Altitude Audio has released Crossfeed, a free stereo imaging and monitoring plugin for Windows and macOS.
If you use headphones for mixing and feel like you’re missing out, this one might help. To be 100% honest, I don’t think headphones will ever sound exactly like speakers, but tools like this one can at least emulate the experience to some extent.
Altitude Audio’s plugin attempts to do so by combining crossfeed processing with various stereo visualization tools to help turn your headphones into a more speaker-like listening environment.
Crossfeed is mainly designed to reduce the “in-your-head” effect that’s common when listening to stereo mixes on headphones. It subtly blends the left and right channels into each ear, much like how we perceive sound when listening to speakers in a room.
The result is more natural imaging and improved spatial awareness. Another potential advantage is that it might reduce listening fatigue during long mixing sessions, but again, I’m very skeptical in that regard.
You are still listening to headphones, after all.
That said, unlike more basic crossfeed implementations, Crossfeed includes multiple adjustable parameters for fine-tuning that aim to improve the end result.
You can control the cutoff frequency and feedback amount, giving you precise control over how much and what part of the signal gets shared between channels. There’s also a high shelf EQ section with adjustable frequency and boost, designed to counteract any perceived high-end dulling caused by the crossfeed process.
The plugin supports both traditional (Direct) and modern (Assist) processing approaches. The modern Assist mode simplifies parameter interactions for a more subtle effect, while Direct gives you full control for more pronounced results.
There’s also a Wet/Dry mix knob and stereo image Width and Focus controls, allowing you to shape the final sound to taste.
One of Crossfeed’s main advantages, though, is its integrated visual monitoring. You get real-time visualizations, including a Lissajous vectorscope for stereo phase analysis, Polar Sample and Polar Level views for spatial positioning, and a detailed FFT spectrum analyzer.
These tools can help you visually assess stereo balance, phase correlation, and spectral energy across the stereo field.
You can run Crossfeed as a VST3 plugin in any compatible DAW or as a standalone application. For the standalone version, you’ll need to route audio using a virtual audio device (e.g., BlackHole, VB-Cable, or Loopback). Installation is straightforward, and factory presets like “Natural” provide a quick starting point.
Crossfeed is compatible with macOS Catalina 10.15 and up (Intel and Apple Silicon) and Windows 10 or 11. It supports sample rates up to 786 kHz and works in any DAW that supports VST3.
You can download Crossfeed for free from Altitude Audio’s website.
Download: Crossfeed
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Last Updated on September 5, 2025 by Tomislav Zlatic.
