Leone Widener

M = (L+R)/2 is exactly the mono sum, so the four-band split and every widening control - WIDTH, SPREAD and X-FEED - run on the Side alone. Crossover smear is confined to the ambience signal. The consequence in a mono fold is worth knowing and is true of any widener: the Side is not there, so the widening is not there either - it does not survive the fold badly, it is simply absent. The Mid chain is separate: saturation, compression and wobble on the Mid change the centre, and change the mono sum with it.

Every per-band stage is a parallel residual contribution (y = x + sum(P(band) - band)) - the same "add only the residue" model as Denzel's per-band drive. So a defaults instance is bit-identical to its input, not merely close.

Each band's height is its WIDTH. Drag a band up to widen it, down to narrow it. Alt-drag sets its SPREAD instead. Double-click puts WIDTH back to 100 % (Alt-double-click puts SPREAD back to 0). Clicking a band also selects it for the panels below.

The three split points between the bands. Drag a band edge sideways to move one. Ranges: 40-300 Hz (default 120 Hz), 300 Hz - 2 kHz (default 800 Hz), 2-12 kHz (default 5 kHz).

Which band the Width, Saturation and Compression panels are showing.

Which path the Saturation and Compression panels are editing - every band has a separate set for the Mid and for the Side. The Width panel does not change, because width only exists on the Side.

Turns the band's existing stereo up or down. 0 % makes the band mono, 100 % (default) leaves it untouched, 200 % doubles its Side. It can only work with stereo that is already there - a band that is mono to start with has nothing for it to scale.

Creates new stereo from the band's centre, 0-100 % (default 0). It takes a copy of the band's Mid, turns its phase by a different amount at each frequency - all-pass filtering, so nothing is boosted or cut - and adds that into the Side. The result is width on a source that had none, such as a mono keyboard or a centred vocal. Because it lives in the Side, it vanishes completely in mono instead of combing the way a delay-based widener does. Each band uses a different phase pattern, so the four bands do not collapse back into one position.

Cross-feed, 0-100 % (default 0). Sends the harmonics the band's Mid saturator creates into the Side as well. The mono sum never hears the Side, so the colour appears in the stereo image and not the centre - saturation that widens rather than thickens. It only does anything when Mid saturation is switched on for that band with DRIVE above 0. Turn the Mid saturator's MIX to 0 and the centre stays clean while only the stereo picks up the harmonics.

Switches saturation on for the selected band on the selected path. Off, or DRIVE at 0, passes the band through exactly.

While it is on, any change you make to this panel on one band is copied to the other three (on the same path). Turning it on does not copy anything by itself - the next change you make does.

Sat adds harmonics across the whole band - it thickens and softens transients. Excite keeps only the harmonics above about 3 kHz - it adds brightness and air without adding body.

Which harmonics are added. Odd is the harder, edgier kind. Even is the rounder, warmer kind. Both blends the two.

How hard the band is pushed into the saturator, 0-100 %.

Tilts the added harmonics darker or brighter, -6 to +6 dB around 1 kHz. It only changes the harmonics, not the band itself.

How much of the harmonics are added back, 0-100 % (default 100 %).

Switches the compressor on for the selected band and path. LINK BANDS works as it does for Saturation.

What the compressor listens to. Peak reacts to every transient; RMS follows the average level and is smoother.

Threshold (-60 to 0 dB, default -18) is the level above which it starts turning down. Ratio (1:1 to 20:1) is how hard. Knee (0-18 dB, default 6) is how gradually it starts - 0 is a hard corner, higher eases in.

Attack (0.1-200 ms) is how fast it clamps down; Release (10-1000 ms) is how fast it lets go.

0-100 %, default 50 %. How far the Side's gain reduction follows the Mid's. At 0 each path compresses on its own, so the stereo image breathes with the music. At 100 the Side gets the Mid's envelope and the image holds still. The two detectors always measure separately; only the gain reduction that is applied is blended.

Switches wobble on for that path. Mid and Side have separate panels with the same controls.

Wow is the slow pitch drift of a tape machine. DEPTH sets how far it swings; RATE (0.1-2 Hz, default 0.6) how fast.

Flutter is the fast wobble you hear as a texture rather than as pitch. FLUTTER sets the amount; FLUT RATE (4-16 Hz, default 9) the speed.

A slow random wander on top of wow and flutter, so the movement does not repeat exactly.

0-180°, default 0. Offsets the Side's wobble cycle against the Mid's. At 0 both move together, like one tape machine. Towards 180 they move in opposite directions and the stereo image starts to swim.

Level of each path at the very end, ±12 dB. SIDE TRIM is a quick overall width for the whole mix; MID TRIM sets the centre level.

Final output level, ±24 dB.

A slow level match (over about 1.5 s) at the very end, so you judge a change at the same loudness rather than hearing louder as better.

Takes Leone out of the path.

Listen to one part on its own. Mono folds the output to mono so you can check it. Side plays only the Side. Band 1-4 solos one band (its Mid and its Side). Off is normal listening. It changes only what you hear, not any setting.

The OUTPUT meters show input and output level. CORRELATION shows how mono-safe the output is: +1 is mono, around 0 is wide, and towards -1 means parts will cancel when summed to mono. PER BAND CORRELATION gives the same reading for each band, so you can see which one is causing trouble.