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How to Get a Wider Vocal with Mid/Side EQ

Sep 07, 2016 | 63,530 Views

Watch how to get a wider vocal in your mix using the Abbey Road RS56 EQ plugin for mid/side EQ, in this video with producer Billy Bush (Garbage, Jake Bugg).

Billy’s basic approach for making the vocal wider and more “three-dimensional” while still keeping it tightly focused:

  • Insert the RS56 EQ on the vocal channel and the vocal effects return channels
  • Bring the low end down in the sides and up in the center
  • Push high-end information to the sides
  • Keep mid-range information focused in the center

Billy explains: “When you bring up the high-end information in the sides and keep the mid and low end focused in the center, the high-end detail pulls the listeners’ attention subtly to the sides of the stereo field, giving the impression that the sound is wider. By keeping the mids and low end centered, you make sure that the mix stays punchy and mono-compatible. This works particularly well with stereo reverbs, delays, backing vocals and anything that is panned wide.”

A final tip: “I often exaggerate this by following the RS56 EQ with the S1 Stereo Imager plugin to widen the stereo image even further.”

“Big Ideas”
From the album Ocean by Ocean (Absentee/Kobalt)
Written by Adam Harrison, Piers Hewitt, Nathan Nicholson & Andrew Smith
Published by BMG Rights Management UK Ltd., a BMG Company © 2016

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