Best Stereo Imaging Plugins for Achieving Wider Mixes

Achieving a wide, professional sound in your mixes is essential for creating an immersive listening experience. Widening mono sounds can make your mix more engaging and interesting to the listener. A wide stereo image creates a sense of depth and space, making the music more immersive and captivating. This can be especially important in genres that rely heavily on a rich, full sound, such as pop, rock, and electronic music.

Making a stereo mix wider involves a combination of techniques and tools. Plugins designed for stereo widening, such as iZotope Ozone Imager or Waves S1 Stereo Imager, can help enhance the stereo field by adjusting the width and spatial positioning of your tracks.

Stereo imaging plugins are invaluable tools for this purpose. Here are some of the best stereo imaging plugins available:

iZotope Ozone Imager (Free!)

iZotope Ozone Imager is a popular choice for stereo imaging. Part of the comprehensive Ozone suite, it’s also available as a free standalone plugin. Ozone Imager offers powerful visual feedback with features like the vectorscope, polar sample plot, and stereo balance meters, making it easy to visualize and adjust the stereo width of your tracks. Its intuitive interface and professional-grade performance make it a go-to for many producers.

Free Download Link: iZotope Ozone Imager

Waves S1 Stereo Imager

The Waves S1 Stereo Imager is a versatile and widely used plugin that provides precise control over the stereo field. It allows you to adjust the width and position of your stereo image and includes features like asymmetry and rotation controls. These tools enable you to make fine adjustments, ensuring your mix has the perfect spatial balance. Whether you’re widening a vocal track or enhancing the stereo spread of an entire mix, the S1 Stereo Imager is a reliable choice.

Buy/Download Link: Waves S1 Stereo Imager

FabFilter Pro-Q 3

While primarily known as an equalizer, FabFilter Pro-Q 3 also offers excellent stereo imaging capabilities. It allows you to apply EQ adjustments independently to the left and right channels or the mid and side channels. This feature gives you fine control over the stereo field, enabling you to enhance specific elements of your mix with precision. Pro-Q 3’s sleek interface and powerful functionality make it an indispensable tool for both EQ and stereo imaging tasks.

Buy/Download Link: Pro-Q 3

Brainworx bx_stereomaker

Brainworx bx_stereomaker is designed to turn mono signals into stereo, making it an excellent tool for enhancing the width of individual elements in your mix. It features a Mono Maker control, which helps maintain low-end focus while widening higher frequencies. This plugin is particularly useful for giving mono recordings a fuller, more immersive stereo presence without sacrificing clarity.

Buy/Download Link: bx_stereomaker

MeldaProduction MStereoProcessor

MStereoProcessor by MeldaProduction offers a comprehensive set of tools for stereo widening, including mid/side processing, stereo expansion, and stereo field rotation. It also includes advanced features like frequency-dependent widening and modulation options. This plugin is incredibly versatile, allowing for both subtle and dramatic stereo enhancements, making it suitable for a wide range of mixing scenarios.

Buy/Download Link: MStereoProcessor

Soundtoys MicroShift

Soundtoys MicroShift is known for its lush and wide sound. It emulates the classic stereo widening techniques of pitch shifting and delay, making it a great choice for adding a rich, chorused stereo effect to vocals and other instruments. MicroShift’s easy-to-use interface and high-quality algorithms make it a favorite for creating wide, textured sounds.

Buy/Download Link: MicroShift

Plugin Boutique StereoSavage

StereoSavage 2 offers a range of stereo enhancement tools, including stereo widening, imaging, and effects like chorus and detune. It’s designed to give you creative control over the stereo field, making it a great all-in-one solution for stereo imaging. With its comprehensive feature set, StereoSavage can handle everything from subtle width adjustments to dramatic stereo effects.

Buy/Download Link: StereoSavage 2

Voxengo Stereo Touch (Free!)

Voxengo Stereo Touch is a free plugin that can turn mono signals into a spacious stereo sound. It offers various presets and controls for adjusting the stereo width and positioning, making it an easy-to-use option for stereo enhancement. Despite being free, Stereo Touch delivers professional results, making it a great tool for any budget-conscious producer.

Download Link: Voxengo Stereo Touch

Solid State Logic Fusion Stereo Image

The Solid State Logic Fusion Stereo plug-in builds upon the legacy of SSL’s renowned analog hardware. This plug-in is particularly designed to enhance the stereo field of your mix, providing a unique analog-like warmth and spatial expansion. It allows users to subtly or significantly widen their stereo image, delivering the richness and depth associated with SSL’s top-tier studio equipment.

Buy/Download Link: SSL Fusion Stereo Image

Wider by Polyverse Music (Free)

Wider by Polyverse Music is a free plugin that dramatically increases the stereo spread of mono signals without compromising the phase coherence of the signal. This means that it can create a broader stereo image without causing any artifacts that are typically introduced with similar processes. It is incredibly user-friendly and effective for achieving a wide, expansive sound.

Free Download: Polyverse Wider

When choosing a stereo imaging plugin, consider the specific needs of your mix and your workflow. Each of these plugins offers unique features and capabilities, so experimenting with a few different options can help you find the best tool for achieving a wide, professional sound in your music.

Whether you need precise control, ease of use, or advanced features, there is a stereo imaging plugin on this list that will suit your needs.