Mide-side plugins what r they good 4?

[antic604]

antic604 wrote:

“M/S processing is huge for sound design and creating spatial effects. A DAW that doesn't have Mid/Side splitter device and thus ability to make anything Mid/Side - like Cubase, for example - isn't a real DAW in my opinion ”

Does their 8 band EQ “Frequency” count? It can do M/S on 8 individual bands.

It doesn't because it only does EQ. It's the most basic type of M/S processing I can think of and I rarely ever do it.

[Aloysius]

Brilliant for analysis. Listen to just the side and learn more about 'pro' recordings you like.

I'd recommend Brainworx bx_control V2

[simon.a.billington]

When I think about using any plugin it's usually to solve a problem. When I chose to use a mid-side approach thats also about solving problems.

Maybe the mix is a bit narrow, a little mid-side eq and compression can help widen it. First I'll usually start with the pan knobs though. There are other problems you may have, maybe you want to add more room for the bass in the centre without too much weight from the sides. A mid-side eq can help there.

Maybe there's a hum in one of the channels, you could also decouple the stereo channels and just eq the side with the issues, but it may throw the stereo image out of balance. So perhaps taking it out using a side eq might make a better choice.

It helps to look at each problem, break it down and ask your self what would be the best tool and best approach to fix it.

[foosnark]

I only use plugins to create problems

[simon.a.billington]

I only use plugins to create problems

Hahahaha!!!!

Sometimes I think thats also true of myself!!

[Biome_Digital]

Do you use mide side plugins?

Yes, When there is too much stereo image and the track is tested in mono, and it goes too quiet, I apply m/s EQ to compensate. Usually boosting the mids and lowering the sides until the mix is more balanced.

Mono compatibility is still important today.

[foosnark]

Mono compatibility is still important today.

I used to scoff at this, since I make music for headphone listening, as I see it. But a mastering engineer pointed out that phase correlation issues can sometimes make people feel seasick when listening to headphones.

And I found that once I started paying more attention to mono compatibility, I was also getting a better-sounding stereo image in general.

[Biome_Digital]

Mono compatibility is still important today.

I used to scoff at this, since I make music for headphone listening, as I see it. But a mastering engineer pointed out that phase correlation issues can sometimes make people feel seasick when listening to headphones.

And I found that once I started paying more attention to mono compatibility, I was also getting a better-sounding stereo image in general.

yay!

[simon.a.billington]

Mono compatibility is still important today.

I used to scoff at this, since I make music for headphone listening, as I see it. But a mastering engineer pointed out that phase correlation issues can sometimes make people feel seasick when listening to headphones.

And I found that once I started paying more attention to mono compatibility, I was also getting a better-sounding stereo image in general.

You have to think too that alot of these bluetooth, sound bars, even PC spear systems have the speakers close enough to each other that it may as well be mono. They begin pushing the same air and any bad phase correlation down low is going to rob the track of low end on these systems. Then there are venues, many of those speaker systems are mono.

The mono check is definitely still relevant today.

[Lazarus451]

I always boost sides a bit during mastering. For me mid/side compression and eq'ing are a way to get from amateur sounding mixes to semi-pro mixes. But you can easily ruin the mix by boosting too much. And I always check how everything sounds in mono. But I master my own stuff, so maybe that's why I use it on every track.

[foosnark]

But I master my own stuff, so maybe that's why I use it on every track.

You can definitely get away with more that way (as long as you avoid the danger of doing a poor job through inexperience/lack of knowledge, anyway).

Sometimes I wind up changing much more in "mastering" than I would ever do if it was someone else's work.

[perpetual3]

If you're going to do your own mastering, I highly recommend the use of a proper reference analyzer like Metric AB so that you can examine the coherence and stereo image of the reference in conjunction with a midside plugin. I use Goodhertz Midside and find it very good and comprehensive. For additional work, I'll use the mid/side modesin Pro-Q. I'm also a big fan of UrsaDSP Boost, fill from the sides preset.

I also produce electronic music in Bitwig, and the mid / side splitter is indeed very useful, as is nearly everything in that DAW.

[MogwaiBoy]

+1 Mid/Side analysis is essential in my workflow (I use ISOL8).

I get some of the benefits of MS EQ and compressing, but don't think it should be done methodically... it's a special case. The whole "high shelf boost just on the sides" is such a cliche at this point, and it just puts your high end out of phase anyway.