The latest addition to Techivation’s flagship M-Series plug-in line-up promises to deliver a stereo widening effect that’s unmatched in its stability, depth and tonal transparency. Relying on a technique the company refer to as "phase-only, time-varying spectral decorrelation", M‑Imager is said to be capable of achieving stable, natural-sounding stereo images without introducing the ‘phasey’ sound that’s often associated with rival processors.
The plug-in sports Techivation’s signature look, with the centre of its GUI dedicated to a large Widen control, a goniometer display that offers a visual representation of the source’s stereo image and a pair of input/output meters. a Widen Range bar makes it possible to focus the effect on a specific frequency range, along with Mid and Side gain controls, that as you might expect, offer some control over the balance of the signal’s Mid and Sides elements. The company say that technique used to enhance the imaging preserves the original signal’s transients, and ensures that the balance between the left and right channels isn’t altered by the widening process.
Along with its primary controls, M-Imager is also equipped with a powerful dynamic EQ section that resides in the lower half of the GUI. The processor employs a linear-phase high-shelf EQ that’s applied exclusively to the Sides element of the outgoing signal, offering some further fine-tuning of the overall stereo image. Gain, Threshold and Frequency controls are provided, along with a Mono Cutoff parameter that allows users to introduce a 9dB/octave high-pass filter to the Sides signal so that low-end content that falls below the defined cutoff point remains unaffected.
Compatibility
M-Imager is supported on PCs running Windows 7 and above, and Macs running macOS 10.15 or higher. VST, VST3, AU and AAX plug-in versions are available.
Pricing & Availability
M-Imager is available now, and is being offered at an introductory price of $55 until 20 September 2025, when it will increase to $129.
