Panning Techniques For Edm Producers

Panning is a critical component of the mixing process in electronic dance music (EDM) production. It involves adjusting the left and right channels of the stereo field to create a three-dimensional soundscape. While there are no hard and fast rules for panning, some guidelines and techniques can help create a wide and full-sounding mix. For instance, it is recommended to keep the kick, snare, bass, and vocals in the centre of the mix, while other elements such as hi-hats, synths, and effects can be panned to either side to create a sense of balance and depth. Additionally, panning techniques such as hard panning, complementary panning, and narrow verses with wider choruses can be utilised to evoke specific emotions and create a more dynamic listening experience. It is also important to check the mix in mono to ensure compatibility with club systems and avoid losing certain elements in the fold-down. Ultimately, the amount of panning in EDM depends on the desired emotional impact and the creative choices made by the producer.

Panning to create space

Panning is a critical component of the mixing process in EDM production. It is the spread of a monaural signal in a stereo or multi-channel sound field, which creates a 3-dimensional space that brings your track to life.

To create space in your EDM track, it is advisable to keep the kick, snare, bass and vocals in the centre as they provide a solid grounding for the rhythm. Every other instrument should be positioned to the left or right of the centre. Panning several instruments hard left and right can sometimes produce an excellent 'sonic' sound, but it can also lead to a masked, muddy sound as many instruments can become stacked in the same area. Instead, find a place inside those extremes.

Drums are one of the simplest elements to start panning and spacing out. Spaced drums create a sense of groove and movement. Before you start panning out drums, imagine sitting at a drum set and how the elements are spaced out. You've got your hi-hats sitting to the left, with the snare just above and to the left of the hi-hats. To the left of the snare is a crash cymbal, and to the bottom right of that is your high tom. Directly in the middle is your kick, with the mid tom to the right of that and the ride cymbal to the top right. Finally, you've got your low tom all the way to the right and adjacent to the snare drum.

Keep in mind that your snare should be sitting with the kick in the middle. You can also slightly pan your snare left of centre about 10% to create a nice groove. A quick left-to-right pan on some 1/16th or 1/8th note hats can build a good drive to your drums.

When it comes to leads, there are occasions where you won't want to pan at all. Usually, when there's a single-layered lead, you'll want to leave the sound in the centre of the mix. In this situation, you can utilize other tools like reverb or delay to give the lead some space and air to breathe. However, if you start stacking a melody with multiple layers, this is when panning can become extremely effective. Let's say you have a pluck with two additional leads. You want these leads to carry space around your pluck to fill it out and make it sound even bigger. The best route to take for this process is to pan one lead to the left and one to the right.

Panning in EDM production can be tricky as you want your track to be mono-compatible. This is important not only for when your track is being played on a big club system but also for when people are listening to your tunes with one earbud. Analyzer tools can help you determine how much panning you should aim for.

Mono compatibility

• Understand the Difference Between Mono and Stereo: Mono tracks send the same signal to all channels, while stereo tracks send one signal to the left speaker and a slightly different signal to the right speaker. When a stereo track is converted to mono, the left and right channels are summed into one mono channel.
• Identify and Fix Phase Cancellation Issues: Phase cancellation occurs when two mono elements that sound powerful and loud apart sound weak and quiet together. This can be fixed by inverting the phase of one element or one side of an element.
• Place Each Element Appropriately in the Stereo Field: Ensure that every element in your song has its appropriate place in the stereo field. The further an element is panned to the left or right, the less bold and strong it will become in the mono mix. It is recommended to start with a basic pan configuration and then fine-tune according to the song while listening in mono.
• Mono Your Low-End: Low-end frequencies are not directional, so there is no audible difference between mono and stereo low-end. Keeping the low-end (0Hz-200Hz) in mono can help avoid phase issues and save space in the stereo field.
• Use Mid/Side Processing: Mid/Side processing allows separate control of the mid-layer (monophonic information) and the side-layer (stereophonic information) of a song. This technique can be used to affect the mono version of a song without ruining the stereo version's balance. For example, if you boost a frequency in the mid-layer, reduce the same frequency in the side-layer. However, reducing side frequencies will also narrow the track, so use this technique cautiously.
• Use Widening Layers Instead of Wide Main Layers: To create a wide element that still sounds good in mono, make the main element mono and add stereophonic layers. This technique is common with vocals and EDM producers, who often use a mono main lead layer and stereo background vocals or additional layers.
• Avoid Over-Widening Elements: While there are many ways to widen an element in stereo, they do not always sound good in mono. The more an element is pushed to the sides, the less present it will be in the mono mix. Some widening techniques, like the Haas effect, can cause phase issues and are not mono-compatible. Instead, use mono-compatible widening plugins or techniques like Mid/Side recording.

Panning conventions

Additionally, panning low bass sounds centrally allows a vinyl record to be bassier without causing the needle to jump. Panning these central sounds can cause phase issues when mono'd, which can occur on club systems.

Other instruments are less unsettling when panned to extreme positions and are often scattered across the stereo spread to increase the perceived width of the sound picture.

It's worth noting that many club systems are still mono, so if you're producing music for clubs, you'll want to make sure your track sounds good in mono.

Hard-panning

Hard panning is a classic move in music production, where a single sound is copied, and each version is panned hard left and hard right. This technique is used to create a fuller-sounding mix and is often used with heavy electric guitars, EDM synths, and saxophones.

Hard panning is a great way to achieve width in a stereo mix while still keeping it mono-compatible. This is because panning is simply a volume difference between two speakers. However, when using stereo width plugins, which take a mono signal and pan one hard left and one hard right, there can be destructive interference between the two sounds, causing phasing issues.

When hard panning, it is important to remember that our ears tend to focus on signals that are panned centre, extreme left, or extreme right, with all other points being less distinct and more impressionistic. This means that hard panning can be a great way to draw attention to certain elements of a song. For example, placing a snare drum in the centre of the mix will give it more emphasis, whereas placing it off-centre will give it an eccentric feel.

Additionally, hard panning can be used to create a sense of balance in a mix. For example, if you have two instruments occupying similar frequencies, panning them opposite each other (e.g. 20% left and 20% right) can help to create a more balanced feel.

However, it is important not to overdo hard panning, as this can tax the listener. It is recommended to use complementary panning to achieve balance, where one instrument is panned slightly to the left and another is panned slightly to the right. This invites the listener into the sound, rather than blasting two clashing instruments from the same spatial location.

When hard panning, it is also crucial to check the mix in mono to ensure that there are no phase issues. Many club systems are still mono, so it is important to make sure that your mix will translate well in this format.

Complementary panning

Panning is a simple concept but a powerful tool when it comes to mixing. It is the volume difference between two speakers.

Another way to achieve a similar effect is by using sidechaining. This is where the volume of one instrument is reduced when another is playing, giving the second instrument more space in the mix. This can be particularly effective with basslines and kick drums, allowing them to sit in the centre of the mix without fighting for the same frequency range.

Additionally, mid/side processing is a useful technique, especially when it comes to EDM. This allows you to keep the bass elements of a track in the middle while panning higher elements to the side.

When it comes to panning, it's important to remember that there are no hard and fast rules, only guidelines. The key is to create a balanced mix that doesn't sound muddy or crowded.

Frequently asked questions