7

154 Chapter 11 Special
The cutoff frequency parameter of the high pass filter is called Frequency. The graphic
displays the frequency range that is used as the source signal for the process.
Harmonics controls the level of the effect signal mixed to the original signal. If you
disable Input, the original signal won’t be fed through. This should be your approach
when using the Exciter plug-in on a Bus channel, being fed by Sends from several
channel strips simultaneously, or should you wish to listen to the soloed effect signal.
The lower you tune the filter, the more harmonics the effect will produce, the lower the
frequencies of the artificial harmonics will be, and the less natural they will sound.
You can choose between two sound characteristics for the distortion. Color 1 is less
dense in spectrum than Color 2. The effect of Color 2 is more intense, but it also
introduces more unwanted intermodulation distortion.
Basically, higher settings for Frequency and Harmonics are preferable, because we
cannot easily distinguish between artificial and original high frequencies. Exciters add
life to digital recordings. They are especially well suited to audio tracks where the treble
is weak. Exciters are also popular for guitar tracks.
Stereo Spread
The Stereo Spread plug-in is a standard effect for mastering. There are several ways to
extend the stereo base, including complex algorithms of the Ghetto blaster type
(“wide” or “space”), or tampering with the signal’s phase. They all sound great, but most
of them could be very dangerous to your mix, ruining the transient response, for
example.
The Stereo Spread follows a sure and simple method: it extends the stereo base by
alternately distributing a (selectable) number of frequency bands from the middle
frequency range to the left and right channels. This greatly increases the perception of
stereo width, especially when applying a stereo effect to monaural recordings—
without making them sound totally alien.