Voxengo Stereo Touch Review — Features, Sound & Tips

Mastering with Voxengo Stereo Touch: Workflow and Preset GuideMastering is the final step where clarity, balance, and loudness are refined for release. Voxengo Stereo Touch is a tiny but powerful stereo imaging plugin that can help unlock width, depth, and focus in mixes and masters without introducing obvious artifacts when used carefully. This guide covers a practical mastering workflow using Stereo Touch, preset strategies, and creative/technical tips to get consistent, professional results.

What Voxengo Stereo Touch does (brief)

Voxengo Stereo Touch expands or narrows perceived stereo width by introducing tiny delays and phase-offset copies of the signal across the stereo field. It operates on phase/time differences rather than heavy EQ or spectral processing, so it’s particularly useful for subtle widening and for recovering presence lost in narrow mixes.

When to use it in mastering

• Use Stereo Touch when the stereo field feels too narrow or the mix lacks separation between elements.
• Avoid using it as a fix for poorly arranged or mixed material; it can enhance space but won’t solve masking or balance issues.
• Best applied after corrective EQ and compression, before limiting. In many chains it sits between final EQ and the limiter.

Typical mastering chain (recommended order)

1. Source (stereo mix)
2. Corrective EQ (surgical cuts)
3. Multiband compression or gentle broad-band compression
4. Stereo imaging (Voxengo Stereo Touch) — subtle width adjustments here
5. Final tonal EQ (gentle shaping)
6. Limiter / loudness maximizer

Metering and monitoring

• Always monitor in mono occasionally to ensure widening hasn’t caused phase cancellation.
• Use LUFS and dynamic range meters to keep loudness and punch under control.
• Check at multiple playback systems (headphones, monitors, laptop speakers).

Settings overview and how they affect sound

• Mode: Stereo Touch offers modes related to how delay and phase are applied. Choose a mode that preserves center focus if vocals or bass must remain centered.
• Amount/Width: Controls the intensity of the effect. Small values (~5–20%) produce subtle enhancement suitable for mastering. Larger values can sound unnatural.
• Delay/Time: Short delays create spaciousness; longer delays approach slap/echo effects — keep delays minimal for mastering.
• Mix/Blend: Use dry/wet or mix control to dial in just enough processed signal. In mastering, stay close to mostly dry (e.g., 80–95% dry).
• Stereo Balance/Placement: If available, slight asymmetry can create perceived width without loss of mono compatibility.

Preset guide — starting points for masters

Below are five practical preset concepts. Start with these and then tweak by ear.

1. Transparent Master Widen (subtle)

   • Width/Amount: 10–15%
   • Delay: minimal (microseconds)
   • Mix: 90% dry / 10% wet
   • Use: adds subtle breadth without changing mono.

2. Smooth Pop Master

   • Width: 15–25%
   • Delay: small, tuned to avoid combing in midrange
   • Mix: 85% dry / 15% wet
   • Use: vocal-forward pop tracks needing polished stereo separation.

3. Wide Electronic Master

   • Width: 20–35%
   • Delay: slightly longer but still short (avoid rhythmic artifacts)
   • Mix: 80% dry / 20% wet
   • Use: synth-heavy electronic mixes where large, airy width is desirable.

4. Warm Instrumental Spread

   • Width: 12–20%
   • Delay: minimal, with mode that preserves center
   • Mix: 88% dry / 12% wet
   • Use: acoustic or cinematic mixes needing subtle spatial enhancement.

5. Mono-Safe Enhancement

   • Width: 5–10%
   • Delay: micro-delays only
   • Mix: 95% dry / 5% wet
   • Use: radios/streams where mono compatibility is critical.

Step-by-step mastering workflow using Stereo Touch

1. Prepare the mix: bounce at full resolution, check for clicks/pops.
2. Start with corrective EQ and gentle compression to control dynamics.
3. Insert Stereo Touch and load a subtle preset (e.g., Transparent Master Widen).
4. Set output level to unity; keep gain structure clean.
5. Toggle bypass to compare — trust small differences. If widening creates hollowness in the midrange, reduce amount or adjust delay.
6. Check mono: collapse the mix and ensure no destructive phase cancellation. If elements vanish, reduce width or lower wet mix.
7. A/B against a reference master to confirm tonal balance and width.
8. Apply final EQ if needed and finish with limiter while keeping dynamic integrity.

Troubleshooting common issues

• Metallic or phasey midrange: reduce amount, shorten delay, or choose a mode preserving center.
• Loss of bass focus: ensure low frequencies remain centered (consider low-frequency mono-safe processing before Stereo Touch).
• Loss of punch after limiting: ensure Stereo Touch isn’t causing phase smearing that affects transients; move it earlier or reduce depth.

Creative uses beyond subtle mastering

• Parallel bus: place Stereo Touch on a parallel bus and blend to taste for more control.
• Mid/Side targeting: combine with M/S plugins to widen only sides while keeping mids intact.
• Automation: automate width subtly across song sections (e.g., wider choruses).

Final notes

• For mastering, less is almost always more: subtle settings preserve mono compatibility and translate better across systems.
• Always check in mono and on multiple playback systems.
• Use presets as starting points, but rely on ear and comparative referencing to finalize decisions.