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Message: [QUOTE="Bombastus, post: 92302, member: 2178"] Rupert Neve Designs added true M/S processing and a variable sidechain high-pass filter to its Portico II Master Buss Processor plug-in. Those additions matter because they change what the compressor can react to, not just how wide the finished mix feels. You can treat the center and the edges as separate dynamic problems instead of forcing both through one stereo decision. Mid/side processing turns a stereo signal into two components. The Mid channel carries information shared between left and right, while the Side channel carries their difference. Kick, bass, snare, and lead vocals often lean toward Mid, while room tone, reverbs, stereo instruments, and hard-panned parts usually contribute more to Side. Among [B][URL='https://goldmidi.com/community/threads/rupert-neve-designs-enters-software-with-three-mcdsp-plugins.77654/']Rupert Neve Designs’ first software processors[/URL][/B], the Portico II is where this routing changes the job most dramatically. A normal stereo buss compressor reacts to energy across the whole image. M/S operation lets you stop a dominant center element from forcing the same compression behavior onto the edges. [HEADING=2]The stereo field editor changes what the detector hears[/HEADING] The Portico II’s Stereo Field Editor already works with Mid and Side information through its Depth and Width controls. Depth adjusts the center component, while Width adjusts the side component, and each can be focused on one of four broad frequency regions. Used gently, this becomes [B]frequency-selective stereo control[/B] rather than a simple wider-or-narrower adjustment. Sending that M/S information into compression is where things get more useful. A loud kick and bass line can drive the Mid dynamics harder while cymbal spread, room microphones, synth width, or reverb stay comparatively open. You can also do the reverse and hold the Side component in place while the center keeps more punch. Low end is where this gets interesting. The plug-in adds a variable sidechain high-pass filter, so you can reduce how strongly bass energy influences gain reduction without cutting bass from the audible signal itself. The filter shapes what the detector listens to, which helps when the low end sounds right but keeps making the compressor work too hard. A conventional stereo buss setting can make the entire image move because one center-heavy element crosses the threshold. The kick lands, gain reduction follows, and the ambience at the sides moves even though it never caused the problem. Portico II M/S compression lets you separate those jobs instead of accepting the compromise. [HEADING=2]Mid and side compression solve different mix problems[/HEADING] A useful starting point is keeping the center firm without flattening the stereo image. If kick, bass, and vocal already sit where you want them, modest Mid compression can stabilize that core while leaving Side information freer. The mix keeps its spread without relying on extra Width just to sound bigger. Side compression has a different job. Wide synths, doubled guitars, overheads, room mics, and long reverbs can jump forward even when the center stays controlled. Compressing the Side component can smooth those movements without pushing the vocal, bass, and kick deeper into gain reduction. Feed-forward and feedback modes add another choice because they change the compressor’s response before M/S routing even enters the picture. RMS and Peak detection alter how the detector follows level and transients, while attack, release, ratio, threshold, and blend still shape the actual gain reduction. M/S does not replace those decisions. It gives them a more precise target. The Width and Depth EQ choices are broad rather than surgical. You can lean Width or Depth toward one selected frequency region without reaching for a separate M/S equalizer, but these controls are better for broad spatial shaping than narrow correction. Their strength is deciding where the stereo change should matter most. Small moves usually make more sense because Mid and Side levels directly affect stereo balance. Push the Side component too far and reverbs, doubled parts, or phase-heavy material can become overemphasized while the center feels smaller. Pull it down too much, and the mix can narrow quickly even when the left and right meters still look healthy. A practical workflow is to leave Width and Depth near neutral, set the compressor for the center problem you can clearly hear, then adjust the Side behavior afterward. If low frequencies trigger too much reduction, work the sidechain high-pass filter before changing the audible bass balance. Once both parts behave, the blend control decides how much of the compressed result replaces the dry signal. Portico II’s real advantage is not simply that it can perform mid/side mastering. It lets stereo position, frequency emphasis, detector behavior, and compression timing live inside the same processor without forcing one setting to handle every part of the image. When the center and edges are causing different problems, treating them as different signals gives you much finer control. [/QUOTE]

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