Make Your Mixes WIDER Without Stereo Width Plugins

What makes something sound LOUD? By comparing it with something that sounds quieter, right?

So, what makes something sound WIDE? By comparing it with something that is NOT wide! Ironically, the way to achieve wider mixes is to have FEWER things panned out wide.

The real key to width is CONTRAST. Check out this video to find out how to achieve that contrast and width in your mixes…without stereo widening plugins.

[BigBri]

True story:
I was doing sound for a church that actually had a pretty awesome house system. Mind you this wasn't a huge sanctuary, so when I first started there I walked around to get an idea of what the worship team was mixed like at that point of me stepping in. Despite the fact that they had a fully stereo system (2.1), every channel on the mixer was panned straight up 12 o'clock dead center. This created a messy mix, undistinguished vocals, and phasing problems as I moved about the room.

Before I changed one other thing, I started with the panning. I separated out the instruments *and* the vocals according to where they were located up on the platform which was fairly wide. I sonically located each & every mic and direct line into a stereo image that matched the visual picture from the platform. The one exception was the keyboard which was a stereo signal in the first place, so I panned it hard L/R. Also I panned the effects hard L/R because, you know- why wouldn't I?

To make a long story short, despite the fact that I totally cleared up their muddy mix and fine-tuned everything into a very vivid audio experience, the worship team leader was aghast at what I had done with the panning, and he eventually "fixed" it by re-centering all the panning I had worked out so meticulously. We had words about it, and I eventually quit. I said, "You hired me to mix your p.a., but apparently you still want to do it yourself, so have at it."

[cshepard]

super interesting, but I was kind of disappointed that you didnt showcase what you were talking about. would've been cool to hear some samples.

[bennycole]

It’s like the master Dave Pensado said: if everything is in stereo you don’t have a wide mix, you have a big mono

[tortugulaproductions]

you are right on the money. i've used the waves spreader twice. the first time i took it off. the second time i took it off. width isn't a trick its a product of method and technique.

[superlynx]

I mostly agree, stereo widening plugins can introduce phasing issues, etc, but the solution isn't LCR panning. You can get a lot of width by having things panned throughout the stereo field, and it sounds more like a "real" space that the listener is immersed in. Why do you think there are so many degrees on the pan knobs, just for shits and giggles??

[russbradshawmusic]

The only reason I would use a stereo widener is for the specific effect, not the function it promises. For instance, I would use it on the double of a vocal to blend a different sound with the main vocal.

[AfterlifeStudios]

Jordan is the goat, he gives honest help and gives no bs tips and tool to get better mixes.

[TWEAKER]

Been saying it for years: contrasts make a great mix. One of the best projects I worked on this year was an album of LCR mixes.

[Yupppi]

Personally I like to put distorted guitars somewhere in between center and full pan so they get slightly mixed with each others and you get some of that interval consonance and dissonance. If they're hard panned to the sides, they sound very separate so unless they're identical compositions, they feel a bit loose. Of course if the spectrum is a bit crowded and say a rhythm and a lead are overlapping some and perhaps in a dissonant way that sounds bad, it's convenient to pan them further away to avoid the blend.

[prichabenny]

True, my mixes improved massively by going to the basics

[citadelstudios]

I'm so glad I finally heard someone say this. I've been producing for a little over 20 years and I've always gotten stems for mixing gigs and request from in house artists demanding the most arbitrary stereo field positionings for various elements with zero justification given.
I'm a HUGE fan of LCR for that very reason - the lack of substantive arguments to the contrary.

[domagojoinky]

LCR panning is the way to go. Mono-ish verses, ultra wide choruses. If you have similar parts, one played on acoustic, another on electric guitar, pan one to the left, another to right, backing vocals lcr, organ, piano and synths are stereo, but mono piano is interesting. No widening plugins are needed because they can mess up with the phase and mono compatibility of a mix

[ccrecordings]

Stereo wideners are sick for ambient pads or heavy reverb leads that kinda float around the mix

[i.am.thom]

I ain’t gonna lie, this is what I needed to hear.

[Kenwhoo]

Exactly, and another trick I think works is to hard pan anything with higher frequencies out from the middle as well. Like claps, bells, over heads, finger snaps and etc. That normal tricks those listening ears as well. But like this brother said it's all about trucking the listeners ears and middle to panned left and right will because using space in between hard left to right and dead center basically lets u hear whats there so that brain won't even let you focus on left to right so 100 percent agreed. Thanks so much for this video 🎉🤟🏾🤙🏾👊🏾💪🏾

[tudorgheorghe]

Dude I'm senior sound masters engineer and want to congratulate you ! You nailed the topic❤!!

[eddyray]

Man, I applied this to my guitar tracks that were panned L-100 L-70 R-70 R-100 and then rendered and referenced... Immediately better. Awesome.

[neddam]

thanks man, this video changed my life

[lileztat]

Agreed. Space overall is, to me, what creates good mixes. Highs and lows, left and right even in rhythm and notes. However, this video helped me realize that I may be overdoing it when I have more instruments involved. In the past I have tried to give each one their own pan position when that may not be necessary.

[pedromaiz]

Awesome! I love how you point out that these things don't exist in a vacuum. We aren't JUST listening to a mix. We are listening to it AND responding to verbal relations that have been made between the mix and other things.