The Correlation Meter: Your Secret Weapon to not ruin your Stereo Image [001]
Free Correlation Meter: Your Secret Weapon to not ruin your mix🎵🎶🎵
Hi there,
I have a question:
Do you know if your mix is mono-compatible?
If you don't, you might make a huge mistake that can ruin your mix quality and sound awful on some playback systems.
Let me explain.
When you mix your music, you probably use stereo effects such as Izotope Imager, panning effects, chorus, or delay to create a sense of space and width. And that's great because it can make your mix sound more exciting and immersive.
But there's a catch.
Using these effects too extensively can create phase problems between your mix's left and right channels (Stereo Mix). This means that some frequencies cancel each other out too much when they are combined.
And that can be disastrous for your mix..
For example, if your mix has phase problems, it can sound:
Quiet, thin, or distorted when played on mono systems, such as smartphones, laptops, or radios
Unbalanced, muddy, or harsh when played on stereo systems, such as headphones, speakers, or car stereos
Inconsistent, unpredictable, or unprofessional when compared to other songs in your genre or niche
In other words, your mix can lose its impact, clarity, and quality because of phase problems.
And the worst part is, you might not even notice them until it's too late.
That's why you need to check your mix for phase problems regularly and fix them before you export your final version.
But how do you do that?
You could use your ears and switch between mono and stereo listening modes, but that can be tedious and unreliable.
Or you could use a simple and powerful tool to show you exactly how good your mix sounds in mono and how to improve it.
Get help by a correlation meter.
A correlation meter is a plugin that measures the phase correlation between your mix's left and right channels. It shows you a value between -1 and +1, where:
+1 means your mix is perfectly mono-compatible and has no phase problems
-1 means your mix is completely out of phase and has severe phase problems
0 means your mix should sound fine but is partially out of phase and has some phase problems
The closer the value is to +1, the better your mix sounds in mono. The closer the value is to -1, the worse your mix sounds in mono.
Using a correlation meter, you can easily spot and fix any phase problems in your mix and ensure it sounds great on any system.
Sounds awesome, right?
But where can you find a good correlation meter plugin?
Well, you're lucky because I have the perfect one for you.
It's called the Voxengo Correlometer, a free multi-band correlation meter plugin you can download and use right now.
The Voxengo Correlometer is different from other correlation meters because it lets you see the phase correlation for different frequency bands of your mix. This way, you can pinpoint precisely where the phase problems are and how to fix them.
For example, you can see if your bass range is too wide or too narrow, which can affect the punch and power of your mix. Or you can see if your synth mid or high range is too out of phase, which can affect the clarity and definition of your mix.
The Voxengo Correlometer is a nice tool for improving sound. You must insert it on your master channel and watch the meter as you play your mix.
To help you get started, I have created a screenshot of my favorite settings for the Voxengo Correlometer. You can see it below.
Here are some tips on how to use it effectively:
The meter shows you the correlation value for each frequency band, from low to high. The lower the band, the more important it is to have a high correlation value because low frequencies are more prone to phase problems.
The meter shows a line indicating the average correlation value for the different frequencies. You want this line to be between +1 and 0 (the red line), but not exactly +1, because that would mean your mix is too narrow and boring.
If the meter goes into the negative range for any band, especially the lower ones, you have phase problems and need to fix them. You can do that by adjusting the stereo width, panning, or adjusting the effects of the tracks contributing to that band.
It's a good idea to compare your mix with other songs that you like or are similar to yours and see their correlation values. This can give you a reference point and a goal to aim for.
I hope this plugin is useful and helps you improve your mix quality and avoid phase problems.
If you have any questions or feedback, please let me know. I'd love to hear from you.
Until then, happy mixing!
Best regards, Marcus