bx_solo free download

bx_solo is a free utility plugin that lets you solo the individual components of a stereo signal when using M/S (Mid/Side) technique. You can grab this free download to isolate and monitor the Mid or Side channel by itself, which is a common need when recording, mixing, or mastering with this method.

What It Does: M/S Solo Control

This is a straightforward tool built for M/S processing. In a standard stereo signal, the Mid channel contains the audio that is identical in both the left and right speakers (usually the center-panned elements). The Side channel contains the differences between the left and right channels (the stereo width information).

bx_solo gives you two solo buttons: one for the Mid channel and one for the Side channel. Pressing either button lets you listen to just that part of the signal. This is the core function—there are no extra knobs for processing or adjusting levels.

Main Features

M/S Solo Buttons The plugin provides dedicated buttons to solo the Mid and Side components. You use these to audition what each part of your stereo signal contains on its own. M/S Technique Tool It functions as a dedicated utility for working with Mid/Side encoding and decoding, focused solely on monitoring.

Who Should Use It

This fits a few specific studio scenarios. It's useful for audio engineers who are setting up microphones for an M/S recording and need to check the isolation of the center and room signals. During mixing, it helps if you're applying M/S EQ or compression and want to solo the Side channel to hear exactly what you're affecting in the stereo field. For mastering, it's good for analyzing the low-end mono compatibility in the Mid channel separately from the stereo highs in the Side channel.

Summary

If your work involves Mid/Side technique and you need a simple, no-frills way to solo the Mid or Side channel for analysis, bx_solo does that one job. You get a VST and AU plugin with solo buttons and nothing else to complicate it. Since it's a free download from Plugin Alliance, it's worth getting if that specific monitoring need matches your workflow for recording, mixing, or mastering.