Whats is Stereo Image?

In this guide, you'll learn how to expand your mixes and create the acoustic space that makes good tracks great (and professional). So use these 7 tips and go far with your mix!

But before we begin, some basics…

In this guide, you'll learn how to expand your mixes and create the acoustic space that makes good tracks great (and professional). So use these 7 tips and go far with your mix!

But before we begin, some basics…

Stereo imaging refers to the spatial distribution of audio signals within the stereo field. It encompasses the placement, width, and movement of sounds across the left and right channels of a stereo system. A well-balanced stereo image creates a sense of depth, width, and separation between instruments, resulting in a more immersive listening experience. Techniques such as panning, stereo enhancement, and spatial effects are commonly used to manipulate stereo imaging in audio production.

Just like the real 3D world, your stereo image has three dimensions:

Height

The pitch of your mix refers to how loud your mix sounds. Height is achieved with the proper use of levels and equalizers.

Width

Width is how your sounds move from one side of the mix (or speakers) to the other. Width is achievable in a number of ways (more on that below), but one of the most important keys to width is panning.

Depth

The depth of your mix depends on how you use time-based effects like reverb and delay to create a deep or shallow image.

You need to consider all dimensions to create the widest stereo image possible. You can't think about one dimension without considering the others – they all interact to create the total stereo image.

A massive stereo image also depends on good stereo micerection techniques. But that's a big topic for another day. This article will focus on stereo imaging techniques during the mixing stage – specifically for getting that massive, extra-wide sound.

In this article, you'll learn seven quick and easy tips that will expand your stereo images and make your mixes pop.

1- START YOUR MIX IN MONO

It may sound strange, but mixing in mono is a great place to start getting a wider mix.

One of the biggest challenges for wide stereo imaging is frequency balance issues.

Your mix needs to balance the frequency range. Otherwise, the mix will sound hollow, muddy and cause listening fatigue.

Frequency imbalances are extremely problematic because they can create masking. Masking is a psychoacoustic phenomenon that causes louder sounds to hide (or mask) quieter ones in the same frequency range. It is one of the most important concepts in mixing. You should never want to mask!

Listening in mono will give you access to the earliest version of your mix, where frequency balance and level issues are easiest to hear and correct.

Once your mix sounds good in mono – before adding any panning, reverb or delays – it will be easier to make it shine later in stereo because the idea of your mix is already solid.

Listening in mono will give you access to the earliest version of your mix, where frequency balance and level issues are easiest to hear and correct.

2-EQ your “Zone of Presence”

The “presence zone” is found in the 2.5-5 kHz frequency range.

2.5-5 kHz is the frequency range most sensitive to the human ear. It's what your listeners notice first and remember best. Any sound within this range will be more easily heard by your ears and the sound will be closer to you.

Making space in the presence zone for the lead vocals is a classic choice. But any element of your mix that you want front and center should occupy part of the presence zone, if possible.

Use your precious presence zone to lock your listener into the best, boldest parts of your mix.

But be careful! When a mix has a lot going on in the presence zone, your stereo image will become narrower and the instruments will become very close and crowded. For a broad mix, always avoid overdoing the presence zone!

Maintain an EQ with a spectrum analyzer (like the gif) on your master channel. Check regularly to see if you have too much information in that span. If you're listening too much in the presence zone, you haven't finished EQing yet. Go back to your bands and make adjustments!

By EQing your mix (in mono first, but again and again throughout the mixing process) you'll give each instrument the room to shine and expand its stereo image into that wide, beautiful space your ear loves.

But remember, width always starts with a clean presence zone – start there and work your way around it.

3-USE YOUR REVERBS FOR MULTIDIMENSIONAL SOUND.

Reverb is a classic mixing tool for adding width, but also the third most important dimension to your mix: depth.

By adding depth to your stereo image, you are also expanding the stereo image as a whole. Reverb will give you more room for each sound to breathe and settle into the mix.

There are many different ways to use reverb and add space to your mix, but any reverb technique will add some degree of depth and space to your mix.

There are many types of reverb. Each is capable of adding a distinct vibe and depth to your mix.

Choosing the perfect reverb type to give you that extra boost without drastically changing the character of your audio will take some practice. But when it comes to width, the Hall reverb is a good place to start.

Don't stop there... all types of reverb can do wonders for adding three-dimensionality, depending on your mix and production style.

Reverb is a classic mixing tool for adding width, but also the third most important dimension to your mix: depth.

Using reverb with a short decay time will add a more subtle reverb effect. It's great when you want to add width and depth without changing the overall character of a sound.

4-PANNING FOR OPTIMAL WIDTH

Panning is the most crucial step in achieving a wide stereo image.

Panning lets you place individual instruments, or even certain instrument frequencies, at a specific point within your stereo image – and go as wide as you want.

Always make decisions based on your entire mix. There are a few different approaches to panning, but no matter how you use them, they are key to getting a wider mix.

Here are some quick tips and rules for getting your panning perfect and achieving width in the mix:

KEEP YOUR LOW END IN THE MIDDLE

Don't pan your lower frequencies. Low frequencies are the heart of a groove and drive its rhythm, so keep them in the middle.

KEEP YOUR M AND S BALANCED

Our brains naturally want to center stereo images, so keep the M and S channels balanced to avoid ghost center confusion.

Pay close attention to the “presence zone” frequencies mentioned above.

Keep the M and S channels balanced to avoid ghost center confusion.

Always pan with your ears, not your eyes. Don't look at the buttons

Always pan with your ears, not your eyes.

The only thing that really matters is how it sounds. As you pan, close your eyes and listen until you hear the perfect spot.

Even if the E and D channel volumes are balanced, if one side has more sound competing for the presence zone, it can cause the stereo image to sound unbalanced.

KEEP YOUR LEAD VOCALS FRONT AND CENTER

Keep your lead vocals toward the center unless you have a good reason to do otherwise.

You want the lead vocal front and center to really let it shine.

5-DUAL STRIPE TO ENLARGE YOUR IMAGE

Dual track is a classic and effective technique for achieving a massive stereo image.

It's simple: make two similar (but slightly different) recordings of audio, place them on separate tracks, and shift them left and right. This will thicken the sound of both at the same time, making your mix bigger and more expansive.

The two channels don't need to be recorded separately: create a distinction between them by EQing them differently or adding different effects to each channel.

6-USE MICROSHIFTING TO EXPAND YOUR SPACE

Microshifting is a clever technique for creating juicy stereo images that let your channels sound larger than life and wider.

See how it's done:

Take a stereo track, move it to the center and keep it there. Then duplicate the track twice (you now have three versions) and use a pitch shift plugin on both copies.

Now, use the pitch shifter to pitch one copy down to a few cents (5-10 cents is common) and pitch the other copy up to the same amount of cents. Then pan one copy to the left and the other to the right. This is microshifting.

Listen to all three tracks in stereo and enjoy their clever trickery and newly enlarged stereo image!

7-USE DELAY TO CREATE THE HAAS EFFECT

The Haas Effect is a technique that uses delay to create wider stereo images. It's excellent for creating width without altering the timbral qualities of your audio signal.

1-Take a track and create a copy, then use the delay effect for that copy.

2-Then add up to 30 ms of delay to this copy, but no more, ideally 10 ms.

3-Move the original track to the left and the copy to the right. This creates the perception of a single wide stereo track. Your ear will not perceive the effect as delay, but as space.

The Haas Effect is a technique that uses delay to create wider stereo images. It's excellent for creating width without altering the timbral qualities of your audio signal.

To fix it, we created a rack where we shared it with the utility, creating two MIDI/SIDE channels, where one channel is in mono and the other just the side, having more control in regulating your stereo image.

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