What it is
A stereo image controller covering the full mastering pass. Overall Width narrows or widens the sides, Mid / Side gain rebalances centre vs. sides, Bass mono crossover sums low frequencies to mono for vinyl and club compatibility, and a 3-band Multiband Stereo Expander gives independent widths per Lo / Mid / Hi band so you can widen cymbal tails without spreading the bass.
How to use it
- Width 100% is unchanged; > 100 widens the sides, < 100 narrows toward mono
- Mid gain brings the centre forward or back; Side gain does the same for the stereo image
- Bass mono crossover sums everything below the frequency to mono — set around 100-150 Hz for club / vinyl, lower for streaming-only
- Multiband Stereo Expander: set Lo/Hi crossovers and Lo/Mid/Hi widths separately. Common: Lo width 80-100 (bass stays tight), Mid width 100-110 (vocal sits forward), Hi width 110-130 (air widens)
What it affects
Translates the master to systems with different stereo behaviour. Bass mono fixes phase issues on systems that summ to mono (club PA, vinyl cutting head, AM radio, mobile speakers). Multiband expansion lets you keep the centre vocal mono-safe while widening reverb / cymbal tails. Pair with the Stereo Correlation meter in the Mastering Report to verify mono compatibility after the moves.