Stereo widening (also known as stereo imaging) is the process of making a sound or overall mix more perceptually spacious (or ‘wide’) in the stereo field. Widening can be an essential part of creating an effective mix<\/a> where each element has its space and stands out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the tutorial video above, we explore four popular music production techniques for increasing your music’s stereo width. Watch along to hear each technique in action, and read more about them below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n New subscribers can try all of Splice\u2014including 200 monthly sample download credits, full access to all premium INSTRUMENT presets, and more\u2014for $4.99\/mo.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Haas effect,<\/a> also commonly known as the “precedence effect,” is a psychoacoustic<\/a> property named after Dr. Helmut Haas. He discovered that two sounds need to be delayed by ~40 ms or more to be perceived separately. If they’re closer together in time, they’ll be perceived as one sound by most humans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In music production, we can make use of this concept to widen our sounds. Split a signal across two tracks and pan one source all the way to the left and the other source all the way to the right. If you delay one of the sides by ~12 – 40 ms, it’ll create the illusion of a ‘wider’ sound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Learn more about the Haas effect in our dedicated guide:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n4 key stereo widening techniques<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
1. The Haas effect<\/h3>\n\n\n\n