Panoramic: a stereo field processor that replaced my parallel chains

You probably know that I’m a big believer in not trying to fix a mix with one magic plugin. And Panoramic is a perfect example of that.

Nicholas, its developer, sent me his creation, and I was beta testing it for a while.

It quickly replaced 3-4 parallel channels in my mixing and mastering template.

What I appreciate most is its clever technical approach, which accurately reflects the needs of mastering engineers while remaining user-friendly for everyone.

So… should I get it?

This is not one of those plugins that will magically change your life.

It won’t fix your mix. It won’t suddenly make a bad vocal sound amazing.

But it can sometimes give you that final 10% your song needs once everything else is finished. And sometimes, that 10% is precisely what makes you say: “Thank God, we finally arrived.”

What does it do?

Panoramic is a stereo field processor designed to shape the width, density, harmonic presence and air of a mix without relying on fragile phase tricks or artificial delays.

You can use it on the master, mixbus, instrumental, vocals, guitars: anywhere.

This plugin absolutely made my rock mix the other day. Adding it on the guitars and the mixbus made it feel polished, thick and exciting.

The modules

• Density: parallel compression on the side signal. Brings up low-level detail like reverb tails, textures and background layers so they stay consistently present in the mix. Grip sets the threshold, with Attack, Release and Ratio available in the ADV menu.
• Character: tanh-based saturation on the side path. Shape increases drive for a more forward harmonic texture. The Steal function generates decorrelated harmonics from the mid channel and blends them into the side path without shifting the left-right balance.
• Air: an exciter that saturates a linear-phase high-passed signal. Set the crossover between 3 and 11 kHz and blend to taste. Includes an optional Air DS, a de-esser keyed from the crossover region with Threshold, Attack and Release controls.
• Width: adjusts side level by +/-12 dB. In PRL it runs as its own parallel branch, independent of the other three modules. In SRL it scales the entire summed side path after the module contributions.

What I really like is that it doesn’t have to feel overly aggressive. It can give you that extra bit of shine and openness while keeping things relatively warm and, most importantly, mono compatible.

Who is this for?

While this plugin is intended for mastering and mixbus applications, I’ve found it incredibly useful throughout the entire mix. I reach for it every time I want to enhance the width of individual tracks or groups.

This plugin doesn’t generate width. It’s not your standard “imager”.

However, if you carefully craft a rich stereo signal, it’s the best tool to bring it forward in your mix or make it more exciting and full. It also has a remarkable ability to make things sound huge.