Waves PS22 Stereo Maker

What Waves PS22 Stereo Maker Is For

Waves PS22 Stereo Maker is a stereo imaging plug-in designed to add breadth and depth to sources that lack space, whether in mixing, post-production, or mastering. It excels both at converting a mono signal to stereo (guitar, vocals, keyboards, analog synths, vintage hardware effects, old recordings) and at adjusting an existing stereo image when it is too narrow or, conversely, too wide.

In a modern workflow, PS22 is used to place an instrument "around" the listener without altering its character: the source's character is preserved while giving it a wider presence in the panorama. It can also be used inversely to selectively reduce the stereo width of a mix, a useful step for certain vinyl mastering constraints or to stabilize an overly expansive low end.

Main Features

Advanced synthetic stereo without a "phasey" feeling

PS22 is based on a proprietary stereo synthesis process designed to avoid the hollow, unstable, or "phasey" feeling often associated with older wideners. The goal is to generate a richer stereo image from a mono source while maintaining coherence when the audio is summed back to mono. The result: you can modernize historical sounds (vintage effects, mono-recorded instruments, sources from analog gear) while preserving attack and clarity.

Widen, narrow, and balance the stereo image

Beyond mono-to-stereo conversion, PS22 acts as a true advanced panning toolbox. You can gently widen for a natural sound or, conversely, separate more distinctly to create a sense of great width. And if a stereo track is "too wide" (or unstable on certain playback systems), the plug-in also allows you to narrow the image, including on targeted frequency ranges, to recentralize what needs to be centered.

Dynamic optimization and headroom before saturation

PS22 also offers a useful behavior for peak management: by making waveform peaks more symmetrical, it can help recover headroom depending on the material processed and the type of setting. This is a practical advantage in a dense mixing chain where every decibel counts before a limiter, or during a pre-master that needs to remain clean and controlled.

Sound design and automation in DAW

The plug-in is not limited to corrective use: it also opens the door to bolder textures. By automating its parameters in your DAW, you can achieve creative frequency shifting effects, evolve the stereo width over time (tight verse, wide chorus), or give a sense of movement to pads, guitars, or synth sounds. This approach works equally well on mono sources or stereo stems, for more spectacular transitions and a livelier space.

Technical specifications