Hi, I wasn’t critizing your whole tip, only one detail of it. Not you personally either 
Sorry, if it sounded like that. Surely it is a valid tip for newcomers, generally speaking about the multisend. Since a newcomer might read that I just wanted to add some more details about side amplification and phase rotation (the “surround” slider).
Basically if you amplify the side on the top end, the averall sound sum in stereo now will sound brighter (but stays the same in mono mixdown). If you even use the surround slider, the mono mix actually will sound even duller than without. Since it sounds brighter overall in stereo, you will tend to mix less brighter now. The result will be dull mono mix. So if you do this, I would recommend to add this as one of the last “mastering” process steps. But better do not use the stereo tool here, but instead some more sophisticated VST, e.g. some Melda stuff. Don’t waste your time to stick with native fx only.
Another detail about the stereo tool: You actually can use the surround and expand sliders to FIX source material that already has phasing issues. So the other way around, it actually can be very useful.
I added a mono and side check shortcut in my TunedShortcuts tool. It basically a collection of some shortcut tools, which you can setup as you like. No magic involved.
I think there are now more clever monofier tools which somehow can even put the side information into the middle, not just removing it. But I don’t remember names and also don’t know if this even is possible mathematically.
As a general mixing rule for side spreading: If your sound has a good loudness in the mono mix already, but you feel like it could be even more present, then you can use spreading.
Thanks for the video btw.! Why not put it into the first post?
PS: If you want to experiment even further, I did a little tool/script for the free protoplug lua vst plugin (you can script lua dsp with it), which can do a lot more than the stereo tool.