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Stereo Width Cheat Sheet

This document provides tips for creating stereo width in mixes. It recommends panning instruments fully left and right or at 50% to spread them out. Adding stereo effects like reverbs and delays can widen mono sources. EQ can also separate hard-panned instruments by cutting or boosting frequencies on opposite sides. Checking the mix in mono ensures width techniques don't cause phasing. Modern mixes benefit from sounding wide compared to more narrow, two-dimensional mixes.

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Zvonimir Baljak
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368 views

Stereo Width Cheat Sheet

This document provides tips for creating stereo width in mixes. It recommends panning instruments fully left and right or at 50% to spread them out. Adding stereo effects like reverbs and delays can widen mono sources. EQ can also separate hard-panned instruments by cutting or boosting frequencies on opposite sides. Checking the mix in mono ensures width techniques don't cause phasing. Modern mixes benefit from sounding wide compared to more narrow, two-dimensional mixes.

Uploaded by

Zvonimir Baljak
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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STEREO WIDTH CHEAT SHEET 


 

5 STereo Width Tips 


● LCR Panning 
○ Pan instruments 100% left and right to help spread parts out and create 
seperation 
○ Use 50/50 panning to pan some parts halfway between center and 
left/right 
● Adding Stereo Effects 
○ Use stereo reverbs and/or delays to widen existing parts 
○ Use sends to blend in the stereo effects 
● EQ 
○ Look for instruments or doubled parts that are panned opposite of 
eachother 
○ Find a flattering frequency on one track and boost 
○ Cut that same frequency on the opposite track/s 
● Mid-Side Processing 
○ Use a mid-side processing plugin like bx_solo to bump the volume on the 
edges of your mix 
○ Try this method on your mixbus or effects sends 
● Check The Mix In Mono 
○ Use a gain or utility plugin in your DAW to check your mix in mono 
○ Make sure all important parts still come through and that there isn’t in 
phasing 

wHY is stereo width important 


● Modern mixes sound wide 
○ On your own, your mix might sound okay 
○ BUT when compared to a mainstream mix, it suddenly sounds narrow 
and 2D 
● A lot of people go about this the wrong way 
○ Adding a stereo enhancement plugin to your whole mix isn’t enough 
○ In fact, that could ruin all your hard work so far 
 
Panning 
● This is the main way you create width in your mixes 
● A lot of people use LCR panning, but this often doesn’t make full use of the 
stereo field 
● Instead, I recommend 5 ​ 0/50 panning 
○ Start with LCR panning - this is the act of only panning dead center, hard 
left or hard right 
○ Then add one or two instruments at 50% to each side (hence 50/50) 
○ This makes full use of the stereo field without loosing width 
● Get used to hard panning on headphones, as it may sound unnatural at first 
 

Stereo Effects 
● Adds width to things that are mono, e.g. vocals 
● Reverb is the best way to add stereo width to instruments 
● For vocals, rely more on stereo delays 
○ Stereo slapback delay with different times on left and right 
○ Maybe a subtle stereo plate reverb tucked underneath (use a pre delay to 
create more space for the vocal to cut through) 
 

EQ 
● With instruments or backing vocals that are panned hard left and hard right, use 
EQ to create more separation 
● For example, cut 1kHz on the left and boost it on the right 
● This creates more separation between the left and right ears, and therefore 
enhances width 
● Also helps to create space and separation in the mix 
 

Mid/Side Processing 
● Focus on the other techniques first - this is for advanced users (Development or 
Growth stages) 
● Process the middle (center) and sides (hard left and hard right) independently 
● Some EQs allow you to EQ the middle and sides different (like the FabFilter Pro 
Q 2) 
○ Try reducing the low end and boosting the top end on the sides 
● Adjust the volume of middle and side independently 
○ By simply turning down the middle, the mix sounds wider 

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