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Adding stereo width to your tracks

What techniques do you use to give your tracks a nice stereo feel? Obviously there are "stereo widener" tools that work by putting a slight delay on either the left or the right channel, but what about other techniques? Some of the ones I use:

1. For pads, make two instances of a synth, panning one hard and the other hard right and tuning one slightly higher or lower than the other.

2. For hi-hats, using two different samples, one panned left and the other right; or two instances of a single sample, panned to either side with one tuned slightly higher or lower than the other.

3. For snares, using three samples; one in the center and turned up the loudest; two different samples, with one panned hard to each side and turned down softer than the center sample.

4. For synth sounds, panning the sound itself hard to one side and a delay hard to the other side.

5. Automated panning.

Any tips / tricks for giving your tracks and sounds some stereo width?

There's a few good tips in the Andi Vax mixing secrets video on this subject...worth a look.

Those are some great tips MrJive! You basically covered any trick I could have offered on this topic.

One thing i still have to try , is to automate the high EQ to the right and low to the left.

I do all the things you have mentioned. I also use different reverb/chorus etc settings to each panned channel. Slight differences in the reverbs send and decay or chorus send or feedback can really help.

quote:

Originally posted by DJ RANN There's a few good tips in the Andi Vax mixing secrets video on this subject...worth a look.

Andi has a second tutorial due out in the new year. I will post links up when it is complete

quote:

Originally posted by Ry Thomas Andi has a second tutorial due out in the new year. I will post links up when it is complete

Great! Do you know what topics it will cover?

I'm not 100% sure tbh dude, i know he's been busy as hell with it lately though.

Guess we'll have to wait and see then

Re: Adding stereo width to your tracks

quote:

Originally posted by MrJiveBoJingles 5. Automated panning.

Autopanning for me!

Absolutely love the Autopan feature in Ableton Live. I don't just use it for stereo width either, you can use it to create some awesome effects as well.

But if I'm not using that, then it's just simple panning and volume control that i use. I'm interested in trying some new techniques though.

Anyone know of a good autopanner ?

Another good trick is to have one synth on each side with LFOs going at slightly different speeds.

i've been getting into surround sound a lot recently

you can position some (mono) sounds somewhere in the stereo image not in the middle. 60's rock really went overboard with this and I love listening to that, it's so spatious.

A bit easier: stereo echo's/delays. For example left it's 1 beat, right it's 3/4 beat.

With recordings of conventional instruments (say guitars) or vocals, record 2 takes and pan each one hard on opposite sides.

quote:

Originally posted by farris Guess we'll have to wait and see then

Yeah, i expect it will be a good tutorial though

quote:

Originally posted by Pjotr G you can position some (mono) sounds somewhere in the stereo image not in the middle. 60's rock really went overboard with this and I love listening to that, it's so spatious. A bit easier: stereo echo's/delays. For example left it's 1 beat, right it's 3/4 beat. With recordings of conventional instruments (say guitars) or vocals, record 2 takes and pan each one hard on opposite sides.

True, but mono sounds should really always panned somewhere in the stereo field unless they are sounds that won't work elsewhere (i.e. kick in the middle).

If you're recording conventional instruments and panning to either side, one has to be slightly before or after the other, even on different takes as there will be some phasing/masking/etc. at points otherwise.

I really like the PSP multitap delay - it lets you set the width, volume, amount (etc.) of each tap individually.

Subtle - the Waves autopanner is really good.

Bojive, you're tip about the snare; (I know there's no rules to anything) but shouldn't snares actually be panned very slightly to one side or the other? Haven't tried it yet but the tip you've got there will have it front and centre.

A slightly different way of adding width is to add depth. Everyhting should have separation (or it's own space) in the stereo field but you can spearate similar frequency sounds by making them above or below other sounds.

For instance (jaytech does this a lot) to have a light airy pad sit above the other elements, back off on the channel volume and add a lot of reverb (basically a very wet mix and high gain) and have the reverb provide more (than usual) of the volume of that sound. With the right reverb and settings, it makes it sit above everything else and will give that pad a lot of space.

quote:

Originally posted by DJ RANN Bojive, you're tip about the snare; (I know there's no rules to anything) but shouldn't snares actually be panned very slightly to one side or the other? Haven't tried it yet but the tip you've got there will have it front and centre.

I always put my snares front and center. Never saw a reason to pan them, personally...

Thanks Mr JiveboJingles!

Some useful stuff in here, thanks JBJ

quote:

Originally posted by MrJiveBoJingles Another good trick is to have one synth on each side with LFOs going at slightly different speeds.

Never thought of that one!

Good shout

You may think that a stereo widener puts just a delay on one channel giving that wider feel, but i dont think thats right.

For me i believe it works on M/S decoding and turning up and playing with sideband information. This band (difference) creates a wider feel when you turn it's balance up.

quote:

Originally posted by mzvirbulis You may think that a stereo widener puts just a delay on one channel giving that wider feel, but i dont think thats right. For me i believe it works on M/S decoding and turning up and playing with sideband information. This band (difference) creates a wider feel when you turn it's balance up.

Yeah, I agree. However delaying one channel is still a great way of adding alot of stereo width to a mono sound.
I've been doing alot of mid-side EQing lately, it's a very powerful way of sculpting the stereo image of a sound.

hi just a quick one, do u all do this at the mixing stage or the production phase?

Cheers

quote:

Originally posted by pactdonkey hi just a quick one, do u all do this at the mixing stage or the production phase? Cheers

i always redo the mixing, eq, compression after i added another sound. it is a matter of preference though.

I've heard this plug used before Panorama and it sounds great, if a little expensive.

Its got this awesome present that just leaves stereo sound coming of the left and right speakers and not in between, sounds really weird.

Im sure there will be a freeware version or something similar out there.

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