OSL Side Effects
by Oblivion Sound Lab · Imaging · Mid/side processor and widener
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OSL Side Effects splits a stereo signal into mid and side for separate EQ, compression, saturation and panning.
It has a goniometer, phase meter, spectrum analyser and up to 16x oversampling, for $49.
Best for: Mix Bus, Mastering, Keys & Synths, Guitars. Genres: all genres.
Keywords: mid/side, metering, built-in analyzer, oversampling, bus processing, full mix, mastering, mix bus, wide, creative, enhancement, mixing, subtle, tape.
What it does
OSL Side Effects is a mid/side processor that splits the signal into centre and sides and lets you EQ, compress, saturate and pan each one, for "subtle and creative" stereo work in one window.
- Mid/side EQ: four bands per channel, set on an interactive graph with an FFT spectrum analyser behind it.
- Mid/side compressor: separate compression for mid and side, with a transfer curve display.
- Saturation: tape-style saturation to add density or edge to the centre or the sides.
- Panning and gain: separate mid and side panning, plus input and output gain.
- Left/right mode: the same tools can process the left and right channels instead of mid and side.
- Metering: goniometer, phase meter, and mid/side and left/right output meters.
- Quality: oversampling up to 16x, 17 factory presets and full DAW automation.
The current version is 1.1.3 (June 2023; first released in June 2020). The trial outputs silence every 45 seconds.
Source: Oblivion Sound Lab product page
When to use it
OSL Side Effects is a mid/side toolbox rather than a width knob: it gives the centre and sides their own EQ, compressor and saturation, which suits mix-bus and mastering work where you want, say, a tighter, compressed centre and brighter, wider sides. Compared with iZotope Ozone Imager and Waves S1 Stereo Imager, it does far more processing per channel but is slower when all you need is more or less width. Unlike Brainworx bx_stereomaker, it is not built to create stereo from mono sources. It costs less than buying a separate mid/side EQ, compressor and saturator.
- Best for: mid/side EQ, compression and saturation on mix buses, stereo instruments and masters.
- Genres: any.
- Look elsewhere if: you only need a width control (Ozone Imager is quicker) or want to widen mono sources (try bx_stereomaker).
Where to buy
- Oblivion Sound Lab: $49
Tutorials and reviews
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