Wanna make your sound effects or music sound wider?
Well, these 5 plugins are going to help you do just that.
From Stereo enhancers to panning plugins,
these are the best free effect plugins I could find for making a wider mix.
Stick around.
[example of using a stereo widener and a stereo imager]
[best free stereo widening vst plugins (2019)]
Hey everyone, Jake from Transverse Audio here.
These are all quite unique and can solve different problems in your mix
or achieve different goals you mayhey
[random mumbling after messing up]
or achieve different goals you maybe after.
As usual, the download links are in the description below.
While you're there, drop a like on the video too, I'd really appreciate it.
First up is a plugin from iZotope called Ozone Imager.
This stereo imaging plugin does more than just show you the width of your track,
it also lets you shape it.
With options to control the width and a Stereoize parameter,
[example of Ozone Imager - Stereo Imaging plugin]
you can bring something all the way down to mono
[mono vs stereo comparison]
and also make it wider than it was before.
[example of Ozone Imager widening a sound]
Bottom line, this is great for understanding and controlling your mix.
Next is a stereo panning tool called PanCake. Clever name huh?
Which is made by Cableguys.
Instead of using the default panning controls that come with your DAW,
this effect plugin lets you modulate the pan with an LFO
and even lets you create your own modulation curves.
Basically, it makes it really easy to automate your panning.
[showing different modulation curve options, such as Sine, Triangle, and Random waveforms]
[demo of PanCake - stereo panner]
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Not only do I make these kinds of videos often,
I also make community posts where I share a bunch of tips and information.
Alright, the third plugin is another one by iZotope called Vocal Doubler.
This is a great way to thicken a sound and to get the most out of the full stereo width.
I'm pretty sure it's a subtle delay or chorus effect mixed with a stereo enhancer.
First I'm gonna show you what it does on vocals, then on a synth sound so you can see how versatile it is.
Oh, and iZotope does recommend using this on dry vocals,
which is just vocals that don't have any effects applied to them already.
For this plugin, it can cause pops and clicks in the sound.
So, you would just need to make sure this is on the top of your effect rack
unless you have an EQ, it shouldn't matter for filtering effects.
[example of iZotope - Vocal Doubler on vocals]
[demo of iZotope - Vocal Doubler used on a synth]
For the next plugin, Polyverse and Infected Mushroom teamed up and made a really cool stereo widener
that always remains in-phase with itself.
This means it can even work with mono sounds.
Although I find it isn't as effective as using it on stereo sounds.
Wider is simple to use plugin and all you need to do is either drag up or down on the percentage
or side to side on the meter.
[example of Wider by Polyverse & Infected Mushroom]
Last is a plugin that will rapidly pan your sound back and forth from the left and right channels.
I used to call it Tre-mole-oh
[funny tremolo pronounciation]
But it's actually called Tremolo by PechenegFX.
And, is of course, a tremolo effect
and is good for adding some width to a sound.
You'll have to switch the mode over to pan
and may need to turn the output volume
up to around 1.25 to get it back to normal levels.
Now it is more like a ping-pong effect from a delay plugin
but it can help make some things in your mix wider by stimulating each ear differently.
Just be cautious when using it, if you use it on too many elements
and make it very pronounced or obvious,
I noticed it can leave you a bit disoriented.
[demo of Tremolo by PechenegFX]
I hope these VST plugins help you make music or sound effects that take up a lot more of the stereo width.
As always, thanks for watching.