Understanding stereo imaging with vectorscopes

Stereo imaging is another tool that is sometimes used while mastering. A vectorscope can help you to identify where your sounds are positioned in the stereo field (how much mono or stereo).

Stereo imaging is related to stereo width. Stereo imaging is about identifying how your sound is heard out of the left and right channels. This helps you to troubleshoot any issues that may occur, such as sounds unintentionally focused on one side or the other. If there is an issue, you’ll then go back to the mixer and investigate what is causing the audio imbalance.

If your goal is to create more stereo width, the vectorscope will allow you to visually see how much stereo width has been created. You’ll be able to see how much difference there is between the audio on each side.

The following is an example of FL Studio’s Wave Candy plugin using the built-in Vectorscope preset. It shows the stereo image of your audio...