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Audio engineering

Crossfeed

What is crossfeed? A clear definition from the audio engineering section of our glossary, with 13 related terms, tools to try and further reading.

Definition of Crossfeed

Crossfeed is the process of blending the left and right channels of a stereo audio recording. It is generally used to reduce the extreme channel separation often featured in early stereo recordings (e.g., where instruments are panned entirely on one side or the other), or to make audio played through headphones sound more natural, as when listening to a pair of external speakers.

Crossfeed is claimed to provide relief for a small fraction of listeners who otherwise complain of "fatigue" and headaches when they listen to stereo recordings.

Crossfeed is most commonly found in headphone amplifiers and often can be toggled with a switch. Many audio player programs for computers can perform crossfeed via plug-ins or built-in processing.

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What is Crossfeed?

Crossfeed is the process of blending the left and right channels of a stereo audio recording. It is generally used to reduce the extreme channel separation often featured in early stereo recordings (e.g., where instruments are panned entirely on one side or…

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