KVR Audio

soma · Post by **soma** » Sat Aug 12, 2006 3:49 am

So what's your favorite stereo enhancement plugin?
I haven't found one that I like as much as stereo box pro for Buzz, but now that I'm not using Buzz as much I need a VST version.

I'm quite aware of all the different plugins out there so just throwing out a name won't work this time. Please let me know what it is, how you use it, why you like it and how it could be better if you have the time.

Hybernation · Post by **Hybernation** » Sat Aug 12, 2006 4:22 am

soma wrote:So what's your favorite stereo enhancement plugin?
I haven't found one that I like as much as stereo box pro for Buzz, but now that I'm not using Buzz as much I need a VST version.

I'm quite aware of all the different plugins out there so just throwing out a name won't work this time. Please let me know what it is, how you use it, why you like it and how it could be better if you have the time.

Check out this link

From this bundle I have used pseudoStereo to create a stereo image for mono plug like anti's Taurus or Asynth, and it works great for that. I've used the enhancer some as well. These are not expensive. Try the demos, it might be what you are looking for.

Debutante · Post by **Debutante** » Sat Aug 12, 2006 4:28 am

Elevayta Wideboy for some of the rotational capabilities of Stereobox Pro.

THERE IS NO EQUIVALENT TO STEREOBOX PRO

... not that I've seen in vst form anyway. There's a bunch of plugins that in combination can match Rymix's plugin, but I haven't found anything capable of even half of what that Buzz gem does. Those of us using FL Studio are fortunate enough to have it as an option. It's simply irreplacable.

If you want to you can also try a plugin from Digilogue Blueline's pack. Its a pretty good stereo manipulator, and it's somewhat capable of the full rotation like StereoBox Pro, but not as detailed. You may want Voxengo's M/S plugin to have anyway. Both those are free, and you might as well get Betabug's Phasebug for free too, but it comes with a little latency.

Waves S1 Imager has a really simple and nice pictoral representation of stereo rotation, but it's only about as simple, if that, as Rymix Stereobox the little brother. And it costs $150-200.

Stereobox Pro is one of those Buzz plugins that make me really appreciate FL (along with some fileters

). There's nothing like it and it works in real time with sweet f--k all for CPU usage(2-3% with everything going!).

For VST you're really left with much more simpler stuff, and there's lots of rudimentary widening plugins among them. Those work mainly by delaying a channel a little bit. Jerome Schmitt plugin pack has a very simple millisecond channel delay. The same as Oli Larkin's Stereo Widener. And many are along that line.

NugenAudio has some pretty sweet plugins you may want to check out as well.

To be honest I still use the Stereobox for most of this stuff.

...and cheers for those awesome MIDI plugins!

wwwill · Post by **wwwill** » Sat Aug 12, 2006 4:35 am

I use Voxengo Stereo Touch and Elevayta Wide Boy, which are both use. But IMO, nothing compares to Waves S1; being able visual adjust width, direction and skew of the signal. I'll probably buy Native Power Pack one day.

mystahr · Post by **mystahr** » Sat Aug 12, 2006 4:45 am

The standard Steinberg StereoExpander is the one I use all the time for tiny stereo corrections in the master. Works A-ok for me

androidlove · Post by **androidlove** » Sat Aug 12, 2006 5:38 am

i've got 8 free stereo plugs i think are the best. however, lately i've just been using c_superstereo to lift out my distorted guitar

runagate · Post by **runagate** » Sat Aug 12, 2006 5:46 am

For live-recorded, lots-of-bleed real instruments that are loud, I always use Stereo Box because it's multiband and you can experiment with various settings (seriously, ya gotta futz with em in ways that you wou;dn't think are logical and you'll often hit on something great).

Of course, if you've the means proper miking in the first place is the best way to deal with depth of field.

And depth of field is one of my favorite subjects. I actually compose the depth of field just as I would any other part of a song.

Binaural effectsallow me to jam the stereo field with lots more distinct sound that I'd otherwise be able to get away with. Do you do this?

Also, imperceptible delays (<25 ms) can give things their own "place" in the mix.

Mix mono-panned and stereo tracks.

Filter out parts of the frequency range that humans concentrate on the most (3k to 5k) on some stuff to drop it back in a mix.

Stereo-narrowing helps in this regard as much as stereo widening. Narrow and then pan some certain thing to give it a nice settled place in a mix, especially after reverb in an fx chain. Try it - it's anti-intuitive but it works great.

Or narrow one track, duplicate it, then pan it exactly the same distance apart in the mix to make a weird double. Delay one of them slightly for a different depth-of-field "feel"...

Any of this of interest?

loveless · Post by **loveless** » Sat Aug 12, 2006 6:01 am

I use the free Widebug plug from time to time Betabugs during mixing. Generally on guitar. I rarely use stereo widening/enhancing plugs, but it does the trick for me. As far as how you use it, it couldn't be more simple. Just... turn the knob. I don't really like using Stereo enhancement in the mastering stage. If I do use it, it's not much at all.

There are methods to enhance or at least clean up the stereo field of individual tracks without using these types of plugs. Short, panned delays - this is touched on in the post above.

ford442 · Post by **ford442** » Sat Aug 12, 2006 6:28 am

i use spectralive..

bduffy · Post by **bduffy** » Sat Aug 12, 2006 6:30 am

runagate wrote:For live-recorded, lots-of-bleed real instruments that are loud, I always use Stereo Box because it's multiband and you can experiment with various settings (seriously, ya gotta futz with em in ways that you wou;dn't think are logical and you'll often hit on something great).

Any of this of interest?

What's "Stereo Box"?

ford442 · Post by **ford442** » Sat Aug 12, 2006 6:37 am

bduffy - it's a Buzz machine

bduffy · Post by **bduffy** » Sat Aug 12, 2006 6:47 am

ford442 wrote:bduffy - it's a Buzz machine

Oooooooooh...right.

thanks.

runagate · Post by **runagate** » Sat Aug 12, 2006 7:01 am

bduffy wrote:
runagate wrote:For live-recorded, lots-of-bleed real instruments that are loud, I always use Stereo Box because it's multiband and you can experiment with various settings (seriously, ya gotta futz with em in ways that you wou;dn't think are logical and you'll often hit on something great).

Any of this of interest?
What's "Stereo Box"?

Possibly there's a Buzz machine called that, but I'm refering to the old BuzRoom freeware multiband stereo plug-in.

The BuzRoom site directed me to this Japanese site for the archive of old freebies.

STBox4

ford442 · Post by **ford442** » Sat Aug 12, 2006 7:17 am

oooops! my mistake - but i thought this thread was about a buzz machine..?

Soma - "So what's your favorite stereo enhancement plugin?
I haven't found one that I like as much as stereo box pro for Buzz, but now that I'm not using Buzz as much I need a VST version."

bobsled · Post by **bobsled** » Sat Aug 12, 2006 7:19 am

runagate wrote:STBox4

Or http://translate.google.com/translate?h ... S:official if you're into japenglish... Englipanese?

Favorite Stereo enhancement plugin?