Marianne Martinez
Panning is the process of assigning a location in the stereo field, from left to right, including the centre. When panning guitars in a mix, it is important to maintain a balance. Inappropriate panning can result in a muddy or unrealistic guitar sound. The main objective of panning is to give a realistic stereo image, as if the listener were hearing a live band on stage. The hard pan setting is usually between 85% and 100%. This article will explore how to hard pan guitars in PreSonus.
Characteristics and Values
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Panning setting values for "Hard" pan | 85% to 100% |
| Panning setting values for Mid pan | 50% to 85% |
| Center assigned as | 0 or 0% |
| Rightmost part of the channel assigned as | +100 or 100% |
| Leftmost part of the channel assigned as | -100 or -100% |
| Main objective of panning | To give a mix a realistic stereo image |
| Location of guitarists in live concerts | Left and right side of the stage |
| Common panning scheme in guitar-driven hard rock and metal | Live double of a distorted guitar, panned hard left and right |
| Frequency range to add a solid low end | 100Hz |
| Frequency range for a muddy zone for guitar | 200Hz |
| Frequency range to add punch and help the blend of a distorted rock sound | 250Hz to 350Hz |
| Frequency range containing most of the body and punchy character | 500 to 600Hz |
| Frequency range to add edge and definition to most guitar sounds | 2.5kHz to about 5kHz |
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What You'll Learn
Hard panning guitars to the left and right
Panning guitars hard left and right is a common technique in guitar-driven music, especially in hard rock and metal. This technique creates a big, high-energy, and full sound, often referred to as "Big Mono" or multi-mono. It involves recording a live double of a distorted guitar (usually playing power chords) and panning each part hard left and right.
When panning guitars, it is important to maintain a stereo balance. If you only have one guitar track, you should pan it equally to both the left and right at the same panning setting value but in opposite directions. For example, if you pan a guitar to the left at 85%, you should make a copy of that guitar track and pan it to the right at 85%. This will ensure a balanced stereo image.
The "hard" pan setting values typically range from 85% to 100%. In some digital audio workstations (DAWs), the numerical values may be represented differently. For instance, the center may be assigned as "0", with the leftmost and rightmost parts of the channel assigned as -100 and +100, respectively. However, in some DAWs, the polarity sign might be opposite. Therefore, it is essential to refer to your specific DAW software documentation to understand its panning feature.
Additionally, when panning guitars, consider the front and back audio mixing techniques. Effects such as reverb, EQ, and compression can enhance the front and back aspects of the mix. This will ensure that your guitar tracks not only have a wide stereo image but also have depth in the mix.
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Maintaining stereo balance
Panning is a powerful tool for sculpting the stereo image of a track. It allows you to place instruments from left to right, effectively determining the left and right "walls" of your mix and how close each instrument is to them. A well-balanced stereo image makes your track feel spacious and full across the entire soundstage—from low to high, front to back, and left to right.
When panning guitars, it's important to maintain a stereo balance to ensure a clear and immersive sound. One common technique in guitar-driven music, especially hard rock and metal, is to double track a distorted guitar and pan each part hard left and right. This creates a big, high-energy, and full sound. However, this technique does not take full advantage of the phantom imaging possibilities of the stereo field. When the mix is played in mono, each instrument must have unique EQ characteristics to maintain its identity.
To maintain stereo balance while panning guitars, consider the following:
- Visualize the stereo image: Picture your mix as a three-dimensional space. Place each instrument within this space, considering its position from left to right, front to back, and high to low. This visualization will help you create a balanced and immersive soundscape.
- Monitor in mono: While it may seem counterintuitive, deciding on pan placement while listening to your mix in mono can help you balance frequencies and avoid masking. If your mix sounds good in mono, it will sound even better in stereo.
- Manage frequency balance: Be mindful of frequency balance issues when panning multiple guitar parts. Each guitar should have distinct EQ characteristics, especially when the mix is collapsed to mono, to prevent them from blending together and losing their individual identities.
- Experiment with panning techniques: Try different panning techniques to find what works best for your track. You can duplicate a track and pan it hard left and right to make your track sound wider. Alternatively, you can use soft panning for a more subtle effect.
- Consider the genre: The stereo balance of guitars may vary depending on the genre. For example, in guitar-driven hard rock and metal, the aforementioned hard left and right panning is common. In pop music, you might find a combination of hard and soft panning to create a dynamic and varied soundstage.
By following these guidelines, you can maintain stereo balance while panning guitars, creating a clear, immersive, and well-balanced mix.
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Using panning to spread the sound
Panning is a powerful tool for creating immersive soundscapes that surround the listener with detailed, spatial sound. It is a key technique for sculpting a stereo image, allowing you to place instruments from left to right, and determining the width of your mix.
Stereo imaging is the perceived spatial location of sound sources within a track. Each instrument takes up space in the stereo image, depending on its panning position, frequency response and overall level. The stereo image is essentially the "room" in which your track is playing. Some rooms sound small and confined, while others sound large and reverberant. The size of the room is defined by the amount of reverb or delay on each track, which helps listeners understand how close each instrument is to the "walls" of the room.
Panning allows you to control the position of instruments, as well as the width of stereo tracks. You can place instruments hard left, hard right, or anywhere in between. For example, placing a stereo recording of a piano hard left and hard right would spread the piano across the entire stereo image. Moving each pan pot inwards by 50% would keep the piano centred, but make its width narrower.
You can also use automation to change your panning during a song. For example, you could automate the panning so that the mix sounds wider in the choruses and narrower in the verses, giving the chorus more impact and making the mix more exciting.
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Avoiding a 'lean' in the mix
Mixing your music is an important step in the music-making process, as it ensures your final product is professional and polished. Here are some tips for avoiding a lean in the mix when using Presonus Studio One:
Firstly, adjust the levels to ensure that everything can be heard clearly. Pull everything back, including your monitor/speaker levels, and keep the volume low to protect your ears, especially during long mixing sessions. Keep the levels within your DAW peaking at -6dB and avoid the red.
Next, panning is crucial to moving things around the stereo spectrum and creating a full sound between speakers. Use panning to create a clear separation between different elements of your mix, such as the bass and kick, which should both be central.
To avoid clashes between parts that can't be panned, use EQ to create separation. Apply opposing EQ curves to opposing bass and kick sounds, boosting one while cutting the other in the same area. This gentle EQ edit will move the sounds away from each other, avoiding any muddying between the two.
Additionally, consider the target loudness and peak level requirements of your chosen platform. Studio One's Target Loudness Options can optimize your tracks for different streaming services, ensuring your mixes aren't altered by their loudness algorithms. Use the "Adjust Loudness" feature to analyze your tracks during export and match loudness and true peak to your selected settings.
Finally, utilize the Export Mixdown menu in Studio One to fine-tune your mix file. Choose the desired output, select the "Import to Track" option to import the mix to a new track, and consider checking "Mono" to generate a monaural mix, which can help identify phase cancellation issues between left and right channels.
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Front and back audio mixing techniques
Audio mixing is a complex process that involves manipulating various properties of sound to create a cohesive and immersive listening experience. One important aspect of mixing is creating a sense of depth, which can be achieved through techniques such as panning, filtering, shelving, reverb balancing, compression, and gain staging.
One common approach to front and back mixing is the use of reverb. Reverb can be used to simulate the sound of a space, making it a powerful tool for adding depth to a mix. By adjusting the amount of reverb applied to different instruments, you can push them forward or pull them back in the mix. For example, applying less reverb to main or solo instruments such as vocals will bring them forward in the mix, while adding more reverb to background or rhythm instruments will make them sound farther back, creating a sense of depth and separation.
Another technique for front and back mixing is the use of volume and level adjustments. In a live concert setting, the performers on stage create a natural sense of depth and fullness due to the varying distances between the instruments and the audience. This can be replicated in a studio setting by adjusting the volume levels of different instruments. By reducing the volume of certain elements, you can create the impression of distance, pushing them back in the mix, while increasing the volume of others will bring them forward.
Additionally, panning can be used in conjunction with reverb and volume adjustments to enhance the sense of width and depth in a mix. While panning primarily affects the "width" dimension, it can also contribute to the perception of depth. Instead of hard panning instruments to the extreme left or right, try panning them closer to the original signal to create a more immersive and three-dimensional soundstage.
It's important to note that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to front and back mixing. The specific techniques and effects used will depend on the genre, the context of the mix, and the desired artistic vision. Experimentation and a solid understanding of the underlying concepts are key to achieving a professional-sounding mix with a compelling front and back image.
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