PSP Stereo Enhancer

[Steve Nathan]

Not bad. Not bad at all. Part of their $49 Stereo Pack ($30 with the Oct. coupon). 4 plugs in all, one to make mono tracks PseudoStereo, but my favorite is the Enhanccer which while fun on individual tracks, can also be used as sort of an instant mix improver. Haven't yet read about how it's doing it's tricks, but with a few minutes of tweaking, I was able to take (what I thought were) finished mixes, and make them bigger, wider, more spacious and clearer. Probably not for everything of course, but a pretty impressive bang for buck product imho

BTW: I am not an endorser but wouldn't hesitate if asked. I like several of their things.

[DanS]

Sounds like a pretty good deal. I use the iZotope stereo imager on my 'finished' mixes' too, and it always makes them sound better.

[Mike Warren]

Just be careful with these stereo enhancers. They can create all sorts of phase issues that cause the track to sound quite different on some systems. A good sanity check is to insert a channel mixer as the final stage and set it up to mix to mono. Make sure the mix still sounds acceptable in mono.

 

[JeffLearman]

Mike is right. In addition, listen to each side by itself.

 

For example, any stereo enhancer that works in Mid-Side mode will sum to mono flawlessly. But that does not free it from phase issues, it just moves any potential phase issues to each side. But as we all know, far too many living rooms and venues have seating that's too close to one speaker. Usually, you want your mix to sound reasonably good regardless of stereo, mono, or too close to one side.

 

(It's a shame that so many people think that the farther apart the speakers are, the better, for stereo.)

[Bobadohshe]

A good sanity check is to insert a channel mixer as the final stage and set it up to mix to mono. Make sure the mix still sounds acceptable in mono.

 

+1, Something I ALWAYS do. ESPECIALLY when recording piano, as that beast always has at least some phase issues.

 

I use Logic's 'stereo spread' plug in as well as the one from Waves. Very cool tools for mixing.

[Steve Nathan]

Just be careful with these stereo enhancers. They can create all sorts of phase issues that cause the track to sound quite different on some systems. A good sanity check is to insert a channel mixer as the final stage and set it up to mix to mono. Make sure the mix still sounds acceptable in mono.

 

This is of course still good "old school" advice. I am old enough to remember when we always checked mixes on a single Auratone. Transistor radios and mono car radios primarily.

I have always taken that approach with a grain of salt though.

Even then it always felt like a "lowest common denominator" method. As technology advanced, we still seemed to be mixing for the worst case listening environment. I always thought that people who didn't see enough reason to listen on a decent system, probably weren't going to notice phase issues in their 63 Rambler to the extent that it hurt sales

Seriously, I obviously know that you have to be prudent with these tools, but I also tend to subscribe to the school of "if it sounds good, it is good", and I don't think I have ever taken a a great sounding stereo mix, listened in mono and decided to make the stereo mix less appealing in order to improve the mono experience.

[Jim Alfredson]

Unfortunately, you really are mixing for "the lowest common denominator". Thankfully, that low has risen considerably in the last 40 years.

 

For myself, I tend to listen to my mixes on our extremely cheap, Chinese made under-cabinet kitchen radio / CD player. That thing sounds like poop on a cracker. So I know if my mixes sound "good" (ie, comparable to professional mixes) on that, then they are gonna sound good on just about anything.

 

Then there's the whole mp3 compression thing. The new plug-in from Sonnox appears to be a no-brainer. When I start mixing the upcoming new organissimo album, I plan on purchasing that plug to make sure my mixes will translate the best they can to mp3s.

 

http://www.sonnoxplugins.com/pub/plugins/products/pro-codec.htm

[Steve Nathan]

Well taking all advice in stride, I can still say that as I spend some time with these particular plugs, I am impressed by what you can achieve with just a little taste applied. I am especially wowed by the effect on synth pads and background vocals, and the enhancer if used gently, can really open a mix and move some goo out of the way.

[JeffLearman]

This is of course still good "old school" advice. I am old enough to remember when we always checked mixes on a single Auratone. Transistor radios and mono car radios primarily.

I have always taken that approach with a grain of salt though.

Even then it always felt like a "lowest common denominator" method. As technology advanced, we still seemed to be mixing for the worst case listening environment. I always thought that people who didn't see enough reason to listen on a decent system, probably weren't going to notice phase issues in their 63 Rambler to the extent that it hurt sales

 

There are several other good reasons for following this good advice. One is that even on a good system, people will hear your mix in mono if it's too far away or through a doorway. Of course it won't sound perfect, but you don't want it to sound too strange.

 

But more importantly, doing a lot of your mixing in mono makes a better mix, and not just when collapsed to mono. This is also true of doing most of your mixing at relatively low volumes (say, 70 to 86 dB range).

 

One reason these make mixes better is because it makes it harder to mix.

 

That may seem like a contradiction but it's not. Mixing in mono forces you to make all the parts fit and be distinguishable without using stereo separation cues to distinguish them. Add the stereo loveliness (and I'm real fond of good stereo; I even play that way live) and it gets even better.

 

Mixing at low volumes has two benefits: it staves off ear fatigue, and it forces you to notice when something important is buried too low in the mix. At high volumes, you can hear it, but a lot of people will be listening at lower levels or with background noise. If it's important, it should be heard even then.

 

When you do it right, switching to stereo and cranking up the volume should just make it even better. I like to do my high-volume checks at the end of a mixing session or before an ear break. It's good for a smile.

 

Seriously, I obviously know that you have to be prudent with these tools, but I also tend to subscribe to the school of "if it sounds good, it is good", and I don't think I have ever taken a a great sounding stereo mix, listened in mono and decided to make the stereo mix less appealing in order to improve the mono experience.

You have to trust your ears and instncts; otherwise let someone else do the job! But I'm guessing that you haven't ever run into serious trouble, or you'd notice that the mono mix sucks, and you'd want to do something to fix it. It's not necessary to torpedo the stereo impression to do this. It can be time-consuming, though.

 

As I said above, even on a good system people will hear your mix in mono (when they hear it through a doorway, or far from the stereo) or will hear just one side of your mix (when too close to one speaker). Admittedly, I don't audition a whole mix for each sid separately. But I do double check any stereo tricks I'm using this way, especially new ones.

[Mark Schmieder]

How bizarre that I didn't get a coupon or an email, as I own over 75% of their plugs.

 

PSP is my favourite plug-in vendor, both for quality and for GUI.