out of the phasing range. Also, it’s essential to pan the two mono channels, left and right, to give the impression without phase issues.
Mid-side EQ
The mid-side EQ is a technique you apply to a signal that is already in stereo mode. The mid-side filter mode allows the user to equalize particular areas of the sound field. In addition, the mid-section passes the content in the signal that is identical on both channels. When the mid-frequencies decrease and the side frequencies increase, a width impression emerges.
Parallel Reverb
People don’t generally consider parallel reverb a widening technique. However, experts still use it to widen a monophonic main vocal track placed in the center of the mix. By sending the track out to a return bus with reverb, the reflections mimic a space and provide the sound with a specific depth and width. Some synthesizers can increase the stereo width by allowing multiple voices to spread out across the stereo field. It’s essential to add some detune between the voices to avoid phase interference. If the voices are alike, they will phase in and out in arbitrary ways, causing imbalances across the stereo field.
Panning
Panning separate recordings is a technique that allows increasing the width of a particular sound. This method uses two different recordings that won’t phase because the two parts are recorded separately.
Stereo Width: Conclusions
As a final note, users should consider that there are several devices that can help improve the stereo image and some that can distort it. So it’s essential to choose wisely.
