StereoTool

There's a free stereo utility plugin by Flux called StereoTool v3; you should grab it.

You put it at the end of your master bus, after the limiter. (Metering plugins should always go after the limiter, so they take the effect of the limiter into account.) You can also use it on individual stereo tracks, to see what they’re doing.

StereoTool has an excellent stereo vector scope in it, as well as a phase correlation meter — and if you put it on the master bus for a song you're working on, and then watch it while you're playing through the song, it will tell you how well you're managing your stereo spectrum and phase correlation!

First, watch the vector scope. Its mesmerizing squiggly orange lines will show you what your stereo spectrum is doing. Are you leaning to one side? Are you too wide? Too narrow? It’s a very intuitive meter — if it looks weird, something’s probably up, and you should investigate.

And second, watch the phase correlation meter. You want that to live between 0 and 1 — and the closer to 1, the better. This means that you have good mono compatibility — think bluetooth speakers. If this meter is spending any time between 0 and -1, you should figure out why and address it — your mix will sound more like you want it to in more places.

Living in stereo — jamie