Ella Walter
Panning is an important technique in music production that can add space and interest to a track. When you pan a drum, you place it in a particular position in the left or right channel of your stereo image. The kick drum is usually kept in the centre of the stereo field, with other drums like the snare, toms, cymbals, and percussion panned to the left or right. The amount of panning depends on the sound you want to achieve and can be adjusted to make certain elements more or less prominent. Panning can be done from the audience's perspective or the drummer's perspective, and it's important to consider the placement of individual instruments in relation to each other to create a cohesive stereo image.
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What You'll Learn
Choosing a panning perspective: audience vs drummer
Panning is a crucial technique to make your drum sound fill the entire room. It involves placing the drum in a particular position in the left or right channel of your stereo image.
When it comes to choosing a panning perspective, there are two main options: the audience's perspective and the drummer's perspective. Each perspective has its own advantages and considerations.
Audience Perspective
The audience's perspective involves panning the drums towards the direction of how the audience would hear the sounds if the drummer were playing in front of them. This means that the kick drum, which is typically centred in the stereo field, will be heard from the audience's point of view. Most engineers prefer this perspective as it creates a more natural and immersive experience for the listeners. It allows them to visualise the band on stage and gives a sense of watching a live performance.
Drummer Perspective
The drummer's perspective, on the other hand, involves panning the drums as if you were the drummer playing the kit. This means that the hi-hat, for example, would be placed on the far right from the drummer's point of view. Many drummers prefer this style as it feels more natural to them. It allows them to feel like they are sitting at the drum kit and hearing the sounds as they would while playing.
Factors to Consider
When choosing between the two perspectives, it's important to consider the impact on the overall mix. Panning from the drummer's perspective can make it challenging to find the right balance with other instruments, as they may compete for space in the centre. However, panning from the audience's perspective may require more mental gymnastics for left-handed drummers, as they play a right-handed kit backwards.
Ultimately, the choice between the audience's and drummer's perspective depends on personal preference and the desired effect. Some drummers prefer to stick with the drummer's perspective, while others may experiment with both to see which works best for a particular song.
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Panning the kick drum: centre of the stereo field
Panning is the process of placing different elements of a mix within a stereo image. The kick drum is the heartbeat of the drum kit and is usually placed in the centre of the stereo field, at 0 or 12:00. This is because it is the most impactful element of the drums and moving the sonic weight to the left or right can make the mix feel lopsided.
The kick drum, therefore, does not require any panning. However, some people like to place the snare drum in the centre with the kick drum, while others prefer to place the snare slightly off-centre, around 9 o'clock or 7 o'clock (panned hard left), to make it stand out. If you do this, you shouldn't place it more than +/-20% left or right, as it will then compete with other elements such as guitars or vocals for space in the middle.
When panning, you can choose between the audience's perspective and the drummer's perspective. The former is more common, but the latter is more natural for the drummer.
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Panning the snare drum: centre or slightly off-centre
Panning is a crucial technique to make your drum sound fill the entire room. It involves placing a particular sound in the left or right channel of your stereo image. The "pan pot" (panoramic potentiometer) is a volume control that splits the audio signal into the left and right channels.
When it comes to the snare drum, there are a few different approaches you can take. Some people prefer to keep the snare drum in the centre, especially in pop music. This helps to define the centre of the mix and allows it to take up the entire "middle" space.
However, others like to place the snare slightly off-centre, usually to the right, to make it stand out a little more. This can be done by panning it at around 9 o'clock or even 7 o'clock (hard left), depending on how aggressive you want it to sound. It's important not to pan it more than +/-20% left or right, as it may compete with other elements such as guitars or vocals for space in the middle.
The perspective you choose for panning also plays a crucial role. You can pan from the audience's perspective, which means panning the drums towards the direction of how you'd hear these sounds if a drummer is playing in front of you. The drummer's perspective is the opposite, where you pan the drums as you'd hear them while playing. Most engineers choose to pan from the audience's perspective.
Ultimately, the decision to pan the snare drum centre or slightly off-centre depends on the desired sound and the type of music. It's important to experiment and find what works best for the particular song and production.
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Panning hi-hats: left, right, or both
Panning hi-hats is a creative process that can add space and life to your trap beats. The pan pot (panoramic potentiometer) controls the volume of the left and right channels, allowing you to place the hi-hat in the stereo image.
When deciding where to pan your hi-hats, you should first choose your perspective: the audience's perspective or the drummer's perspective. The audience's perspective recreates the sound of a drummer playing in front of you, while the drummer's perspective is how the drummer hears the sound while playing. Most engineers choose the audience's perspective, but many drummers prefer their own perspective as it feels more natural to them.
If you're panning from the drummer's perspective, place the hi-hat on the far right. From the audience's perspective, the right side is usually preferred to keep the sound closer to what the audience would typically hear.
You can also get creative and pan the hi-hat slightly left or right of centre, or even use a modulator to continuously move the pan position throughout the track. This can add interesting effects, but be cautious as panning can sometimes make the track sound weird or unpleasant, especially on headphones or mono speakers.
Additionally, consider the placement of other drums in your kit. For example, the kick drum is typically kept in the centre without panning, while the snare, toms, cymbals, and other percussions are often placed to the left or right of centre. By panning different drums in your kit, you can create a spatial stereo field that makes your drum sound fill the entire room.
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Panning techniques: mono compatibility and stereo image
Panning is a powerful tool for sculpting the stereo image of a song. It can bring a lot of space and life to a beat, making it sound immersive. However, carelessly panned drums can be very disorienting for the listener.
When panning drums, you can choose between the drummer's and the audience's perspective. The drummer's perspective involves panning the elements of the drum kit as if you were the drummer sitting at the kit. For a right-handed drummer, the hi-hat will usually be on their left, so the hi-hat is panned to the left. The audience's perspective involves panning the instruments based on where they would be placed on stage if you were watching the performance from the crowd. With this approach, the hi-hat would be panned to the right.
The kick drum is typically kept in the centre of the stereo field, as it is the most impactful element of the drums and provides a foundation for the rest of the mix. The snare drum is another important rhythmic element and can be placed in the centre or slightly off-centre to make it stand out. Other drums and percussion, such as toms, cymbals, and hats, can be panned on either side of the stereo image to create a stereo spread.
When using panning techniques, it is important to consider mono compatibility. Starting a mix in mono and using EQ to create tonal separation between tracks will result in a more mono-compatible mix. Additionally, you can leave a third version of the track panned in the centre at a lower volume to retain mono compatibility. Testing your mix on different playback systems will ensure that your panning choices translate well across listening environments.
To create an evolving soundscape that keeps listeners engaged, you can use dynamic panning techniques such as sweeps and bounces. This involves automating panning or width changes to create movement in the mix. For example, you can slowly pan a synth lead across the stereo field during a build-up to add excitement. However, it is important to use automation sparingly on main elements to avoid pulling the listener's focus away from the core rhythm and melody.
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Frequently asked questions
Panning is placing a drum in a particular position in the left or right channel of your stereo image. The "pan pot" (panoramic potentiometer) is a volume control that splits the audio signal into the left and right channels.
You can pan drums from two different perspectives: the audience’s perspective and the drummer’s perspective. The former involves panning the drums toward the direction of how you’d hear these sounds if a drummer plays in front of you. The latter is the opposite, where you pan the drums as how you’d hear them while playing.
The kick drum is always placed in the centre of the stereo field and does not require panning. The snare drum is usually also placed in the centre, but some people like to place it slightly off-centre to make it stand out.
Toms, cymbals, and other percussion instruments like hi-hats should be panned on either side of the stereo image, depending on the result you want to achieve.
