# M/S \*editing\* vs. \*decoding\* **URL:** \ **Category:** WaveLab\ **Created:** [May 27, 2022, 8:35am UTC](https://forums.steinberg.net/t/m-s-editing-vs-decoding/788321 "2022-05-27T08:35:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Liszt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Liszt](https://forums.steinberg.net/u/Liszt)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2022, 8:35am UTC](https://forums.steinberg.net/t/m-s-editing-vs-decoding/788321/1 "2022-05-27T08:35:15Z")
I finally (!) discovered just now to my chagrin that setting WaveLab 11 Pro to _edit_ in M/S stereo mode apparently doesn’t actually decode the M/S signal. There’s no difference in sound when switching between the modes, even if channels are unlinked in the Master Section and the sliders are different. This is a major source of confusion for me. I’m guessing actually decoding and working with the M/S signal must be somewhere in the track routing. Could anyone be kind enough to show a newcomer to M/S recording the settings to select to actually decode an M/S signal? I’d need to do so both in a multichannel montage and in a multichannel wave file. Thanks so much in advance. ---
**Author:** ![S-EHansson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/54ee81/32.png) [@S-EHansson](https://forums.steinberg.net/u/S-EHansson)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2022, 9:56am UTC](https://forums.steinberg.net/t/m-s-editing-vs-decoding/788321/2 "2022-05-27T09:56:03Z")
How is the source recorded in M/S ? > **[Mid/Side (MS) Mic Recording Basics | Universal Audio](https://www.uaudio.com/blog/mid-side-mic-recording/)** > > When most people think of stereo recording, the first thing that comes to mind is a matched pair of microphones, arranged in a coincident (XY) pattern. often 2 channel with 1. center channel cardioid or omni 2. figur 8 in mixer now 3. center channel as is 4. L-R mono, L+R mono and pan to taste nice old recording trick from Blumlein in 1930… regards S-EH ---
**Author:** ![Liszt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Liszt](https://forums.steinberg.net/u/Liszt)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2022, 10:13am UTC](https://forums.steinberg.net/t/m-s-editing-vs-decoding/788321/3 "2022-05-27T10:13:20Z")
Yes, the source was properly encoded in M/S mode (using a Sound Devices recorder). The left channel uses a cardioid mic and the right channel figure-8. Now it just needs to be decoded properly so we can hear what it actually sounds like. Is there an actual M/S decoder in WaveLab, or are we supposed to route the outputs and pan to decode the signal manually? Thanks in advance. ---
**Author:** ![S-EHansson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/54ee81/32.png) [@S-EHansson](https://forums.steinberg.net/u/S-EHansson)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2022, 11:17am UTC](https://forums.steinberg.net/t/m-s-editing-vs-decoding/788321/4 "2022-05-27T11:17:59Z")
Cool! Check in Master Section Plugin \> Steinberg\> Tool there is 2 kind of M/S plugins but no fader in Master Section Plugins I think it’s possible to use Clips and Tracks in a Montage and set gain and pan there… hopefully someone else chime in here … regards S-EH ---
**Author:** ![MixMike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ad7895/32.png) [@MixMike](https://forums.steinberg.net/u/MixMike)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2022, 7:47pm UTC](https://forums.steinberg.net/t/m-s-editing-vs-decoding/788321/5 "2022-05-27T19:47:23Z")
Hi, setting the channel edit mode just defines how the signal is routed through the plugin itself. Setting it to M/S encodes the L/R signal as M/S for processing by the plugin (instead of L/R) and decodes it into L/R after the processing. That is used e.g. to apply Mid-Side processing in plugins, which do not support that intrinsically (a couple of plugins support that directly). If you have actual M/S audio material, you will want to decode it to L/R for further processing usually. Wavelab provides 2 plugins for both encoding directions (Steinberg/Tools) “LR → M/S” and “M/S → LR”. In an audio montage you could just put the “M/S → LR” on each clip in order to decode them to LR. Cheers. ---
**Author:** ![S-EHansson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/54ee81/32.png) [@S-EHansson](https://forums.steinberg.net/u/S-EHansson)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2022, 7:34am UTC](https://forums.steinberg.net/t/m-s-editing-vs-decoding/788321/6 "2022-05-28T07:34:50Z")
There is at least 2 free M/S plugin to try out MSED from Voxengo Zoom MS Decoder included with Zoom recorders find on [https://www.zoom.co.jp/node/5](https://www.zoom.co.jp/node/5) scroll down on site regards S-EH