In The Mix Bandwidth [WiN]

• Product: Bandwidth
• Developer: In The Mix
• Version: 1.0.0
• Format: VST3, AAX
• Requirements: Windows 10 or later
• Source: inthemix.store/products/bandwidth

Bandwidth is a three-band stereo widener plugin that adds width by synthesizing delayed copies of the input signal and blending them into the sides independently per frequency band, with per-band mix controls going to 200% and adjustable crossover points between low, mid, and high processing ranges. It operates on both mono and stereo sources, and all added width sums correctly to mono rather than canceling or smearing on mono playback. Its differentiator is band-independent blend: where most stereo wideners apply one processing amount to the full-spectrum signal, Bandwidth lets a producer add heavy width to mid frequencies while leaving the low end narrow and the high end untouched, or in any other per-band combination. For anyone searching for a stereo widener that applies different amounts of width to different frequency ranges rather than widening everything uniformly, this is that search resolved.

Key Takeaway

Activates when a track needs stereo width added only within a specific frequency range — widening the midrange body of a synth pad without touching its low end, thickening a guitar’s presence frequencies without spreading its fundamental, or adding top-end air without affecting the stereo image below it. Displaces full-spectrum wideners when frequency-specific placement matters more than overall image expansion. The Strength control sets the delay time of the synthesized copies, and pushing it past 6 on bass-heavy sources affects L/R balance in ways the manual explicitly flags as potentially unintended — keeping Strength conservative on low-frequency material is the developer’s stated recommendation, not a use-edge caveat.

Delayed-Copy Synthesis and Why It Stays Mono-Compatible

Bandwidth generates stereo width by creating additional time-delayed copies of the input signal and blending them into the stereo sides at the level each band’s mix slider specifies, without altering the original signal itself. Because the added copies are time-offset rather than phase-inverted or spectrally shifted, they sum to near-zero when a mono listener collapses the stereo signal to a single channel — the delayed copies arrive slightly apart in time, so their sum in mono is attenuated relative to their stereo presence rather than boosted or smeared, keeping the original signal intact on any playback system that doesn’t carry stereo information.

This approach differs from mid-side encoding-based wideners, which achieve width by boosting the S channel relative to the M channel and can cause the original center content to shift in level or feel hollowed out when the processing is heavy. Bandwidth’s side content is additive rather than redistributive — it adds to the stereo field without subtracting from the center, which is why the developer describes it as working even on mono sources, where a mid-side processor would have no existing side signal to manipulate.

Three-Band Structure and Crossover Behavior

Three per-band mix sliders — LOW, MID, HIGH — each control how much width is added to their respective frequency range, with 24dB/octave crossover filters at adjustable points separating the bands. The factory crossover defaults sit at 400Hz and 4kHz, giving a low band covering bass and kick content, a mid band covering most instrument body and vocal frequencies, and a high band covering presence and air. Moving either crossover point shifts which frequencies each slider controls, so narrowing the mid band to a specific frequency range — say, 800Hz to 2kHz — focuses the mid slider’s width exclusively on that range while leaving both neighboring bands unprocessed unless their own sliders are turned up.

Each band can be soloed individually to audition what widening is being added within just that frequency range, which speeds up identifying whether a crossover position is including or excluding the specific content that needs treatment. Bands can also be soloed together in combination, letting a producer audition the low-plus-high blend without the mid, or any other pairing, before committing to a full mix. Crossover changes take effect immediately on the soloed output, so dialing in the right band boundaries while listening to just the affected range is faster than adjusting by number alone.

Strength Control and Its Interaction With Bass Material

The Strength control sets the delay time of the synthesized width copies, with longer delay times producing a more pronounced, spacious stereo effect and shorter times producing subtler widening. The manual’s recommended range for most signals runs from 3 to 6, with the extended range existing for creative sound-design use rather than standard mixing. On bass-heavy sources, pushing Strength past 6 introduces L/R balance shifts from the longer delay — a consequence of longer delay times creating more audible comb-filtering interaction between the original signal and its delayed copies when those copies sit at or below the frequency range where inter-aural timing differences become perceptible as tonal rather than spatial.

This means Strength functions differently on high-frequency content than on low-frequency content: the same numerical setting that sounds like natural spatial width on a pad or guitar may introduce tonal imbalance on a kick or bass when the delay period falls within the audible frequency range of the source material. Setting Strength conservatively on the LOW band’s mix slider, or keeping the LOW mix slider off entirely and using Bandwidth only on MID and HIGH content for bass-heavy tracks, avoids this interaction without limiting the plugin’s widening range on the rest of the frequency spectrum.

Output Monitoring and Level Matching

The monitoring section provides three output states — Stereo for normal operation, Side to audition only the added width content in isolation, and Mid to confirm how the original center signal is preserved at any processing level. Side mode outputs a delta signal showing only what Bandwidth has added, which makes it straightforward to hear the actual stereo width contribution without the original dry signal competing with it. This is especially useful for diagnosing whether a Strength or crossover setting is producing the intended spatial image or introducing unintended coloration to the sides before those sides get folded back into the full mix.

The output gain control compensates for perceived level changes — some sources sound louder after widening, others quieter, depending on the source material and crossover settings — without changing the widening amount or character. This is a manual matching control rather than an auto-gain stage, so level matching between bypassed and processed states requires ear calibration rather than a fixed reference reading.

Width Without Moving the Center

Bandwidth’s widening leaves the original signal’s center position and level intact no matter how far the mix sliders are pushed — the width comes from what’s added to the sides, not from what’s redistributed away from the middle.

FAQs