Correlation Meter in MainStage
Correlation Meter displays the phase relationship of a stereo signal. When added to an output channel strip, it helps you determine whether your stereo mix has a wide stereo image or a narrower, more mono-sounding image. By soloing a specific stereo track routed to the output channel strip, you can quickly check the phase of stereo signals, such as drum overheads or piano stereo mics.
As a tool for checking mono compatibility, the meter indicates whether your mix or a section of it contains out-of-phase content which, when played back on a mono speaker, can alter the sound or entirely cancel the mix.
To add Correlation Meter to your concert, choose Metering > Correlation Meter in a channel strip Audio Effect plug-in menu. See Add and remove plug-ins in MainStage.
The scale of Correlation Meter ranges from –1 to +1.
Correlation Meter: Displays the phase relationship between the left and right channels of a stereo signal.
A correlation of +1 (the far right position, in green) means that the left and right channels correlate 100%—they are completely in phase. This results in a mono signal.
A correlation of 0 (the center position) indicates the widest permissible left/right channel divergence, resulting in a wide stereo effect.
Correlation values lower than 0 (orange to red) indicate that out-of-phase material is present, which can lead to phase cancellations if the stereo signal is played through a mono speaker, changing the sound of your mix.
Note: When plug-ins that offer stereo width or spread parameters are inserted before Correlation Meter in the signal path, the meter may show negative values when you use a width or spread parameter value above 100%.
A correlation of –1 (the far left position, in red) indicates that the left and right channels are identical but with opposite polarity, which mutes the entire stereo signal when it’s played back in mono.
The vertical white line indicates the momentary correlation value. It resets to 0 when the signal stops for two seconds. The yellow to green bar represents the movement of the white line over the last few seconds, indicating the correlation range of your stereo signal.
A vertical orange to red line behaves as a peak indicator for values below 0. It shows the maximum divergence from 0.
Correlation Meter parameters
View pop-up menu: Choose a Horizontal or Vertical display and set a size.
Note: You can also set a size by dragging the lower corners of the plug-in window.
Reaction pop-up menu: Click the disclosure triangle at the lower left, then choose an item from the menu to set the reaction time (update speed) of the meter display.