MStereoProcessor introduces Brightness even without Excitation

[CableChannel]

I noticed that the MStereoProcessor makes my mix brighter even when I set Exciter to 0% for all bands and globally. I only use widening.

Is that brightness boost an "artifact" of the widening, or is that maybe a bug?

If you need I can post audio proof

THX

[MeldaProduction]

Yes, that's an effect of widening. It's actually more like a secondary effect of the fact, that higher frequencies are usually wider. Widening then basically amplifies the stereo component, so the more there was stereo, the even more it will be and the more signal there will be, hence more higher frequencies, hence brighter. In your case you even use more widening directly. If you want to avoid this, I suggest using the band gains and lower the high frequencies.

[CableChannel]

OK that makes sense. Thanks for the explanation. Most of the time a little brightness is welcome, I think I will just tame the 2-4k range with EQ a little to avoid harshness.