Stereo Imaging

[Creativemind]

Hi Everyone!

What are the best uses for a stereo imager?

Is it best used as an insert effect or a send?

If used as an insert effect on say a vocal and you had a de-esser and a reverb added to it in that order, where in the chain would you add a stereo imager, before the de-esser or after the reverb?

Thanks!

[aeox]

Highly situational. There are no rules, just depends on the sound and what you are trying to achieve.

[antic604]

It has a frequency band splitter not without reason - narrow (mono) the bass, widen the top.

It's usually placed at the end of effects chain, to adjust the stereo field. But obviously there's no reason to not put it anywhere.

Also, when not touching the width dials, it can be used as a very good frequency band splitter, for applying different effects to different bands.

[Loque]

I agree to the previous poster. I mainly use stereo effects to tame the stereo width, especially for lower frequencies. Rarely i increase the stereo. I prefere using EQs on the mid/sides or compressor or other fx rather than simple stereo widener if required. I like the idea to free "stereo room" for other instruments - this reminds me more and more of "painting" a audio-visual picture. Its like creating space in stereo and frequency and time to create a 3D image... Pushing everything wide sounds boring, better place something left, right, up, down, move around...Use reverb, eq, mono<->stereo, binaural panning, spatial, ... to place the sounds. I realize more and more how i like that, how i do that and how i force myself to create that.

[aeox]

He asked how to use a stereo imager(Didn't mention Mclass Imager, which cannot add width to mono signals). Stereo placement of sounds is a whole other topic but I agree that you should focus on stereo placement instead of stereo imagers such as "Wider" etc. Use of stereo imagers is very situational. You can't just say it's best to use *insert effect here* before or after *insert effect here* because it all depends on what you think the sound calls for in that moment given your experience.

If you want an incredibly wide sound you can try it for yourself by panning a synth playing a particular note left and panning a second synth to the right playing a different note. That's about as "wide" as it gets.I understand this isn't what you're asking though.. If you're just trying to widen a sound ever so slightly, I find that a very short natural reverb sounds much better in most cases. Though, a stereo imager can be used to widen a mono signal slightly as well(not Reasons). You can do it anywhere in the chain and just see how it sounds. NO RULES.