Righty, being new to production and reading more of this message board than i care to admit i've heard that to help create some headroom in the mix it's a good idea to pan different sounds by different amounts.. I see the theory behind this but whenever i try panning hi hats for example it sounds blatanty like they are louder on one speaker which sounds pants.. Are there any general rules with panning or am i gonna be on one of them long trial and error journeys?

what i tend to do with closed hats is have 2 different hats. one panned hard left and one panned hard right then create a rhythm so that it flows well. adjust the volumes of each hi hat channel so it blends into the mix.

i also add some reverb so it sits back slightly and a bit crusher.

hope this helps!

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Originally posted by Liamh Righty, being new to production and reading more of this message board than i care to admit i've heard that to help create some headroom in the mix it's a good idea to pan different sounds by different amounts.. I see the theory behind this but whenever i try panning hi hats for example it sounds blatanty like they are louder on one speaker which sounds pants.. Are there any general rules with panning or am i gonna be on one of them long trial and error journeys?

you kinda have to think beyond what others say and tell you to do, expand upon the general theory until you see how it works yourself. this is all i can say.

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Originally posted by dj_kane what i tend to do with closed hats is have 2 different hats. one panned hard left and one panned hard right then create a rhythm so that it flows well. adjust the volumes of each hi hat channel so it blends into the mix. i also add some reverb so it sits back slightly and a bit crusher. hope this helps!

i'll do the same but i'll put them to a return/bus channel and put a stereo imager on there and play with it that way. it's a lot more precise and helps when things sound too mono-ish

One thing i do to create headroom.. i dont pan my sounds so hard, just a little... then i create a send channel with a delay, then i put a stereo expander on the sounds.. And in some cases i put a autopan on, for ex. a background pad, some delay and stereo expander..etc etc!

You should do what sounds right in the mix! I know how it is in the beginning, you think that their are sertain "rules" or "pointers" to follow when producing. Shure there are some regarding compression and eq. But in the end it all comes down to your own imagination and ears!

So give it time, and take the time to experement some. One thing i did in the beginning is to create a Audio channel and then isert a track tht you think sound good and you like, and then have it like a template when producing. In this case you can try to listen to how everything is put together, and try to make your track sound as alike the template track. I think it was a good way to get to know your gear and your ears...yea your ears, thats the most imortant tool of all.!

Sorry, but i cant give you more then that!

Cheers
C

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Originally posted by Liamh am i gonna be on one of them long trial and error journeys?

yes ... fucking work something out for yourself lee

edit: and listen to substorm!

No, there aren't general rules, but I can give you a few pointers perhaps:

1. Don't use hard panning (i.e. all the way to the left or right). Most of the time, you probably don't even want to pan halfway. Pan about 1/3 of the way if you want a lot of separation, and maybe 1/4 at most if you just want to space things out a bit.

2. If you can, balance it with a "similar" sound on the other side. Example: pan your closed hat to the left, and your open hat to the right, and adjust the levels/panning slightly until they seem to be about equal "power". You might also have, say, an arp panned a bit to one side, and balance it out on the other side with a pad.

3. Don't pan kicks, bass, or leads. If you want a stereo effect on a lead, use a stereo delay or reverb.

4. If you're having a lot of trouble balancing, try using a stereo imager instead of a panner. Stereo imaging actually plays roughly equal volume on both "sides" but performs some additional timing magic, which I won't describe at length, to make it seem as though it is coming from a different location in the stereo field. Waves S1 is one example, but there are many others.

5. Don't assume that panning will actually give you much headroom. It helps to give more separation to musical elements, but it won't help you jam a lot of extra material in there. That's what EQ and compressors are for.

6. Keep in mind that you aren't entirely objective about your own track, especially if you're the type that loops it over and over while you're producing. It may sound "pants" to you, but that may only be because you've heard it so many times the other way, and it's entirely possible that a listener wouldn't notice at all.

That's about all I can give you for now.

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First of all, are your monitors in the right position? They should be about the same distance from you on both sides, and 30 degrees (as I recall) from your line of sight. They should definitely be facing you. This won't make the panning sound extremely real sounding, but the sound will be less isolated into two monitors. Psychoacoustics can do funny things.

Even then, though, you can make a more natural sounding location effect sound by using stereo widening. Delaying one half of the sound makes it more resemble the way we hear off-center sounds: one ear slightly after the other, at a different volume.

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Nice one for the tips everyone - I think that should have me sorted for a bit of experimentation! The reason i asked is not because i wanted a shortcut.. it just didn't sound right when i did it so i wondered if i was doing it wrong... My speakers probably aren't in the ideal position at the moment.. that will have to wait till i get off the floor when i finally have a desk...

Thesuperfunk -> Piss off cock brain..

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Originally posted by Liamh Thesuperfunk -> Piss off cock brain..

Did you want that desk or not?