How do you use M/S EQ to create more depth and width in your stereo mix?

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M/S EQ is a powerful technique that can help you enhance the stereo image of your mix by adjusting the mid and side channels separately. Mid channel is the sum of the left and right signals, while side channel is the difference between them. By applying different EQ settings to each channel, you can create more depth and width in your stereo mix, as well as balance the frequency spectrum and fix potential phase issues. In this article, you will learn how to use M/S EQ to create more depth and width in your stereo mix, using a simple four-step process.

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Ryan Kelly

Audio Engineer
James Livett

Head of Audio at So Sound and Owner of Red Shift Mastering

1 Step 1: Set up an M/S EQ plugin

The first step is to set up an M/S EQ plugin on your master bus or a stereo group track. There are many M/S EQ plugins available, but they all have a similar interface that allows you to switch between mid and side modes and apply different EQ curves to each channel. Some examples of M/S EQ plugins are FabFilter Pro-Q, Brainworx bx_digital, and Waves Center. Once you have inserted an M/S EQ plugin on your track, you can start tweaking the settings to achieve the desired effect.

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Ryan Kelly

Audio Engineer
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A great trick to control your low end is to throw Pro-Q3 (or any m/s EQ) on the mix bus, then high pass the side image at 60hz or so, making everything mono below that.

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2 Step 2: Boost the side channel for more width

The second step is to boost the side channel for more width. The side channel contains the stereo information of your mix, such as panning, reverb, and delay. By boosting the side channel, you can make your mix sound wider and more spacious, as well as emphasize the ambience and the sense of space. To boost the side channel, switch to the side mode on your M/S EQ plugin and apply a gentle high-shelf filter or a bell curve to the high frequencies, starting from around 5 kHz. You can also boost the low frequencies of the side channel, but be careful not to create too much low-end mud or phase problems.

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James Livett

Head of Audio at So Sound and Owner of Red Shift Mastering
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Be careful with this technique, by boosting the sides, the relative level of mid elements such as kick, snare and vocals will be reduced. This can result in losing punch in a mix and/or sacrificing intelligibility of vocals. It's a good idea to level match your post processed signal to the unprocessed to check you havent takent it too far.

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Ryan Kelly

Audio Engineer
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I wouldn't boost the side image of anything too drastically; sometimes an effective trick is to add a subtle 1-3dB high shelf at 10kHz on a vocal's side image. Just remember, boosting the sides of a mono signal does nothing, so tricks like this are best used to fine tune once a vocal has been made stereo by an imaging plugin like Ozone. Works well on adlibs or harmonies.

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3 Step 3: Cut the mid channel for more depth

The third step is to cut the mid channel for more depth. The mid channel contains the mono information of your mix, such as vocals, bass, drums, and other center-panned elements. By cutting the mid channel, you can make your mix sound deeper and more dynamic, as well as create more contrast and separation between the center and the sides. To cut the mid channel, switch to the mid mode on your M/S EQ plugin and apply a gentle low-shelf filter or a bell curve to the low frequencies, starting from around 200 Hz. You can also cut the high frequencies of the mid channel, but be careful not to lose too much clarity or presence.

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James Livett

Head of Audio at So Sound and Owner of Red Shift Mastering
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It can be effective to do some sculpting of the mid channel in a full mix to acheive better vocal clarity. I often will add a small boost around 4.5kHz to bring out the intelligibility, or cut around 100-200Hz if the vocal is a bit too full in this region.

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4 Step 4: Fine-tune the balance and the phase

The fourth and final step is to fine-tune the balance and the phase of your mix. After applying M/S EQ, you may need to adjust the overall level and the pan of your mix to compensate for the changes in the frequency spectrum and the stereo image. You can use a gain or a balance plugin to do this, or simply use the output level and the width controls on your M/S EQ plugin. You may also need to check the phase coherence of your mix, especially if you have boosted or cut the low frequencies of the mid or the side channel. You can use a phase meter or a correlation meter to do this, or simply use the mono button on your M/S EQ plugin to listen to how your mix sounds in mono. If you hear any noticeable drop in volume or loss of low-end, you may have a phase issue that needs to be fixed.

By following these four steps, you can use M/S EQ to create more depth and width in your stereo mix, as well as improve the frequency balance and the phase coherence of your mix. M/S EQ is a versatile and creative technique that can help you achieve a more professional and polished sound, as well as add some interest and excitement to your mix.

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James Livett

Head of Audio at So Sound and Owner of Red Shift Mastering
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It's not really possible to correct phase problems using M/S. If you've got phase cancellation between left and right, or between two elements in mix, it's something to correct in the mix really. Also adjusting EQ in M/S is unlikely to cause your mix to end up unbalanced from left to right, so I wouldn't adjust panning on the stereo mix, as it will skew centre panned elements to the left or right, which in most cases is probably not wanted.

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5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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James Livett

Head of Audio at So Sound and Owner of Red Shift Mastering
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One thing to try, and can be quite effective, is to use a tool like Waves MV2 to apply upward compression to only the side signal. What this will do is bring up the level of the quieter parts of the signal. It's a similar effect to parallel compression, but to my ear is more transparent as doen't affect the peaks. Make sure to level match to the unprocessed side signal, but having the sides more consistent and present gives a subtly wider soundstage.

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Connor Billard

Audio Engineer
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I often run saturation (Fabfilter Saturn) in Mid/Side. A small amount can make a huge difference in seperation between the Mid and Side channels

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How do you use M/S EQ to create more depth and width in your stereo mix?

1

2

3

4

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1 Step 1: Set up an M/S EQ plugin

2 Step 2: Boost the side channel for more width

3 Step 3: Cut the mid channel for more depth

4 Step 4: Fine-tune the balance and the phase

5 Here’s what else to consider

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