MStereoScope

Name: MStereoScope
Author: MeldaProduction

by MeldaProduction · Utility · Stereo field analyzer

Not rated yet

MStereoScope is a free stereo field analyzer from MeldaProduction.

Besides the stereo display it can solo the mid, side or single channels, and it adds spectral analysis tools.

Best for: Mix Bus, Mastering. Genres: all genres.

Keywords: built-in analyzer, wide, free, metering, mono-compatible, full mix, mid/side, bus processing, classic, mastering, mix bus, resizable UI, true-peak, utility.

What it does

MStereoScope is a free MeldaProduction stereo analyzer, described as "an advanced stereo field analyzer" that also lets you solo parts of the signal. It shows how a track or mix sits in the stereo field and lets you listen to the mid, side or single channels to check width, balance and mono safety.

Phase scope: shows the current phase distribution; the manual says a healthy recording looks like a vertical ellipse that is neither too thick nor too thin.
Stereo width meter: shows phase coherence with colour ranges: green from 0 to 66%, blue from 66 to 100%, and red above 100%, where mono problems start.
M and S meters: separate level readings for the mid and side signals.
Level metering: input meters and true peak metering that simulates D/A converter behaviour, shown as classic meters or as time graphs.
Mode (solo): chooses which signal goes to the output, so you can listen to the mid, the side or an individual channel on its own.
Output gain: -24 to +24 dB, plus MeldaProduction's resizable, stylable GPU-accelerated interface.

It is free and is also part of MeldaProduction's free MFreeFXBundle.

Source: MeldaProduction product page

When to use it

MStereoScope is the pick when you want a free, analysis-only stereo check with mid/side soloing built in. Compared with Ozone Imager or S1 Stereo Imager, it shows the stereo field but has no width controls, so it never changes the sound. Compared with Insight 2, it covers only the stereo side, without the loudness history, spectrogram and other meters of a full suite. Its Mode control is the practical extra: you can solo the side signal to hear what disappears in mono, which a plain scope cannot do.

Best for: checking stereo width, balance and mono compatibility on mixes and masters, and soloing the side signal to spot problems.
Genres: any style.
Look elsewhere if: you also want to change the width (MStereoSpread or Ozone Imager), or you want spectrum and loudness metering in one window (Insight 2, SPAN).
Tip: the manual's rule of thumb is to aim for a vertical ellipse on the phase scope and keep the width meter out of the red.

Where to buy

MeldaProduction: Free

Tutorials and reviews

Stereo field manipulation, checking it out with MStereoScope

Similar plugins

GonioMeter by ToneBoosters · Goniometer and correlation meter · Free
StereoView by HoRNet · Stereo field visualizer · Free
MiRA Session by FLUX:: · Stereo analyzer and loudness meter · $179
Insight 2 by iZotope · Metering and analysis · $99.50
HawkEye by SPL · Metering and analysis suite · $125
Scepter by Mercurial Tones · Analyzer and referencing suite · $66.99
bx_control V2 by Brainworx · M/S matrix and monitoring · $50
bx_meter by Brainworx · Level and correlation meter · $49
Correlometer by Voxengo · Multiband correlation meter · Free
Visualizer by NUGEN Audio · Audio analysis suite · $199

All metering & utility