Built by mastering engineer Nicholas Di Lorenzo, the four-module processor covers width, density, character and air, with an elliptical filter to keep the low end mono.
Panorama Audio Labs has launched their first plugin, Panoramic, a stereo-field processor built for mastering that widens and shapes the image by working on the side signal rather than the phase and delay tricks that tend to fall apart in mono.
Catch up on all the latest news here.
At a glance
- A mastering plugin that widens and shapes the stereo field through side-signal processing, not phase or delay tricks
- Width – opens the stereo image, in parallel or across the whole signal
- Density – parallel compression on the sides only, to lift low-level detail
- Character – odd-order saturation on the sides for weight, with a Steal function that pulls harmonics from the mid channel into the sides
- Air – excites the top end for presence, with a high-frequency dynamic EQ for harsh cymbals or sibilance
- Elliptical filter to keep the low end mono, switchable before or after the modules
- 2x and 4x oversampling, linked or unlinked I/O, a 0 to 200% mix and a scalable interface
- macOS 11 or later on Apple silicon or Intel, in AU, VST3 and AAX
The plugin’s shaping comes from four parallel modules. Width sets how far the image opens, in parallel or across the whole signal. Density adds parallel compression to the sides only, lifting quiet detail without touching the centre. Character brings odd-order saturation to the sides for weight and energy, and its Steal function borrows harmonics from the mid channel to feed the sides for extra depth. Air lifts the top end for presence, with a high-frequency dynamic EQ to tame splashy cymbals or sibilant vocals.
An elliptical filter keeps the low end mono, and it runs before or after the modules – first for a cleaner result that keeps the lows out of the processing, or after so they interact with the modules before folding to mono.
There’s also 2x and 4x oversampling, linked or unlinked I/O for gain staging, a 0 to 200% mix control and a scalable interface. Panoramic runs on macOS 11 or later, on Apple silicon or Intel, in AU, VST3 and AAX, with no Windows version for now.
It comes from Melbourne mastering engineer Nicholas Di Lorenzo, who built Panoramic from the custom chains he’d been using on his own masters. The idea is control rather than a one-knob widener, for engineers who want to open up the stereo field without hurting the mono fold-down.
Panoramic is out now, with a reduced launch price running until 18 September.
