Marianne Martinez
Panning is a crucial technique in music production and mixing, allowing producers to create space and clarity in their mixes. It involves adjusting the stereo placement of individual tracks or instruments, positioning them in the centre, left, or right of the stereo image. While there are no strict rules, guidelines suggest that low-frequency elements such as kick drums and basslines are typically panned to the centre, creating a solid core for the mix. Lead vocals are also commonly centred. For instruments occupying similar frequencies, panning them in opposite directions can help create balance and prevent cluttering. Producers can experiment with hard panning, where tracks are fully panned left or right, or soft panning, where tracks are slightly panned to one side. Panning techniques can be achieved using various DAW software and plugins, such as stereo imagers and auto panners.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Panning samples to the center | Use a Stereo Control plugin to turn a stereo track into a mono track, adjust the panning to even out the sound, or use a Stereo Imager plugin |
| Keeping elements in the center | Kick drum, snare, bass, and vocals |
| Hard panning | Put sounds to the left, right, or center to give the mix instant space and room to breathe |
| Soft panning | Putting a track slightly to the left or right, which can clutter the mix |
| Panning duplicates | Experiment with panning duplicates of effected vocals to the left or right |
| Panning similar frequencies | If two instruments occupy similar frequencies, pan them opposite of one another, e.g. 20% left and 20% right |
| Panning double-tracked instruments | Try hard panning left and right for heavy electric guitars, EDM synths, and saxophones |
| Panning for space | Use panning to create space and clarity in the mix, ensuring that instruments are not "fighting" each other |
| Panning for dynamics | Create different panning schemes for the verse and chorus to create a feeling of arrival and impact |
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What You'll Learn
Using panning to create sonic pictures, build tension, and achieve balance
Panning is a powerful tool in a mix engineer's toolkit, enabling them to create sonic pictures, build tension, and achieve balance in a mix. By manipulating the stereo field, mix engineers can guide the listener's focus and create a dynamic and immersive experience.
To create sonic pictures, mix engineers use panning to place elements in the stereo field, creating a sense of space and depth. For example, panning a guitar slightly to the left and a keyboard slightly to the right can create a balanced and inviting soundscape. More drastic panning schemes, such as placing all the drums in one speaker and the rest of the band in another, can be used for creative effect, adding texture and interest to the mix.
Panning is also essential for achieving balance in a mix. While panning elements hard left or hard right can create a sense of contrast and tension, it can also make the mix feel imbalanced. Mix engineers must carefully adjust the relative levels of the left and right channels to ensure the mix remains centred and focused. This can be done using either stereo panning or balance controls, depending on the desired effect.
To build tension and create dynamics, mix engineers can employ different panning schemes for different sections of a song. For example, using a narrower panning scheme during the verse and a wider panning scheme during the chorus can create a feeling of arrival, making the mix feel louder without increasing the volume. Additionally, panning techniques such as delay tricks or polarity manipulation can be used to create the illusion of dynamics and add interest to the mix.
Overall, panning is a versatile tool that can be used to create immersive sonic experiences. By manipulating the stereo field, mix engineers can guide the listener's attention, build tension, and release tension, ultimately telling a story through sound. While there are no hard and fast rules for panning, understanding these techniques can help create wider, fuller, and more impactful mixes.
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Panning samples to the centre
Understanding Panning
Panning is the process of positioning audio signals in a stereo field, ranging from hard left to hard right, with the centre being the midpoint. Panning can be used to create a sense of space and depth in a mix, making it sound wider and more dynamic. It also helps to ensure that instruments don't "fight" for the same frequency space, creating a clearer and more balanced mix.
Techniques for Panning Samples to the Centre
- Use a Stereo Control Plugin: If you have a sample that is panned hard to one side, you can use a Stereo Control plugin to convert it to mono, or adjust the panning to centre it. This is a simple and effective method.
- Duplicate and Invert Channels: Duplicate the track containing the sample, then invert the left and right channels. Hard pan both tracks to the same side as the original sample. This will centre the sample while retaining the stereo image.
- Hard Panning: While this technique is typically used for panning to the extreme left or right, it can also be applied to centre samples. By hard panning a sample to the centre, you ensure that it occupies a prominent position in the mix.
- Balancing Act: Maintain a balance in your mix by panning complementary sounds to opposite sides. For example, if you have a guitar and a keyboard occupying similar frequencies, try panning the guitar slightly left and the keyboard slightly right. This creates a sense of invitation for the listener.
- Starting Point: When beginning to create your track, it can be helpful to pan everything to the centre first. This allows you to get a sense of the overall balance and then make more informed decisions about where to pan specific elements.
Tips for Effective Panning
- Keep low-frequency elements, such as kick drums and basses, closer to the centre.
- Lead vocals are typically panned centre as well.
- Avoid panning too many elements to the centre, as it can create a stacked and cluttered feeling.
- Check your pans using headphones to ensure an accurate representation of the stereo image.
- Experiment with different panning schemes for the verse and chorus to create a sense of dynamics and arrival.
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Hard panning
Panning is a powerful tool to create space and clarity in your mix, ensuring that your instruments are not fighting for dominance. Hard panning is a good place to start for beginners. It involves assigning a sound source exclusively to one side of the stereo field, either hard left or hard right. This technique can be used to create a wider, fuller-sounding mix.
When hard panning, it is recommended to avoid going to the absolute extremes of hard left or hard right, as this can lead to a loss of certain elements when the song is played back on a mono source or if one speaker is broken. Instead, a slight pan, such as 20% left and 20% right, can often be more effective and create a more balanced feel. Additionally, you can experiment with panning the original sound to one side and then panning only the reverb to the other side, creating a wide sound without crowding other instruments.
While there are no strict rules for panning, keeping the lead vocals in the centre is generally recommended. This ensures that they remain loud and prominent across all playback conditions. However, backing and harmony vocal lines can be splayed across the stereo field to enhance the spaciousness of the vocal effect.
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Using plugins to pan samples
Panning is the art of balancing different sounds and keeping clipping in check on your DAW’s mixing console. There are several plugins available that can help with panning.
Binaural panning plugins
Binaural panning plugins can be used to reorient the perceived placement of the signal. If your DAW does not have a binaural panning plugin built-in, you can use a rotary plugin to achieve the same effect.
PanShaper
PanShaper is a module in Shaper Box 3 by CableGuys that can be used to create auto-pan and other innovative and unique pan animation effects. The plugin lets you pan with LFO and envelope follower for precise stereo alterations. You can also blend conventional panning with psychoacoustic Haas techniques to infuse your mixes with captivating spatial dynamics. You can also draw your own shapes and sync panning patterns to beats or bars with sample accuracy.
Pan Knob
Pan Knob is a smart panning algorithm that keeps your low frequencies unpanned to make your audio tracks sound natural. Your mono mixdown stays intact as Pan Knob doesn’t do any room simulation. You can also pan a little wider than 100% to the left or right side to create a wide stereo effect.
Energy Panner
Energy Panner is an auto pan VST plugin that can control the sound intensity of your instrument tracks. It features two modes: Pan Mode and Sliding Mode. Pan Mode controls normal particle-based panning, while Sliding Mode ensures that once the audio signal reaches a certain threshold value, the sound source does not return to the starting point when the signal level drops.
Brauer Motion by Waves
Brauer Motion by Waves helps you create three-dimensional effects in a spherical space. It consists of two tabs: Panner 1 and Panner 2. Each panner tab lets you create synced-to-tempo, free, or manual effects. There’s a modulator that controls the panning of the input signal, and you can select its motion in any shape you want.
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Using headphones to check panning
To optimise the translation between headphones and speakers, you can base your panning decisions on a soundstage you imagine. Place the instruments onto a virtual stage in a virtual space, and your results will be unaffected by the playback medium.
It is worth noting that when a signal is hard-panned, all the signal goes to only one channel, left or right. When panned to the centre, the signal goes equally to the left and right channels, so a centre-panned sound would increase in level. To avoid this, mixing consoles and DAWs apply a pan law that lowers the level of a signal when it is panned to the centre. Different consoles use different pan laws, ranging from -2.5 dB to -4.5 dB, and DAWs may allow the user to set the pan law in its preferences.
When using headphones to check panning, it is important to remember that the perception of the stereo field may differ from when using speakers. This can lead to an interesting effect on speakers, but a less obvious effect on headphones. Therefore, if you are using stereo imaging tools in your production, it is recommended to check your mix on speakers to ensure you do not overdo the effect. Too much stereo widening can weaken the bass or confuse the listener when played on speakers, even if the mix holds together on headphones.
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Frequently asked questions
There are several ways to pan samples, depending on the desired outcome. If you want to pan a sample to the centre, you can use a Stereo Control plugin to turn your stereo track into a mono one. You can also try hard panning, which involves putting your sounds to the left, right, or centre.
The elements that are almost always panned centrally in electronic music are the kick drum, bassline, vocals and snare drum. As a general rule, keep your low-frequency elements panned closer to the centre.
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, though it can also work with instruments such as EDM synths and saxophones.
