Polyverse - Wider

Wider is a stereo expansion plug-in that was created by the engineers at Polyverse, in collaboration with psy-trance legends Infected Mushroom. It can be used to widen a stereo signal or to convert a mono signal into a stereo signal – which can of course then be widened too.

The interface is eye-catching but incredibly simple. There is just one control; for the stereo width of the signal. Full stereo is reached at 100%, but the plug-in can be pushed up to 200% for a 'more exaggerated, larger-than-life sound'.

You probably already have some kind of stereo widening tool in your production toolkit, so what does Wider offer that those other plug-ins don't? The thoughtful thing about this plug-in is that it is fully mono compatible.

Wider uses a 'specialized array of all-pass and comb filters' to process your input signal, but ensures that the signal always remains in phase with itself.

 This means that when your widened signal is collapsed to mono on a single-speaker system, Wider will simply cancel itself out and your original signal will remain intact. This is not always the case with this type of plug-in – often these processes can lead to signals being out phase and therefore sounding thin, or flat when auditioned in mono.

Wider is available as a VST, AU or AAX plug-in. Both Mac and PC are supported. You can download the plug-in for free at the Polyverse Website.