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.