Kojima Audio has released PanBlur, a free mono-to-stereo spatial enhancer for macOS and Windows.
The same developer behind the BandMatrix multi-band dynamics plugin we covered in March is back with something quite different (although I highly recommend giving BandMatrix a try!).
PanBlur takes dry mono sources and gives them an ASMR-like stereo image while keeping the apparent source position stable. So, definitely not what we’re used to getting from typical widening tools.
I had a brief play with PanBlur today, and my first impressions are good. It sounds more natural than the basic mono-to-stereo widening plugins I’ve tried in the past.
Basically, the Mix knob sets how much of the effect blends with the dry signal, and a handful of smaller controls let you shape the stereo image, including transient protection and an Air control for subtle movement.
I haven’t had time to push it on every kind of source yet. I think this one rewards proper testing, so I’ll spend more time with it next week. But what I’ve heard so far is promising.
The idea behind PanBlur is to soften the feeling of a mono source being locked to one exact pan point. Rather than smearing the source across the stereo field with widening or drowning it in reverb, it keeps the source roughly where you put it and adds a more blurred shape around it.
The developer recommends this for cases where ordinary panning feels too narrow or artificial, but you don’t want a full reverb or obvious widener.
Instead of placing a spatial plugin on every panned track, you can drop one instance on the master bus and let it soften multiple sources together. That’s a workflow I haven’t seen many free plugins recommend, and I’d be cautious about phasing issues here, but definitely worth a try.
The Air knob puts a very subtle sense of motion into the halo layer while leaving the dry source fixed, so you get a bit of life around close-miked sources (the developer mentions classical guitar as an example) without the obvious chorus-like modulation you’d get from a typical movement effect.
If you missed BandMatrix, it’s also worth grabbing for its flexible per-band side-chain routing.
PanBlur is available in AAX, AU, and VST3 formats for macOS 11 or later, and as VST3 for Windows. Downloading is pretty straightforward, with no registration or sign-up required.
Download: PanBlur (FREE)
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Last Updated on May 3, 2026 by Tomislav Zlatic.
