Analyzes the stereo image of an audio file – how wide the sound is, whether it’s balanced, and how the energy is distributed between mid (center) and side (stereo) channels.
Parameters
| Parameter | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| file_path | string | required | Path to stereo audio file |
Example Output
Illustrative summary; MCP responses use structured JSON.
$ analyze_stereo mix-bus.wav
Stereo Analysis Width: 0.72 Balance: +0.02 dB (centered) Mid/Side: 4.1 dB Correlation: 0.61
Panorama Distribution: Left: 26% Center: 48% Right: 26%
What the Numbers Mean
-
Width – The ratio of side RMS to mid RMS. Zero means no side signal; 1 means equal mid and side levels. It can exceed 1 and becomes very large when the channels cancel in the mid signal. Read it with correlation and audition the mono sum.
-
Balance – Pan offset from center, in dB. 0.0 dB = perfectly centered. Positive = right-heavy. Negative = left-heavy.
-
Mid/Side Ratio – Energy ratio between the mid (center, mono-compatible) and side (stereo difference) signal, in dB. Positive values mean mid energy dominates; 0 dB means mid and side carry equal energy; negative values mean side energy dominates. Reported as null when mid or side is absent;
mid_side_statedistinguishespure_midfrompure_side. -
Correlation – Similar to phase coherence but amplitude-weighted. 1.0 = mono. 0.0 = fully independent channels. Negative = out of phase. Values below 0.3 warrant checking mono compatibility.
-
Panorama Distribution – Percentage of analysis frames classified as panned left, center, or right, based on per-frame L/R energy balance. Uneven distribution (e.g., 70% left, 10% right) indicates panning imbalance.
Example Prompts
Width check
How wide is my mix? Analyze the stereo image of mix-v4.wav
Balance check
Is my mix balanced between left and right? Check stereo-bus.wav
Mono compatibility
Will this mix translate well to mono? Check the mid/side ratio and correlation
Related Tools
- analyze_phase – Per-band phase coherence (more detailed than overall correlation)
- compare_to_reference – Compare your width against a reference track’s width
- match_to_reference – Automatically match stereo width to a target
Pro tip
If your correlation is below 0.4 but the mix sounds fine in headphones, check it on a mono speaker (or sum to mono in your DAW). Wide mixes that rely on side information can collapse dramatically in mono – common in venues, TV, and phone speakers.