Shadaloo Audio DSP releases Wide, a FREE spatial enhancement plugin

Wide is a free spatial enhancement tool for macOS and Windows, and the second plugin we’ve featured from Shadaloo Audio DSP over the last month or so.

If you missed the first one, go back and check out H, a free tone and loudness enhancer.

If you’ve already tried H, you’ll know that it’s straightforward on the surface. Yet, the way its various parameters interact with each other and react to the incoming signal, the plugin provides results that may feel more organic and musical than uniform.

Wide is more of the same, in some ways, but it’s even more straightforward.

Wide is a one-knob plugin that adds space and depth to any sound that sounds flat or just doesn’t sit well in the mix.

The plugin features an internal micro-space stage feeding the stereo expansion.

The micro-space stage helps ensure that you maintain the core of the sound without spreading it too thin with aggressive widening.

I’ve tried Wide on various sources, and what I like about it is that, like H, it’s very adaptable to the source material.

What I mean is that we sometimes see one-knob plugins labelled as a fast utility tool, but the results aren’t as natural or musical across all sources. So, we end up using them in limited scenarios.

In most cases, Wide manages to add space and depth in a way that doesn’t sound aggressively artificial.

The thing I’ve liked most, so far, is that using Wide with poly synth chords, pads, or even cinematic samples (atmospheres, textural soundscapes), you don’t lose the robustness of the original sound.

In some cases, Wide does a good job of positioning sound so that defining elements of texture, movement, etc., stand out even more, rather than being wasted in a mix.

Fabio “Shadaloo” Caterino’s approach to developing plugins is heavily influenced by his vast experience as a mix and mastering engineer, and it’s that kind of problem-solving approach that often leads to the most musically refined audio tools.

So, I’m very interested to see what comes next.

Wide is available in AU and VST3 formats for macOS and Windows.

The plugin has a pay-what-you-want price point; you can download it for free, and if it helps you, you can always donate to support future development.