Image issues

Let’s not forget how creative we can be just by manipulating the stereo image

> Step by step 5. Stereo image with Auburn Panagement CM and Joey Sturgis Tones/SideWidener

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People have been pushing boundaries with stereo for more than 50 years. Nevertheless, if you find yourself slipping into predictable habits, just remember that your DAW provides immense flexibility not only to position but also to automate your panning, and this can lead to incredible and individual effects. 2

Looking for a plugin that can help you work the stereo image? The Computer Music Plugin Suite has a couple of excellent options. Panagement CM from Auburn includes three excellent ways to make the most of mono and stereo sources. Side Widener from Joey Sturgis Tones / Boz Digital is a simpler plugin with three flavours of widening. 3

SideWidener is great for adding width to a mono source. Here we’ve used it on a synth bass, setting the Width to max. Each of the three Modes adds width in different ways, and by adjusting the Tone control you can focus the processing, bringing the sound to life. 4

Panagement CM has a similar processor: Mono To Stereo. This has slightly different controls, with more accurate control of Delay (3ms to 12ms) and low-pass cutoff (200Hz to 22kHz). Set the Amount to 100% and adjust the Delay and Cutoff to taste. 5

If you already have a stereo source, rebalancing the mid and sides, particularly in favour of the sides, makes it sound wider. On Panagement CM all you do is wind up the Width control. This is a great way to push support sounds like pads to the edge of the stereo image. 6

Panagement CM includes a Binaural Pan that affects the volume, delay and spectrum of left/right to influence how things sound on headphones. Using a mono source, set the Head Delay max (200%) and Pan to one side. On speakers it won’t sound much different, but on headphones it’ll sound like it’s behind your ear. In a cool way.