Continuing the bpb Freeware Studio series after a bit of pause, here’s a list of the best freeware VST/AU plugins designed for stereo enhancement purposes. There are plenty of useful free stereo expander tools available both for Windows and Mac which is great, but please be careful – tools like these can either make or seriously break your mix!
Follow the links for screenshots & download info:
Brainworx’s bxsolo is a free stereo imaging plug-in offered for free to everyone who signs up at Plugin Alliance. Employing the infinitely useful m/s processing technique, it gives you a surprising degree of control over the placement of sounds in the stereo spread. HoRNet CompExp is a compressor-expander vst plugin designed by Saverio Vigni, the design is base on a commander chip designed for telephone lines and used to reduce noise on an electronic device. Achieving a well balanced and a commercial ready track/sound with a compressor tool is far more said than done, achieve a faster result with CompExp. The free VST plugin version of Stereo Tool plays a short message ('This sound is processed by Stereo Tool') every couple of hours, but this limitation can be removed by registering Stereo Tool for only €35. The registered version also unlocks the Advanced Clipper feature. For full licensing details, check out the Stereo Tool registration page. I've got a few tools for enhancing the stereo image, which I use for different reasons, it would be hard to say which one is best, as it all depends on the source material and what you want to achieve. Standouts which I used or demoed below, tldr version for what you want, try leapwing audio stageone 30day demo or matthew lane stereo delta.
My go-to plugin for this sort of stuff is Stereoizer Free. Simple interface and handy controls for preventing phasing issues make it a perfect tool for quick and easy stereo enhancement tasks.
For those careful and subtle tweaks on full mixes, Rescue by Variety Of Sound is the way to go. This plugin will help brush up the stereo image slightly, without messing it up like a stereo tsunami. The PRO version has a additional filter controls, useful for keeping the focus in the bass frequencies.
RescueAE by Variety Of Sound.
Those are my two favorites, but make sure you check out the other plugins on the list too, especially Stereo Tool, bx_solo and MStereoExpander which are often praised on audio forums.
Alchemy Player is a free software instrument with a 1GB sample library and 200 instrument sounds including evolving soundscapes, lush pads, and pulsing arpeggios. Alchemy Player may be the only sample player you ever need, since it can now load any SFZ sample library. Alchemy Player is a free version of the full Alchemy VST plugin synth. This little player sounds extremely amazing and detailed. A combination of pre-recorded audio with synthesis results in some stunning sounds in this synth. The dual XY pads were a joy to use and the filters sounded crisp and smooth. Alchemy player free vst. Alchemy Player is a vst instruments plugins developed by Camel Audio, a free Sound Module VST plugins that you can use on any VST Compatible hosts such as Steinberg Cubase, Nuendo, Wavelab, FL Studio/Fruityloops, Ableton Live, Adobe Audition, LMMS, Reaper, SONAR, Mixcraft, Acid Pro, etc.
Sep 19, 2020 Refx Nexus 2 Vst Plugin is a futuristic virtual synthesizer that uses readymade sounds to fulfill your unimaginable musical desires. Refx Nexus 2 is a magnificent software synthesizer for Music producers. More specifically, Refx Nexus Vst free download for Fl Studio 20 is a ROM synthesizer. But it is not some old, tedious, or platitudinal synth. Refx nexus air 2 vst plugin. Jun 25, 2020 Leauger June 25, 2020 3 Comments on reFX – Air-nexus 2 2.2.0 by reFX VSTi x64 Fully working Nexus + full pack of sound banks for it. Download all that is here.
And that’s all for today. Did you like the article? Have I missed any good freeware stereo expander plugins? Leave your replies in the comments section below!
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Getting a wide stereo sound in mixes or recordings is one of the most desired techniques in music production.
And as there are actual ways you can accomplish this using recording techniques like Blumlein or mid-side techniques, we often find that we need to apply stereo widening to already recorded tracks within our DAW.
One of the best ways to do this is with a dedicated software plugin. Quite likely, your DAW may have something within the lines of a stereo widener, and there are many good quality paid versions out there.
But we decided to take a look at some of the best free stereo widener VST and AU plugins available for download in this guide. Let’s check ’em out!
Best Image Plugin Stereo Vst Plugins
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Free Stereo Width Plugins
Here we go over some of the most effective free stereo widening plug-instructor available, all of which can do a great job of making individual tracks bigger and wider.
With simplified control and undeniably great sound, these free plug-ins are excellent alternatives to costly and impractical hardware solutions and esoteric studio techniques.
The ListPlugin RoundupBest Image Plugin Stereo Vst Software
iZotope’s Ozone Imager is the free standalone plug-in version of the imaging technology found in the company’s own Ozone mastering suite. Although it has a much simpler set of controls than its more fully-featured counterpart, Ozone Imager is nevertheless capable of narrowing or widening the stereo image of your audio to a remarkably precise degree.
Like most of the components of Ozone, Imager provides immediate visual feedback that enables intuitive setting of the parameters. The plug-in even has a vectorscope and a correlation meter that aid in precision sound-staging during mixing and mastering.
Voxengo’s Stereo Touch employs mid/side coding in transforming the most basic mono sources into rich stereophonic tracks. Best suited to mono sources that don’t have a lot of sharp transients, it is especially effective for widening acoustic and electric guitars, synthesizer pads, and vocals. With the spacious and expansive “surround” produced by this plug-in, you no longer have to devote time and channel space to double tracking.
Stereo Touch also works on multi-channel input signals, processing each one independently as separate mono signals. The stereo streams are then combined to produce a single stereo signal at the output.
Whether you are looking for a quick way to add stereo imaging or you want to widen a mono source, Stereo Touch will deliver like a champ.
A1Audio’s A1StereoControl does exactly what it says on the tin: give you precise control over stereo imaging. Even though it is equipped only with a single knob, you can expand or limit your tracks’ stereo width to a remarkable degree.
One of the best things about A1StereoControl is how easily it helps you sidestep a common issue when “stereoizing” bass sounds. The plug-in has a “Safe Bass” algorithm that centers all the low frequencies below a user definable threshold. This keeps bass and other low-end sounds right at the center of the stereo spread, where they won’t cause any phasing issues.
Even without the dedicated mid/side controls found in other imaging plug-ins, A1StereoControl prevents your low end from causing any issues when collapsed to mono.
Best Image Plugin Stereo Vst Plugin
MeldaProduction’s MAutopan is more of a panning plug-in than a dedicated stereo imager, but it is quite a capable one at that. The plug-in employs a unique modulation system that consists of continuously adjustable oscillators. Each of these oscillators may combine predefined shapes, custom waveforms, and algorithmic post-processing.
The result is a tremendous degree of control by which you can define the stereo placement of your sounds.
MAutopan actually handles more than just mono and stereo sources. The plug-in is also capable of processing up to eight channels of surround audio, making it a useful tool for game and film audio production.
QuickQuak Audio’s UpStereo is a sort of classic in stereo imaging circles, with a set of simple controls that can make short work of stereoizing any mono source. It employs a fixed frequency EQ, a stereo widening unit, and a loud switch, all of which result in bigger, wider, and louder tracks.
Unlike most other stereo widening plug-ins, UpStereo comes with an option to push the sound into overdrive. Combined with the stereo widening capabilities of the unit, this makes it possible to produce individual sounds that stand out without the need for extensive processing.
Brainworx’s bx_solo is a free stereo imaging plug-in offered for free to everyone who signs up at Plugin Alliance. Employing the infinitely useful m/s processing technique, it gives you a surprising degree of control over the placement of sounds in the stereo spread.
A comprehensive range of solo features are included with the bx_solo, giving you the ability to hear the left, right, middle, and side channels while tweaking. This feature alone adds a lot of functionality to any DAW, very few of which allow for such flexibility.
Xfer Records’ Dimension Expander is a spatial expander modeled after the popular Boss/Roland Dimension D chorus effect. By splitting audio into four parts, flipping the phase of two streams and then delaying them, the plug-in produces rich, lush, and wide textures that retains punch and clarity.
Admittedly, the Dimension Expander is a bit of a one-trick pony. But the trick is a pretty damn impressive one.
And considering the relative rarity and cost of the Dimension D in the vintage market, this free plug-in will make a welcome addition to your suite of stereo imaging plug-ins.
Top Pick
The Ozone Imager is pretty much the one to beat in this roundup. Offering all the flexibility, control, and great sound that iZotope has become known for, it can handle most every stereo widening need you can think of and then some.
Best Image Plugin Stereo Vst Audacity
That being said, the Voxengo Stereo Touch, the A1StereoControl, and MAutopan all deserve special mention as well. Going well beyond the capabilities offered by most stereo imaging plug-ins, and or all of these three will find a welcome place in any mix engineer’s arsenal.
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