M15A wrote on Fri, 07 April 2006 06:26 |
Just wondering...how often do you guys use stereo enhancement in a mastering session?
For me it seems to be something that works 9 times out of 10. It just seems to add more character to a mix and of course it brings out the ambience a little better.
But I use it so much that I start doubting myself What do you guys think of stereo enhancement and how often do you use it?
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Keep doubting yourself. It's like that hf eq (air) that seduces you in and won't let go... until two weeks later and you listen to your work and wonder what you were thinking. It's not something to do when your ears are tired!
When I do use it, it's very slight and not always for the same reasons (duh). Sometimes it's to widen the image slightly, sometimes it's to collapse a midrange freq in order to focus a vocal a little more in the "phantom image". In all cases it's to accomplish something that could have been done in the mix stage but wasn't, and now it's on my plate. Of course, there are plenty of methods we might refer to as stereo enhancement....
ranging from the plethora of multiband imaging plugs, m-s techniques, to Bob Katz's K-Stereo processor. Which type were you
referring to?
The only generalisation about how I use the multiband stereo enhancement stuff I'd make is to say that I'm not real comfortable with it, and don't want to be. Sort of like running a chain saw. The day I entirely trust either I'll lose a client or a body part.