Is there a plugin I can put on a stereo channel that will center both left and right channels like the dual panner can in the channel strip?
Here’s my use-case:
I record my vocals in stereo using two different mics and preamps aligned in phase (A Shure SM7b dynamic with a Golden Age Pre 73mk2 and a Stellar CM-6 tube condenser with a Focuserite ISA-One).
This has many advantages:
Recording both of these at the same time allows me to capture the body and articulation of a more classic mic/preamp combo and the depth and air of a modern tube condenser through an ultra-smooth, ultra-low-noise preamp.
Recording these two mics to the L and R channels of a stereo track allows me to edit, comp, pitch- and time-correct in variaudio, etc. with no more effort than a mono track.
Using the magnificent Ozone 5 Advanced component EQ in L/R EQ mode I can craft the vocal track to sound as ifit came from an uber-mic that is part classic dynamic and part modern condenser with ease. This is the only additional step and Ozone makes this a joy.
My one wish is that my vocal plugin chain looks like this on a stereo track (with the numbering being the pre-fader insert slots).
Stereo Audio Clip → 1. L/R EQ → 2. pan both L/R channels center(*) → 3-6. [more effects such as a vocal compressor, some may be stereo] → Channel Fader
I know that I can “work around” this by using one track up to the asterisk (*) above and then routing to a second group channel for the effects. But that would make my workflow less optimal because now for every vocal track I may have a second group track I have to deal with.
So what I really want is a plugin that does exactly what the dual panner does and let me set the left and right channel pans independently (which I will center) or just a plugin that will mono the signal but allow me to still use stereo effects after it in the chain. Ideally this is just a stock Steinberg plugin that has very low CPU implications. I use x64, so the plug must be x64.
Not exactly. X-Y Tool seems to be designed to help the engineer fix the stereo image of a 2 mics set up in the X/Y position. I just want to collapse two mics that are aligned together–just recorded as L/R for convenience–to the center as if it were one mono mic (it just happens to be the combination of two).
I think that I’ve found a cheapo solution. I tried inserting the “mono-to-stereo” plugin and simply set all of the knobs to “0” (width, delay, color) and turned on the “mono” checkbox. I need to play with it more, but it does appear to be combining L and R channels equally–basically panning them dead center, which is just what I want.
That looks like a very cool little plugin, but from looking at the GUI, I don’t see how it will let me pan the left and right channels both to the center like the dual panner. I haven’t installed it (not at my DAW right now), but it’s not obvious how to do this.