Emilie Meyer
Panning in Logic Pro X is a simple process that allows you to adjust the direction of a track's sound. The concept behind panning is that you don't necessarily need to hear the same thing in both the left and right channels at all times. Logic Pro X offers three types of panning: stereo pan, balance, and binaural pan. To pan back and forth, you can use the pan/balance knob to adjust the direction of the track's sound by clicking and dragging vertically. Dragging down pans the track to the left, while dragging up pans it to the right. You can also use the Stereo Pan feature to pan from left to right more accurately.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Panning options | Stereo pan, balance, binaural pan |
| How to access panning options | Right-click or ctrl-click on the pan pot |
| How to pan left and right | Click the centre of the dial and drag down or up |
| How to adjust stereo width | Click inside the green bar and drag up or down |
| How to adjust the position of the track beyond left or right | Binaural panning |
| How to adjust the position of the track in a three-dimensional space | Binaural panning |
| How to adjust the distance of the sound source from the listener | Binaural panning |
| How to automate the pan/balance knob to create interesting dynamics | Automation techniques |
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What You'll Learn
Stereo Pan knob
The Stereo Pan knob in Logic Pro X offers greater flexibility in panning stereo tracks compared to the previous Pan dial, which primarily served as a level control. With the Stereo Pan knob, you can achieve true stereo panning by panning a source in stereo from left to right without needing to rely on additional plugins like the Direction Mixer.
To access the Stereo Pan knob, simply Control-click the Pan knob within a stereo track's Channel Strip, and you will be presented with three options: "Stereo Pan," "Balance" (the default setting), and "Binaural Pan." When using Stereo Pan, you can adjust the panning of your track by clicking the centre of the knob and dragging it left or right. This action will pan the left and right signals simultaneously in the desired direction.
The Stereo Pan knob also allows for precise control over the stereo width of your track. To adjust the width, you can grab the left or right-most handle of the knob and move them closer or further apart. This adjustment determines the width of the stereo image, providing a tighter or wider stereo field for your audio.
Additionally, the Stereo Pan knob can be automated to create dynamic movements in your mix. By automating the knob, you can make instruments move back and forth across the stereo field, creating unique and interesting effects. This technique can add depth and movement to your mix while keeping the centre clear for essential mono elements like kick drums, basses, and vocals.
The Stereo Pan knob in Logic Pro X provides a straightforward and intuitive way to achieve true stereo panning for your stereo tracks, enhancing your creative possibilities and ensuring a solid and focused mix.
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Binaural Panning
To access binaural panning in Logic Pro X, right-click on the panner above the fader in the mixer window. This will open a box with three options: "stereo pan," "balance," and "binaural pan." Selecting "binaural pan" will enable you to utilize binaural panning for that particular channel. This feature provides a psychoacoustic simulation of sound source positions, including up and down information, when fed a standard stereo signal.
One of the advantages of binaural panning in Logic Pro X is its ability to create a more natural and immersive listening experience, especially with headphones. Traditional panning methods often result in an unnatural stereo soundstage, where the left and right channels are isolated, giving the perception of sound being 'inside' the listener's head. Binaural panning addresses this issue by recreating the auditory cues our brains use to locate sound sources.
Additionally, binaural panning in Logic Pro X offers flexibility in your mixes. You can choose to apply binaural panning to specific channels, allowing for a combination of conventional and binaural panning. This enables you to create mixes that sound effective on both speakers and headphones. While binaural panning is primarily intended for headphone playback, Logic Pro X provides integrated conditioning to ensure a neutral sound suitable for speaker playback as well.
In conclusion, binaural panning in Logic Pro X offers a creative and immersive tool for sound mixing. It provides a more natural and three-dimensional listening experience, particularly with headphones. With the ability to apply binaural panning selectively, you can experiment with combining conventional and binaural panning techniques to create unique and engaging mixes. So, feel free to explore and utilize binaural panning to enhance your audio productions.
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Stereo Spread knob
The Stereo Spread knob is a feature in Logic Pro X that allows users to adjust the width of stereo tracks. By pulling the Stereo Spread handles closer together or further apart, users can make the track narrower or wider, respectively. This feature is particularly useful when working with stereo-recorded instruments, such as keyboards, as it allows for greater control over the stereo image.
The Stereo Spread knob is located within a stereo track's Channel Strip and can be accessed by Control-clicking on the Pan knob. This reveals three new options: "Stereo Pan", "Balance", and "Binaural Pan". "Balance" is the default setting, which reduces the volume of the opposite channel when panning. For example, if a stereo track is panned hard left, the right channel's volume is reduced to zero, resulting in the loss of sonic information from that side.
"Stereo Pan", on the other hand, sums both left and right signals together when panning. This ensures that no sonic information is lost. Additionally, the Direction Mixer plugin can be used to achieve true stereo panning, but it is not as intuitive as using the Pan knob. The Direction knob within the plugin allows for the same functionality as the Stereo Spread knob, providing control over the width of the stereo image.
The Stereo Spread knob can be used creatively to achieve unique pad sounds while keeping the centre of the mix clear for mono sources such as kick, bass, and vocals. This technique adds interest and movement to the stereo field, enhancing the overall mix. It is important to note that the Stereo Spread knob only affects stereo tracks, and for mono tracks, the regular pan/balance knob can be used for panning to the left or right.
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Direction Mixer
The Direction Mixer is a plugin in Logic Pro X that allows for true stereo panning. It is used to accurately pan a source in stereo from left to right. The Direction knob gives you True Stereo Panning, meaning that when you turn the knob to the left, both left and right signals tilt to the left. The Stereo Spread knob allows users to adjust the width of stereo tracks. For instance, pulling the Stereo Spread handles closer together will tighten the stereo-ness of the track, while pulling the handles further apart will widen it.
The Direction Mixer is useful for clearing out the centre of a mix while creating unique pad sounds. It can also be used to create movement and interest in a mix by feeding pads to different delays. This technique allows the delays to be triggered as the sound pans back and forth across the stereo image.
To access the Direction Mixer, simply Control-click the Pan knob to reveal three new options: "Stereo Pan", "Balance", and "Binaural Pan". "Balance" is Logic's default, and "Binaural Pan" is for more complicated panning arrangements. "Stereo Pan" allows you to do the same thing as the Direction Mixer, but with an intuitive Pan knob instead of a plugin.
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Automation techniques
To access the pan/balance knob, you can either press "I" on your keyboard and open the inspector menu, or open the mixer by pressing "X". You can also find the knob in the track header area.
If you want to automate the panning of a stereo track, you can control-click on the pan/balance knob and change it from “Balance” to “Stereo Pan”. You can then click the centre of the knob and drag left or right to adjust the panning of your track.
If you want to automate the panning of a mono track, you can simply drag the pan/balance knob vertically: dragging down pans the track to the left, and dragging up pans it to the left.
You can also double-click the pan/balance knob to enter numerical values for panning. Zero indicates a balanced stereo, negative numbers are for panning to the left, and positive numbers are for the right side.
Another option for both mono and stereo tracks is to use Logic's Binaural Panning tool, which allows you to reposition the source of your signal in a three-dimensional space. To do this, control-click the pan/balance knob and select "Binaural Panning". You can then double-click on the knob to open the tool's interface and adjust the position of your signal on the circular map.
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