Phase Issues- Best way to record keys

[B.Ridgey]

I have been researching all day and experimenting with different ways to record keys into Ableton. My goal is to:

-Create a more stereo/wide/spacious sound of the keys in my mix
-Not experience any phase issues

I have tried the following with no luck. All create phase issues. (I'm using the correlation meter in Span plug-in to 'see the phase', plus once I go to mono on my master, the keys lose character/significant volume as expected):

Fail #1: I recorded two separate audio tracks (JUNO-DS through audio interface- not MIDI) playing a dual sound setting of a piano meets a opera/pad like sound. I took the two tracks and lined them up pretty close to one another so they were in time, and panned one left and one right. I figured human error/playing would eliminate the phase much like recording two separate guitar takes usually works in creating a stereo/wide sound with minimum phase...I may be off here, not a guitar player or a mixing engineer (obviously!). I read that the timing of two played tracks will never be the exact timing or the exact velocity so you won't have a phase issue. Did I warp/quantize too much? I felt like the off timing was creating an echo and not in a good way.

Fail #2: I took the two separate recordings and added a simple delay to the one on the right: 10 ms, while the one on the left is 1 ms. Then I put a utility plug-in on both and lessen the width to 80% so it wasn't so "wide". The HAAS effect kind of? Didn't work, still phase.

Fail #3: I kept the above audio effect chain but put an EQ on the left track to be all the lows and mids, while the right panned track was all the highs thus splitting the EQ..? Still phase issues.

I'm kind of at a loss. I appreciate any help. I'm trying to make the keys sound wide/full/create space while avoiding phase issues. I also did all of the above three fails with the same, just one track/take of the keys but doubled/copy-pasted. That was basically phase city central.

Thanks in advance.

[dougdi]

I use BX Stereomaker, no mono cancellation and easy to use. Best to wait for a sale, $99 is too much.

https://www.plugin-alliance.com/en/prod ... maker.html

[B.Ridgey]

Thanks for your reply. I was trying to find if I could recreate what they are doing in some of the paid plug-ins. This one sounds like they use the simple delay on the duplicate, cause it creates a slight, slight echo sound...I was trying to get away with a do it yourself method, but not having much luck. Guess it's more complicated than I thought. I'm try to use the M/S feature of the EQ effect now...