This is my first FX Chain designed for Project page songs, although it also works for tracks and buses in the Song page. It's based on mid-side processing. Fig. 1 shows the control panel, with switch-selectable Super Stereo (side emphasis) and Mondo Mono (center/mid emphasis). Complementary gain controls for the Mid and Side fine-tune the levels. Trim compensates for level changes caused by adjusting the other controls.
Figure 1: FX Chain control panel.
How It Works
Actually, you don't need to know how it works-just download the FX Chain for Studio One Professional. (If you want to see an Artist version, let me know in the Comments.) For the curious, fig. 2 shows the block diagram.
Figure 2: Block diagram.
The Mixtool encodes the stereo signal into mid and side channels, and the Splitter splits them into two parallel paths. Each path has a 2.0 ms Analog delay, with Modulation used as a secret weapon -it adds an extremely subtle 3D quality on headphones. Enabling the delay in the side path extends the stereo image outward, while enabling the delay in the mid path squeezes the image more to mono.
Each path has a Gain control for adjusting the mid and side levels. Use these to fine-tune the switched settings.
The second-to-last Mixtool adds a fixed 6 dB of gain to compensate for the encoding/decoding process. The final Mixtool provides the Trim control's 6 dB of cut/gain. Fig. 3 shows the results of using this effect.
Figure 3: Dry audio (left), Super Stereo (middle), Mondo Mono (right).
How to Use It
This is not one of those effects that sounds best if you turn everything up full. The default has all controls flat. Start by enabling Super Stereo. Turn that off. Enable Mondo Mono. You'll hear an obvious difference. Then turn both off, and play with the Gain controls for the Mid and Side. As to modulation, sometimes you can hear the effect, sometimes not.
Use Mondo Mono to tweak something that you know is going to play back over a mono, or close-to-mono, sound system. Turn the Side gain up all the way, then enable Mondo Mono. This mixes the sides more into mono, so they translate well in a mono mix.
In the audio example, the first half is without processing. Then the same phrase repeats in Super Stereo, with modulation up full. Both have been edited to the same LUFS value. I think you'll hear the difference, especially if you go back to the first half after listening to the second half-which definitely pops more.
[insert audio example, Super Stereo.mp3]
Super Stereo Download the Super Stereo Mondo Mono.multipreset here
Super-Stereo-Mondo-Mono.multipresetDownload
For more tips on how to get the most out of Studio One, check out the series of Studio One eBooks that cover tips & tricks, creative mixing, recording/mixing vocals, dynamics processors, and recording/mixing guitar. Remember, just like software, eBook owners can download the latest point updates for free from their PreSonus account (or Sweetwater account, if purchased from there). Owners are also eligible for new editions at a reduced price.
More from PreSonus
01/12/2023
Vocoder's aren't normal effects. For example, Arturia's Vocoder V is an effect/instrument hybrid, because it's an audio effect that includes a...
24/11/2023
For over a decade, stereo and mono vinyl records co-existed before the transition to stereo was complete. During that time, many records were released in both m...
17/11/2023
Strings can enhance almost any genre of music-and with a little more effort, you can do string arrangements that go beyond simply adding a string pad preset. So...
10/11/2023
Since Dynamic EQ was introduced in version 5, I've used it to replace and improve some techniques I used to do with static EQ. For example, I'm a fan of...
03/11/2023
Gregor Beyerle recently posted a video called Producer vs. Engineer-What's the Difference?, which had quite a few comments. It seems most people feel that f...
27/10/2023
Sending too many low frequencies through reverb gives a bloated, muddy sound. This is one reason why you'll rarely see a send from a bass track going into r...
20/10/2023
While trying to do something else with Melodyne, I stumbled on this way to add depth or tightness to drum sounds-quickly and easily. Here's the sound of an ...
13/10/2023
Parallel processing splits a signal into two or more parallel channels. Bi-amping is a common example of parallel processing:
One channel processes low frequen...
06/10/2023
Everyone talks about the importance of Dolby Atmos for post-production, but the implications go further than that. Atmos really does change how you create and ...
29/09/2023
You don't need a massive surround system with speakers wired all over your studio to create immersive audio. Whether you want surround or Dolby Atmos mixes...
22/09/2023
By Craig Anderton
Background music or environmental sounds are usually an essential part of commercials, movies, presentations, podcasts, and more. When doing ...
15/09/2023
The post Mixing la Studio One had a great response, so here's another tip that relates more to making better music than making better-sounding music. We&#...
08/09/2023
This FX Chain's inspiration is the Tilt filter circuit created by Tonelux designer Paul Wolff. First used in the Tonelux MP1A mic preamp, the Tilt filter h...
01/09/2023
But first, some breaking news: Version 1.5 of The Huge Book of Studio One Tips and Tricks is now available from the PreSonus shop. Like previous versions, it...
25/08/2023
Studio One 6.2 reworked Layer and Take handling, and some of the new functionality is exceptionally useful. For example, suppose you want to record comp vocals ...
18/08/2023
We haven't done a boutique digital effect for Studio One Professional in a while, so let's use a plugin in a totally wrong way-yet end up with somethi...
11/08/2023
MIDI drum loops have a bad rap, because some musicians consider them metronomic and boring. But they don't have to be. Subtly leading or lagging the beat at...
04/08/2023
Ask 100 recording engineers about their approach to mixing, and you'll hear 100 different answers. Here's mine, and how this approach relates to Studio ...
28/07/2023
FL Studio is a cool program. Yet when some users see me working with Studio One's features like comping tools, harmonic editing, the lyrics track, Mix FX, M...
21/07/2023
Bass has a tough gig. Speakers have a hard time reproducing such low frequencies. Also, the ear is less sensitive to low (and high) frequencies compared to midr...
18/07/2023
Notion Mobile v3 took mobile music creation to the next level with support for iOS, Android, Windows and macOS. Now v3.2 adds many enhancements and fixes, as we...
14/07/2023
First, an announcement: If you own the eBook How to Record and Mix Great Vocals in Studio One, you can download the 2.1 update for free from your PreSonus acc...
07/07/2023
Let's transform your acoustic piano instrument sounds-with effects that showcase the power of Multiband Dynamics. Choose from two download links at the end ...
24/06/2023
Acoustic drum loops freeze-dry a drummer's playing-so, what you hear is what you get. What you get. What you get. What you get. What you get. What you get.
...
16/06/2023
Melodyne can do much more than vocal pitch correction. Previous tips have covered how to do envelope-controlled flanging and polyphonic guitar-to-MIDI conversio...
09/06/2023
Synchronized echo effects, particularly dotted eighth-note delays (i.e., intervals of three 16th notes), are common in EDM and dance music productions. The foll...
04/06/2023
This is a follow-up to the Friday Tips in the Real World blog post that appeared in 2020. It was well-received, so I figured it was time for an update.
Althoug...
26/05/2023
Announcement: Version 1.4.1 of The Huge Book of Studio One Tips and Tricks is a free update to owners of previous versions. Simply download the book again from ...
19/05/2023
A single Automation track can set up a session's preamp levels and phantom power in the Quantum interface, as well as the older Studio 192. So, you can stop...
12/05/2023
Studio One's chorus gives the wet sound associated with chorus effects. But I wanted a chorus that went beyond wet to drenched-something that could swirl ...
05/05/2023
Studio One offers several ways to de-ess excessive sibilants ( s sounds). De-essing combines compression and EQ. The EQ focuses on the frequency range where ...
28/04/2023
In the 60s, flanging was an electro-mechanical process that involved two turntables or two tape recorders. Since then, flanging has evolved into a digitally dri...
21/04/2023
No matter how carefully you set up a mic's pop filter, some pops are bound to get through the filter with vocalists who sing close to the mic. But you don&#...
14/04/2023
This week, I wanted to give y'all a little gift: 15 analog cab IRs that provide alternate User Cabinet sounds for Ampire. Just hit the download link at th...
07/04/2023
Many of these tips have their genesis in asking What if? That question led to the Higher-Def Amp Sim Sounds blog post, which people seemed to like. But then I...
01/04/2023
Over four years ago, the blog post Colorization: It's Not Just about Eye Candy covered the basics of using color. However, v6.1's Custom Colors feature ...
24/03/2023
You can mic piano, drums, guitar, voice, and other acoustic sources but you can't mic a synth, unless you put it through a PA or guitar amp, and then mic th...
22/03/2023
Notion Mobile v3 took mobile music creation to the next level with support for iOS, Android, Windows and macOS. Now v3.1 adds over 100 enhancements and fixes, l...
10/03/2023
First, some news: the free update to version 1.4 of The Huge Book of Studio One Tips and Tricks is finally available in the PreSonus Shop. If you purchased a pr...
03/03/2023
Last week's guitar-oriented tip seemed to go over well, so I figured y'all might like a follow-up. This takes advantage of Version 6's Track Presets...
24/02/2023
My sonic holy grail is clean distortion, which is why I like 3- or 4-band multiband presets. Splitting the audio into bands decreases the potential for nasty ...
17/02/2023
There's nothing new about using an FX Channel to add an effect in parallel to a main track. But we can make effects even more effective by tuning them, to...
10/02/2023
The March 2020 blog post, Taming the Wild Autofilter, never appeared in any of The Huge Book of Studio One Tips & Tricks eBook updates. This is because the tip ...
03/02/2023
High-gain distortion is great for lead guitar sustain and tone, but it also brings up that splat of pick noise at the note's beginning. Sometimes, you wan...
27/01/2023
First, an announcement: version 1.4 of The Huge Book of Studio One Tips and Tricks is a free update to owners of previous versions. It's currently available...
20/01/2023
Some virtual instruments can accept external audio inputs. This lets you process audio through the synthesizer's various modules like filters, VCAs, effects...
13/01/2023
This builds on last week's tip about splitting and navigating within the Video Track, because one of the main reasons for creating splits is to import addit...
06/01/2023
Studio One 6's enhanced video track now includes basic editing. Yes! You can cut out the section of your band's live video where the drunk guy came up a...
29/12/2022
Dim solo is a variation on the standard solo function. With dim solo, non-soloed tracks are still audible, but at a lower level than any soloed track or tracks....
16/12/2022
In June 2021, the blog post Metal Guitar Attack! described how to create a big sound for guitar power chords using Studio One Artist. Since then, I've ended...
This is my first FX Chain designed for Project page songs, although it also works for tracks and buses in the Song page. It's based on mid-side processing. Fig. 1 shows the control panel, with switch-selectable Super Stereo (side emphasis) and Mondo Mono (center/mid emphasis). Complementary gain controls for the Mid and Side fine-tune the levels. Trim compensates for level changes caused by adjusting the other controls.
