StageOne 2 is $249. RysUpImager is $9.99. If you are looking for a Leapwing StageOne 2 alternative, start with that $239 gap. Both split the stereo field into bands. Only one costs less than lunch. RysUpImager puts width, rotation, center, bass width, four bands, mono safe Spread and a live vectorscope in one window. Here is what each one actually gives you.
Disclosure: Rys Up Audio makes RysUpImager and RysUpSuite. Competitor facts come from each vendor's own product page, checked October 13, 2026. This is a workflow, feature and price comparison. We did not run a blind listening test, so nothing here names a sound quality winner.
What StageOne 2 does
Leapwing sells StageOne 2 as a width and depth plugin. You get width, depth and mono spread, and Leapwing says its algorithm leaves the phantom center untouched. Depth uses directionally optimized reflections to push sounds back in the field.
Version 2 added 3 band control (low, mid and high) with adjustable crossovers, a visualizer of amplitude, frequency and perceived width, and Phase Recovery, which realigns out of phase components. It runs as AAX Native, VST3 and AU on macOS 10.13 or later and Windows, with a 30 day trial.
The $239 question
On October 13, 2026 the StageOne 2 product page listed $249.
RysUpImager is $9.99 to own. That is $239.01 back in your pocket for multiband width, mono safe Spread, rotation, center and bass width.
RysUpImager is $9.99 to own. It is also included in RysUpSuite, $9.99 a month billed yearly, alongside every other current and future paid Rys Up plugin.
What you get in RysUpImager
The core is built on the same proven mid side width, rotation and shuffling math that classic studio imagers use. Then it keeps going.
- Width from 0 to 300% on one big knob, with a level compensated width law so wide settings do not just get louder.
- Rotation and Center. Rotation turns the whole image up to 45 degrees either way and Center tilts it up to 90 degrees, so a mix that leans can be straightened before you widen it.
- Bass Width from 1 to 3 times, with its corner set anywhere from 350 to 1400 Hz.
- 1 or 4 bands. Drag the crossovers in the band lane, click a band and set its own width. Narrow the low mids, open the top.
- Spread, a Diffuse decorrelation that never changes the mono sum. Mono sources get width, and mono playback gets the same signal back.
- Mono Below keeps everything under the frequency you pick in mono.
- Glass vectorscope with Polar and Lissajous views, plus correlation and balance meters, so you see what the knob did.
- Routing panel: Mono check, L/R or M/S input, Swap L/R, Invert L, Invert R and Bass Trim.
- Output from minus 24 to plus 12 dB, zero latency, 32 factory presets, Copy and Paste settings.
- Sculpted Graphite design in light and dark. Mac AU, VST3 and AAX, Windows VST3 and AAX, installed through RysUpHub. No iLok.
You give up Depth and Phase Recovery. You get a fourth band, rotation, center, bass width and Mono Below, and you keep $239.01.
Side by side
| Feature | Leapwing StageOne 2 | RysUpImager |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $249 | $9.99 own forever, or included in RysUpSuite |
| Main controls | Width, Depth, Mono Spread and Center Gravity per band | Width 0 to 300%, Rotation, Center, Spread |
| Bands | 3 bands, adjustable crossovers | 1 or 4 bands with draggable crossovers and per band width |
| Low end | Per band control of the low band | Bass Width 1 to 3x at 350 to 1400 Hz, Mono Below, Bass Trim |
| Metering | Visualizer of amplitude, frequency and width | Polar and Lissajous vectorscope, correlation and balance meters |
| Routing | Phase Recovery per band | Mono check, L/R or M/S input, Swap, Invert L, Invert R |
| Formats | AAX Native, VST3, AU on macOS and Windows | Mac AU, VST3, AAX. Windows VST3, AAX |
| Activation | Leapwing account | RysUpHub, no iLok |
StageOne 2's edge is depth: its reflections and Phase Recovery are things RysUpImager does not try to do. RysUpImager's edge is four bands instead of three, rotation, center, bass width and Mono Below, for $239.01 less.
Other StageOne 2 alternatives to consider
iZotope Ozone Imager is free, with width, Stereoize and three vectorscope views. The full module sits inside Ozone 12 at $219 or $499. See Ozone Imager alternatives.
Polyverse Wider is free: one width control up to 200%, Low Bypass and a Mono check. See Polyverse Wider alternatives.
Waves S1 Stereo Imager lists at $129 with width, asymmetry, rotation and the S1 Shuffler for bass. See Waves S1 alternatives.
The full list, including NUGEN Audio Stereoizer and Brainworx bx_stereomaker, is in the stereo imager plugin roundup.
Widen a mix bus in RysUpImager
A starting point for a wide but mono safe mix bus. Adjust by ear.
- Put RysUpImager on the stereo bus or track you want to open up. Start from the Default preset.
- Open Routing and switch on Mono check for a second. Listen to the source summed to mono, then switch it back off.
- If the image leans, fix it first with Center and Rotation while you watch the balance meter come back toward the middle.
- Click Bands and pick 4. Drag the crossovers to where the mix splits, then select the low mid band and pull its width under 100% so the body stays focused.
- Select the top band and push its width past 100% for air. Keep an eye on the correlation meter so it stays on the positive side.
- Set Mono Below around 120 Hz so the kick and bass stay centered, or raise Bass if the low end feels too narrow.
- Add Spread on sources that started out mono. It decorrelates the sides without changing the mono sum.
- Recheck Mono in Routing, then match the level with OUT.
Working on vocals instead? Read how to make vocals wider without losing the lead.
Questions producers ask
Does RysUpImager add depth like StageOne 2? No. There is no depth or reflection control. RysUpImager is about width, position and mono safety: four bands, Spread, rotation, center, bass width and Mono Below.
Will widening wreck my mix in mono? Spread never changes the mono sum, Mono Below keeps the lows centered, and the Mono check in Routing lets you hear the summed result any time. Width past 100% still raises the sides, so check mono before you print.
Does it add latency? No. RysUpImager runs at zero latency, so it is safe on tracking and live monitoring chains.
Does it need an iLok? No. RysUpHub installs and activates it on Mac and Windows.
Keep the money, keep the control
Leapwing StageOne 2 lists at $249. RysUpImager is $9.99 with width, rotation, center, bass width, four bands, Spread, Mono Below and a live vectorscope. Or get it inside RysUpSuite with the rest of the Rys Up lineup.
RysUpImager is a one time $9.99 purchase you own forever. It is also included in RysUpSuite, which bills $119.88 a year and covers every current and future paid Rys Up plugin while it stays active. Prefer no commitment? Suite is $14.99 month to month. Compare everything on the RysUpSuite page.
Keep comparing: Ozone Imager alternatives, Wider alternatives, S1 alternatives, the full stereo imager roundup and the side by side comparison page. For vocal width without an imager, see the vocal doubler roundup and our MicroShift alternative guide. The whole catalog lives on the Rys Up plugin lineup.
Sources. Prices and features were read from official vendor pages on October 13, 2026: Leapwing StageOne 2, iZotope Ozone Imager, Polyverse Wider, Waves S1 Stereo Imager. Sale prices move often, so treat every competitor price here as a dated snapshot. Taxes and regional pricing can differ at checkout.