Mid/side EQ will help when it comes to securing this coherency, but remember that it can’t do anything for mono material, of course. You can check both of these you can check with a mid/side encoder/decoder. Stereo width also helps with the illusion of presence and clarity, so by making high-frequency sounds wider in the stereo field, you can get away with much less high frequency content in your mix.įor a tight and tidy mixdown with an impeccable stereo image, the ‘mid’ portion of your mix should have a coherency of its own, as should the ‘side’ portion. Fake the highs High-frequency content is typically associated with presence and clarity, due in part to the fact that high frequencies don’t travel through the air so well over long distances in normal listening environments. You’ll typically find that a mix becomes tighter when pretty much everything below about 200Hz is mono. You should be able to mix this new layer in quite quietly and pan it to the side slightly, counteracting the timing problem.Īs a general rule, it’s a good idea to restrict the stereo width of material in the lowest frequency ranges. One solution to this undesirable side effect is to layer an additional sound (eg, a synth part with similar frequency content, played in unison) without any delay applied. The Haas effect (two instances of a sound hitting the left and right channels a few milliseconds apart) can potentially be problematic because of the delayed transients it throws up – these can clash with other parts in the mix. It might also give you critical insight into things going on in the stereo domain that aren’t immediately apparent through your loudspeakers. You’d be mad not to check out your mix on a pair of headphones! So many people listen to music on earbuds and headphones nowadays that it’s essential for your mix to sound great through them. Check your mix off-axis and listen to how the stereo balance affects the sound when listened to from a variety of likely angles. In situations where music is played over loudspeakers, you can expect a large proportion of listeners to be hearing your work from a position other than the ideal spot in front of the speakers.
If you think your speakers might be telling fibs, look carefully into their placement and your room treatment before you start saving up for pricey new monitors.īuilding a mix with a great stereo image isn’t just about pleasing those listening in the perfect domestic audio environment. Listening on the best speakers you can get hold of is a good start, but the acoustic response of the room also plays a crucial role. Panning is possibly the simplest solution for reducing the effects of frequency masking, but more advanced methods of altering stereo placement will also work well to overcome frequency conflicts.Ī poor listening environment will only hinder your ability to make reliable judgements and important decisions when it comes to the stereo field (and anything else!). For example, the addition of a guitar part playing in a similar pitch range to a piano part will likely obstruct some of the frequencies of the piano, making it more difficult to hear. When more than one musical sound is playing simultaneously, there’ll usually be a degree of frequency masking.
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Learn how to get a wider mix with these stereo width mastering tips. However, making something sound ‘wide’ isn’t always a simple as a bit of left and right panning. Not only will it improve the experience for your listener but can help add clarity and space to your productions.
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Well-balanced, creative use of the full stereo field can, in a lot of cases, be the thing that separates a decent sounding demo from a proper ‘pro’ tune.
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