TK Audio M/S Station
The M/S Station is an advanced M/S tool designed for mastering and main bus processing. This versatile unit covers all the needs of producers and engineers who want to maximize their use of mid-side processing for enhanced stereo width, tight focused mono-bass, and more. Its four discrete functions are divided across two linkable control sections for intuitive use, and its advanced cue section makes monitoring a breeze.
Features
- Parallel insert with M/S function
- Independent, stepped Mid and Side blend controls
- Elliptical EQ (low end mono-maker)
- Width control from mono to extra wide
- Advanced cue function for monitoring at nearly every step in its path
Parallel Insert with M/S Function
With the insert section, you can insert an external processor like an EQ, compressor, distortion unit, etc., and then dial in a mix between the processed signal (wet) and the unprocessed signal (dry). For maximum precision, the blend control has 16 steps from dry to wet. If you activate the M/S function, your signal will be coded into mid (L+R) and side (L-R). The mid signal normally contains all the center info such as bass, kick drum, lead vocal, etc., and the side signal contains all the panned parts of the signal. In M/S mode, you can process the center signal and side signal separately with different types of processors. With the blend split function, you get separate blend controls for the mid and side signal. In M/S mode, the blend function takes place before the signal is decoded back to left/right. This section can be used with its own balanced inputs and outputs.
Elliptical Equalizer
With the elliptical EQ, all frequencies below a selected frequency will be made to mono. This function can make your low end more focused. It’s an old technique used when mastering for vinyl. Too much low end in the side channel (vertical) can make the needle bounce slightly and cause distortion. By using a 12dB high pass filter in the side channel, you set the frequency under which the signal will be processed as mono. As a HPF introduces phase shift to the signal, a phase correction is added to the mid channel, keeping channel separation as good as possible. The EEQ has 16 frequencies from 36Hz to 302Hz. With the EEQ cue function, you can monitor the signals that are mixed between the channels.
Stereo Width Control
By adjusting the amount of side information in the stereo mix, the width can be adjusted incrementally from mono to extra wide. With this control, you can fine-tune the stereo image after you have used the M/S insert.
Cue Function
With the cue function, you can monitor the Left, Right, Mid, or Side signal separately by pressing the dedicated button. Insert cue is a function to monitor the Mid or Side blend separately when the M/S function and Split blend are active. The signal is then sent directly from each blend control directly to the outputs, one at a time without passing the EEQ, Width, or other gear if the M/S Station is used unlinked. By selecting the EEQ switch on the cue section, you can monitor the low frequencies fed from left to right or right to left. The cue section is a passive design using relays to select the cue source.
