Stereo Enhancer that works?

[txfiddler]

Mixbus 32C 4.3.19
(rev 4.3-19-gf3cb168)
Intel 64-bit

Running Windows 10.

I'm still relatively new to Mixbus. I'm mixing my second song on it.

I've been recording in Reaper for a little over a year now and was a Samplitude user since the late 90s before that.

I've spent the last two evenings downloading various free Stereo Enhancer plugins. None have shown up in the plug in manager save the Izotope Ozone Imager. Yes I have double checked that they are in a seen folder and I have done multiple plugin scans and have cleared the cache etc. Most I can get working in Reaper.

The Izotope works sketchy at best in Mixbus. Initially I get nothing but silence but if I play with it a bit I'll somehow get a sound but I don't know exactly what I did to get it working.

Has anyone had any success with a free or inexpensive stereo enhancer?
Thanks

[doncolga]

The Izotope works sketchy at best in Mixbus. Initially I get nothing but silence but if I play with it a bit I'll somehow get a sound but I don't know exactly what I did to get it working.

Thanks

Hmmm...that's interesting. Ozone 8 Advance running fine here on the stereo bus. Where do you have Izotope plugged in at? I have used the multiband on a single track and it takes that a moment to process audio.

[txfiddler]

Hmmm...that's interesting. Ozone 8 Advance running fine here on the stereo bus. Where do you have Izotope plugged in at? I have used the multiband on a single track and it takes that a moment to process audio.
[/quote]

I was using it on a bass guitar track. I tried it on a bus track like you suggested. That seems to work. Thanks

I'm still interested if there are any others that will show up in the plugin manager.

[Matt]

I have one I use, I think it’s called A1 stereo tools. It’s simple but very effective. I use it to narrow the stereo width of tracks. But it will also widen them more and you can even pan the center with it. Cool little plug in. And it’s free.

Edit: here’s the link. http://www.alexhilton.net/A1AUDIO/index....reocontrol

[txfiddler]

I have one I use, I think it’s called A1 stereo tools. It’s simple but very effective. I use it to narrow the stereo width of tracks. But it will also widen them more and you can even pan the center with it. Cool little plug in. And it’s free.

Edit: here’s the link. http://www.alexhilton.net/A1AUDIO/index....reocontrol

Thanks for the suggestion. It installed and loaded just fine. Unfortunately it looks like it only works on stereo tracks. So it does not make a discernible difference to my mono bass track no matter what setting I put it on.

[Matt]

Oh I missed you were using it on a mono bass track. I also have a Melda bundle. One of the plugs in it is a “stereoizer” type plug in. I’ve used it a few times with some success.

That said. Why are you trying to make a mono bass track wider? I ask because that’s a bit unconventional (which is cool. I always like learning new tricks) but there may be other ways. Like a reverb plug in with only early reflections. That’s what a lot of plugs ins that make a mono track stereo do. Sometimes they’ll pan certain frequencies different ways. Sometimes with an LFO and sometimes statically. Anyway there may be another way to achieve your goal.

[dayvyg]

I like this one. It occasionally goes on sale.

https://www.pluginboutique.com/products/2195

d.

[txfiddler]

Oh I missed you were using it on a mono bass track. I also have a Melda bundle. One of the plugs in it is a “stereoizer” type plug in. I’ve used it a few times with some success.

That said. Why are you trying to make a mono bass track wider? I ask because that’s a bit unconventional (which is cool. I always like learning new tricks) but there may be other ways. Like a reverb plug in with only early reflections. That’s what a lot of plugs ins that make a mono track stereo do. Sometimes they’ll pan certain frequencies different ways. Sometimes with an LFO and sometimes statically. Anyway there may be another way to achieve your goal.

Indeed it may seem a bit peculiar. I’m attempting to do as much of my next CD “off the grid” as possible and likewise with as little of copying and pasting etc. that I can get away with. That’s a bit easier said than done when doing everything in a home setting. Thus, I started off with drum tracks. Recorded the drums at the drummers house (he has a small studio) with me doing a scratch guitar and vocal. We do several takes then choose the best one. I take those tracks home to my place. I did several takes on the bass. Narrowed it down to two strong takes. I couldn’t decide which one was stronger so I hard panned them for further listening. Once I heard it that way, I thought it sounded pretty wicked. So I did the same for another tune with pleasing results. When I compared those to the tunes I already have recorded, there was a definite difference in the general vibe between the songs that had two panned bass tracks and those that did not. I don’t think a hard panned bass is appropriate for all the songs but I thought that widening the bass track on the songs that have a single bass track would give those songs a better consistency with those that do. So far so good with the experiment.

Thanks so much for your suggestions. I will give them a try.

[Shailesh]

1) boz Width
2) STC-3 SPACIAL EXPANDER
3) A1STEREOCONTROL
4) VOXENGO STEREO TOUCH
5) QUIKQUAK UPSTEREO

[jiff 41]

Oh I missed you were using it on a mono bass track. I also have a Melda bundle. One of the plugs in it is a “stereoizer” type plug in. I’ve used it a few times with some success.

That said. Why are you trying to make a mono bass track wider? I ask because that’s a bit unconventional (which is cool. I always like learning new tricks) but there may be other ways. Like a reverb plug in with only early reflections. That’s what a lot of plugs ins that make a mono track stereo do. Sometimes they’ll pan certain frequencies different ways. Sometimes with an LFO and sometimes statically. Anyway there may be another way to achieve your goal.

Indeed it may seem a bit peculiar. I’m attempting to do as much of my next CD “off the grid” as possible and likewise with as little of copying and pasting etc. that I can get away with. That’s a bit easier said than done when doing everything in a home setting. Thus, I started off with drum tracks. Recorded the drums at the drummers house (he has a small studio) with me doing a scratch guitar and vocal. We do several takes then choose the best one. I take those tracks home to my place. I did several takes on the bass. Narrowed it down to two strong takes. I couldn’t decide which one was stronger so I hard panned them for further listening. Once I heard it that way, I thought it sounded pretty wicked. So I did the same for another tune with pleasing results. When I compared those to the tunes I already have recorded, there was a definite difference in the general vibe between the songs that had two panned bass tracks and those that did not. I don’t think a hard panned bass is appropriate for all the songs but I thought that widening the bass track on the songs that have a single bass track would give those songs a better consistency with those that do. So far so good with the experiment.

Thanks so much for your suggestions. I will give them a try.

Long ago (in the 70's) I was in a band & when we recorded out LP one of the bass tracks I wasn't happy with the sound & the engineer & the boys said it'll be alright when mixed so I let it go but in the middle of the night I couldn't sleep so I went down the Studio set up another track for the bass & re-recorded it with a sound I was happy with!, The following day I told the engineer what I'd done & he said we'll have a listen & played the new track & flicked between the new & old & one time he put the both up & they were identical apart from the tone so he just labeled them Bass 1 & Bass2 come mixing time the mixer couldn't decide which one he liked & put both on panned & we thought it sounded great!, But they were separate takes I think if you just stereoise & Mono track it woun't work as well as doing two takes? (From Experience!).