- Load a standard stereo file into the Montage.
- With a clip highlighted, click the “Effects” tab at the top of the screen (near the file browser)
- In that window, you now have a choice to load clip FX, track FX, or output FX. If you want to adjust the level of “S” for a clip, load the “Gain” plugin into the clip FX. Then look under the “channel processing” header - see where it says Stereo → Insert? Click there and a drop down list appears - change it to “side”. It should now say “Side->Insert”. That gain plugin now only effects the “S” channel - you can add more “S” to widen your mix, or take some away to narrow it.
- Load any other effects you want into the clip window - just as I suggest in #3 above. Load a compressor if you want - and have it only affect the “M” channel… or only “S” - however you like.
PG - this makes me realize - is there a quick and easy way to adjust “S” relative to “M”? - A way without having to load plugins, etc? I know we have the fader and the pan knob in the clip FX window. Maybe it would be helpful to have another panner - a M-S panner? Pan left on the M-S panner, and the volume of S lowers. Pan center, and you’re back to the original unprocessed. Pan right, and the volume of M lowers.
this makes me realize - is there a quick and easy way to adjust “S” relative to “M”? - A way without having to load plugins, etc? I know we have the fader and the pan knob in the clip FX window. Maybe it would be helpful to have another panner - a M-S panner? Pan left on the M-S panner, and the volume of S lowers. Pan center, and you’re back to the original unprocessed. Pan right, and the volume of M lowers.
The quickest way is to simply use the M or S filter and add a gain plugin.
BTW, in 9.0.20, I have now also added a M/S mode, as suggested there:
Awesome! Thanks PG!
OK, so I hope some of these workflow issues can be addressed soon. They really caused me an unexpected mess, and I’m still not totally sure how to get around it, given the different kinds of problems. I believe I’ve described all of these in detail somewhere or another. But to summarize:
-
Split M/S tracks cannot be re-converted to L/R. Given what WL is able to do with them in real-time, hopefully this is feasible.
-
Dual-mono clips cannot be rendered without M and S clips having different names, as WL throws an error that the file from 1 track already exists, and so can’t export the other one.
-
Rendering from clips instead of only regions would be extremely useful. It seems like it’d be a very common, given clips are part of what the montage is about.
-
[new] How about adding a way to create markers back to the Markers window? It’s a little counterintuitive that it’s not there (although it could also stay in the Insert tab).
Although the M/S processing modes in plug-ins is very useful, the M/S file handling needs to work, since sometimes I’m starting with M/S files, instead of L/R.
I think I understood all the answers to my issues, they just seem to need improvement from where I’m sitting.
I definitely appreciate the fast and knowledgeable support. I concur with others here that WL 9 is a FANTASTIC improvement in almost all respects, but does take some adjustment.
Thanks,
Brian