Having hopefully edified you with our recent collection of mid/side processing tips, we thought we’d follow up with some plugin recommendations with which to execute them. To be very clear, this isn’t in any way intended to be a definitive list of mid/side plugins ‘that every producer should own’ – rather, what we’re presenting here is a range of disparate effects that happen to incorporate M/S encoding/decoding as a secondary adjunct to their main raison d’etre.
Nugen SigMod
An abbreviation of ‘signal modification’, Nugen’s proudly utilitarian plugin comprises 13 freely arrangeable modules, including Crossover, Split, Trim, DC Offset, Tap (parallel routing), Phase, Delay, Protect (kills the signal when it exceeds a certain volume level), Insert (insert any VST2/3 or AU plugin into the path) and, yes, Mid/side. Using these, all manner of channel operations can be carried out, from simple corrective processes and DAW-necessitated workarounds, to elaborate routing schemes – polarity switching, mono checking, multiband filtering, parallel splitting, etc. The Mid/side module enables both encoding of L/R to M/S and decoding of M/S to L/R, and quite apart from its fundamental role within SigMod’s internal setup, it can also be deployed in conjunction with the Insert module to add mid/side capability to otherwise-incapable VST/AU plugin in Pro Tools or any other DAW.
Sonible smart:EQ 3
The third generation of Sonible’s ‘intelligent’ equaliser makes automatic suppression of harshness and intrusive resonance, and impressively effective unmasking of clashing track elements, a snap. The smart:filter analyses the input signal and suggests the ideal filter response curve based on a source-specific profile, while cross-channel processing groups up to six instances of the plugin for simultaneous contextual EQing; and despite all that machine learning, nothing is hidden from the user, so you can set any balance you like between automation and manual control. Crucially, for the purposes of this round-up, every filter can be individually switched between Stereo, Mid and Side modes, and the M/S parameter in the Output section offers final balancing of the mid and side components.
Mid/side operation is more frequently worked into EQs than any other type of plugin, with plenty of stellar examples to be found, and to our minds, smart:EQ 3 is one of the best.
Elysia Alpha Compressor
Not only is Elysia’s acclaimed emulation of their top-tier mastering compressor a superb plugin in terms of sound, character and response, but it also features a straightforward mid/side mode that simply flips the left channel over to processing the mid and the right to the side, with or without channel linking engaged. As with the standard stereo mode, Alpha’s signal matrix allows for independent switching in and out of the dry and wet signals in each channel, and the effectiveness with which the dynamics of the stereo image can be manipulated using it is hugely impressive.
FabFilter Saturn 2
Although FabFilter’s go-to distortion plugin is best known for its extraordinary array of saturation styles, intuitive multiband functionality and versatile modulation system, it also sports a mid/side mode, albeit one that can only be applied globally rather than per-band – perhaps we’ll see that addressed in the surely-imminent version 3. The implementation amounts to mid/side balance collars around the Input and Output level knobs, with which Saturn 2’s beautiful distortion algorithms can be brought to bear differentially on the mono and stereo components of your sounds, with levelling of each on the way in as well as out. Gnarly.
Cableguys WidthShaper 3
Running inside Cableguys’ powerful ShaperBox 3 multi-effects plugin, WidthShaper 3 modulates the level of the side component of the input signal using a supremely flexible multi-breakpoint LFO and a highly detailed envelope follower for each of its three freely adjustable frequency bands. The LFO runs in a loop (set in Hz or musical values from 1/128 to 32 bars), or triggered by MIDI or audio transients (internal or sidechained), and while the emphasis with this one is decidedly creative, it can of course be turned to simple balancing treatments too.
Importantly, WidthShaper is accompanied in ShaperBox 3 by eight other ‘Shaper’ modules, each coupling the same multiband architecture and modulation setup to a specific effect – distortion, panning, filtering, volume levelling, time-shifting, phasing/flanging et al. So, beyond being a nifty mid/side-wrangling tool for sound design and mixing in its own right, it becomes even more compelling within that broader remit.
Boom Library Enrage
Another modular multi-effects plugin that puts mid/side processing high on the agenda, Enrage lets you tool around with no fewer than 52 effects modules (delays, distortions, dynamics, filters, reverbs, etc) in its brilliant grid-based interface to construct your own wild chains and schemes, combining serial and parallel routing, and drawing on a vast palette of modulation sources for movement. The mid/side angle comes in the form of the M/S Split, Encode, Decode and Merge modules, which can be inserted wherever required, in whatever numbers and configuration you need, to alter the mono/stereo imaging at any point(s) in the signal path.
Given the price, this certainly isn’t a plugin you’d buy solely for its M/S balancing features, no matter how creative they might be, but when considered as part of the bigger picture, they greatly add to Enrage’s already appealing proposition.
Voxengo MSED
Last but not least, we’d be remiss in not including Voxengo’s venerable freebie in our list. This handy mid/side decoding/encoding utility provides the means by which to control the volume levels and pan positions of the mid and side components, and mute or solo each, for discrete separation via two instances of the plugin, or straightforward balancing in a single instance. Quick, easy and a definite must-have.
What plugins do you call on to empower your mid/side machinations? Let us know in the comments.