Panning Instruments: The Art Of Creating Space In Your Mix

Panning is a crucial aspect of music production and mixing, allowing producers to position instruments and sounds in the stereo field to create a sense of space and depth. The pan pot or slider controls the ratio of levels between the left and right output of a stereo audio signal, giving the perception of sounds originating from different places. While there are no absolute rules for panning, there are guidelines and techniques that can help create a well-balanced and immersive mix. For instance, kick, snare, bass, and vocals are typically placed in the centre of a mix, while other instruments like guitars, synths, and keyboards are usually off-centre, creating width and separation. Panning can also be used to eliminate masking by moving clashing sounds out of each other's way. Additionally, checking your mix in mono is essential to ensure it translates well to different playback systems.

Panning to create sonic pictures

Panning is a powerful tool in the hands of a mix engineer. It is used to create sonic pictures, tell stories, achieve balance, create contrast, build tension, and release tension.

When panning, it is important to keep in mind that our ears tend to focus on signals that are panned center, extreme left, or extreme right, with all the other points being less distinct and more impressionistic.

• Hard-panning doubled instruments: If you have double-tracked instruments (the same part recorded twice, for effect), try panning them hard left and hard right. This is a classic move with heavy electric guitars and can also work with instruments such as EDM synths and saxophones.
• Complementary panning: If you have two instruments occupying similar frequencies, try panning them opposite to one another. For example, panning a guitar slightly to the left will complement a keyboard panned slightly to the right, creating a more balanced feel.
• Panning conventions: Snare drums, bass guitars, and kick drums usually appear in the center image. Placing these elements anywhere but the center will immediately call attention to them in an eccentric, offhand way.
• Narrow verses and wider choruses: Create the illusion of dynamics by using narrower panning schemes during verses and wider panning schemes during choruses. This will create a similar feeling of arrival, making the mix feel louder without necessarily increasing the volume.
• Check your work in mono: Always check your mix in mono to ensure you aren't losing too much in the fold-down. This is especially important for club mixes and supermarket broadcasts, where many playback systems are mono.
• Don't overdo any one panning location: Panning is a way of achieving balance, and if you choose an arbitrary location within the stereo field and fill it with trebly, busy instruments, you will tire the listener.

Remember, there are no hard and fast rules for panning—just guidelines. The most important thing is to create a sonic landscape that serves the song and enhances the listener's experience.

Panning to tell stories

Panning is a powerful tool in music production that can be used to create interest, width, and a sense of space in a mix. It is also a crucial tool for telling stories through music.

When panning instruments, it is important to keep in mind the desired emotional impact on the listener. Panning can be used to create contrast, build tension, and release tension. For example, panning two instruments playing at similar frequencies to opposite sides can create a more balanced and inviting sound. On the other hand, panning multiple trebly, busy instruments to the same location can create a harsh and jarring effect, which may be desirable for building tension.

Panning can also be used to create a sense of movement and progression in a song. For example, starting with a narrow panning scheme in the verse and then moving to a wider panning scheme in the chorus can create a feeling of arrival, making the chorus feel louder and more impactful without actually increasing the volume.

Additionally, panning can be used to create a sense of depth and height in a mix. By panning low-frequency instruments closer to the center and high-frequency instruments to the sides, a three-dimensional soundstage can be created, with depth, width, and height. This can be further enhanced by using reverb and other effects to create a sense of distance between the instruments and the listener.

When telling a story through panning, it is important to consider the perspective. The performer's perspective pans instruments based on their position on stage during a live performance, while the audience perspective pans them based on where they would be placed if the listener were watching the performance. Choosing the right perspective can help reinforce the desired narrative and emotional impact of the song.

Overall, panning is a versatile tool that can be used to create emotion, movement, and depth in a mix, all of which contribute to effective storytelling in music.

Panning to achieve balance

Panning is a powerful tool in achieving a balanced mix. It is the process of positioning sounds in the left-to-right spectrum of a stereo image, creating a sense of width and space. A basic rule of thumb is to leave the central elements that drive the groove of the track—such as the kick, snare, bass, and lead vocals—in the middle of the mix. This is because these elements are usually what you want to appear solid and hit the listener straight on.

Once you have your central elements in place, you can use panning to create width in your mix. Guitars, keys, synths, and backing vocals are usually placed off-center, either hard left or right, or somewhere in between. Drums, apart from the snare and kick, are often panned as they would appear on a drum kit, either from the drummer's perspective or the audience's perspective. This type of panning is common in rock music but less so in EDM, dance, or electronic genres.

When panning, it is important to consider the frequency range of each instrument. Generally, lower-octave sounds work better in mono or closer to the center, while higher-octave sounds can sit further left or right in the mix. This is because our ears struggle to identify the direction that lower frequencies are coming from.

Another technique is complementary panning, where two instruments occupying similar frequencies are panned opposite to one another. For example, if an electric guitar and a saxophone are playing the same melody, panning them slightly to the left and right can create a more balanced feel.

It is also important to consider the overall balance of your mix. Each element should have its own space in the frequency spectrum, and no one element should overpower the others. This can be achieved through careful leveling, equalization, and dynamic processing. By setting the proper levels, panning instruments for a wide stereo image, and applying EQ and compression with precision, you can create a mix that sounds polished and cohesive.

Panning to create contrast

Panning is a powerful tool in mixing that can create interest, width, and a sense of space in a stereo mix. It can also be used to create contrast and focus in a mix. Here are some tips for using panning to create contrast:

Use Level and Panning Together

By combining level and panning, you can create various effects and impressions, such as adding depth, width, and balance to your mix. For example, making a sound quieter and panning it to one side can create a sense of distance, while making it louder and panning it to the centre can make it sound closer. You can also create width in your stereo image by making a sound louder and panning it to the side, or make a sound more subtle by panning it quieter to the centre. Additionally, you can use level and panning to create balance, such as by making one sound louder and panning it to the side, while making another sound quieter and panning it to the opposite side.

Panning to Avoid Clashes

Panning can be used to avoid frequency clashes, phase issues, and masking. By panning two instruments that occupy similar frequencies to opposite sides of the stereo spectrum, you can create a more balanced feel and avoid them clashing. This technique also helps to create contrast between the two instruments, allowing them to complement each other rather than compete for the same space.

Hard Panning

Hard panning involves placing a sound completely to the left or right in the stereo field. This can be an effective way to create contrast between different elements in your mix, such as vocals and instruments, or foreground and background elements. By hard panning a sound, you can make it stand out and be more present in the mix, even if other instruments are introduced.

LCR Panning

LCR (Left-Centre-Right) panning is a technique where you pan sounds to only three positions: left, centre, or right. This simplifies the panning process while still allowing for effective contrast and separation between sounds. You can add a bit more complexity by panning to positions between left and centre, or right and centre, resulting in five possible pan positions.

Panning for Genre and Style

Panning can also be used to evoke classic genres or create a nostalgic vibe. For example, placing all the drums in one speaker and the rest of the band in the other speaker can achieve specific textures and contrasts. In traditional band-style mixing, such as rock, panning is often used to mimic the sound of a live show from either the audience or stage perspective.

Panning to build and release tension

Panning is a powerful tool in the mixing process, allowing you to create interest, width, and a sense of space in a stereo mix. It can be used to build and release tension in a number of ways:

Firstly, panning can be used to create a sonic picture and tell a story. By placing instruments in different positions in the stereo field, you can guide the listener's focus and create a sense of movement. For example, panning an instrument hard left or hard right will make it stand out and create a sense of contrast, which can be used to build tension.

Additionally, panning can be used to create balance and avoid frequency clashes. By panning two instruments that occupy similar frequencies to opposite sides, you can create a more balanced and complementary feel, which can help to release tension. This technique also creates a sense of separation, ensuring that the instruments don't clash or sound confrontational.

Panning can also be used to create dynamics and a sense of arrival. By using a narrower panning scheme in the verses and a wider scheme in the chorus, you can create the illusion of dynamics and make the chorus feel louder and more impactful, building tension in the process.

Furthermore, panning can be used to create a sense of width and spaciousness in a mix. By panning doubled instruments hard left and hard right, you can create a fuller-sounding mix that surrounds the listener. This technique can be particularly effective with heavy electric guitars, EDM synths, and saxophones.

Finally, panning choices can be used to evoke classic genres and create specific textures. For example, placing all the drums in one speaker and the rest of the band in another can be used to achieve a nostalgic vibe.

By utilising these panning techniques, you can effectively build and release tension in your mixes, creating a more engaging and immersive listening experience.

Frequently asked questions