fabfilter Pro-Q 3 New Functions Tutorial 1. Enhanced M/S Mode

Author: sleepfreaks

Pro-Q 3 gets an upgrade with enhanced functions and capabilities

ProQ3

The long awaited 「Pro-Q 3」from fab filter has been released.
Though many EQ’s are available online from a variety of companies, the 「Pro-Q 3」 functions and sound quality place in undoubtedly in the top 3 rank.
It can be utilized by beginners to professionals, and regardless of genre as well.

In the new version, there are:

  • Enhanced M/S Mode
  • Dynamic EQ
  • New Filter Types
  • External spectrum visualization
  • Surround Sound Compatibility

These new updates make it an even more effective plugin.
First, let’s take a look at the upgraded 「M/S mode」.

fabfilter Pro-Q 3 M/S Mode Video Access

Using the MS Mode to freely control your sound

First, lets start by understanding what 「M/S」 is.

  • M : Abbreviation for Middle, the center sound
  • S : Abbreviation for Side, the left/right sound

By using 「M/S processing」, you can edit the center and left/right sounds seperately.
Although previous versions allowed for M/S processing, the newer version allows for MS and regular EQ edits to be done simultaneously.

Right click on an EQ point and select 「Stereo Placement」.
「Mid」「Side」 selection will be enabled, so simply select the parameter you want.

Fabfilter-MS

The points are shown as 「S」 or 「M」, and the effect will be applied only to the selected type.
You can cut out lows to tighten the sound, or naturally adds highs to your mix.

In addition, the M/S volume as a whole can easily be edited as well.
For example, you can slighty raise the Side volume, and easily add width to your track.

MS Volume

Click the output on the bottom right and switch to 「M/S」.

Drag the outside parameter to adjust the M/S volume.
With the center as a starting point,

  • Turn right to raise the Middle volume
  • Turn left to raise the Side volume

Turn to the right to lower the Middle as shown in the picture,

and to make up for the volume loss, raise the volume as a whole.
By doing so, the Side volume is increased by default.


In this article, we took a look at the enhanced 「M/S」 mode.
With more editing parameters, we believe it’s even more functionable than before!

In our next article we will take a look at a variety of new functions!