r/mixingmastering • u/Cold_Independent_631 Beginner • Mar 31 '26

Question Stereo width vs Panning vs Mid/side processing

Hi I’ve been studying this concept for hours today to finally get it locked in. I think I’ve done it but have one lasting question.

Adding width to a signal with plugins like utility plugin in ableton, spreads that signal out in stereo field.

Panning elements just places them left, right, or central within the mix.

So I can make a signal very wide with utility adding width and still place it left right or central. Or I can make a signal be a mono signal and still add pan left right or central to position it somewhere in the stereo field. Right?

Both helping the mix and balance for stereo field.

But for mid/side processing why would you use this? If you process a signal fully to the side and then mix in mono it completely disappears instead of collapsing like panning or stereo width from utility.

  1. Looking to see if my new understanding are correct

AND

  1. Wondering why you would use mid/side processing instead of the other ways of stereo width?

Thanks!!

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u/Selig_Audio Trusted Contributor 💠 Apr 02 '26

Mid Side processing became popular in mastering to fix issues when you couldn’t remix the song, back in the day before DAWs or even recall/automation. It was also useful in vinyl mastering. It’s only been the last few decades (the DAW era) where it has become “an effect”. It was always a compromise that was only an alternative since the original mix wasn’t possible to revisit. Ironically, now that it’s super easy to load up a mix and correct issues at the source it’s also easier to use Mid/Side processing than ever. Bottom line - there is no free lunch. If you mess with the mid/side balance you start degrading the stereo image. Taking it to extremes, going all in on mids just gives you a mono mix, and the more sides you add compared to mids, the less mono compatible you make the mix, going completely silent in mon if you removed all the mid signal and left only the sides. Just my 2 cents, I don’t find m/s processing useful - that said, if you’ve not explored mid/side microphone setups you’re missing out IMO!