Vocal delay pan amount

[sixer2007]

When using a stereo delay plug on the vox, and that plug has the option to pan both sides of the delay, do you go full 100% to both sides, or someplace in the middle? If I pan them out wide, which I tend to do, the "walls" of my space feel a bit odd, and I feel that the delay can never be turned up before it gets overbearing. I was thinking that maybe I can mask the delay more if I put it in toward the center where there's a lot more happening that my typical rhythm guitars and drum overheads... Thoughts?

Thanks, and sorry for asking two rapid fire questions in two threads.

[Michael Mason]

I get good results with a short delay spread out, maybe, 35-50 to each side.

[sixer2007]

I get good results with a short delay spread out, maybe, 35-50 to each side.

ah ok, so pretty narrow then. I started to think about this because I don't usually hear delays echo (like when all the music stops for a second and the vocal delay tails off) in the edges of a mix, but usually more toward the center. Thanks!

[Michael Mason]

ah ok, so pretty narrow then. I started to think about this because I don't usually hear delays echo (like when all the music stops for a second and the vocal delay tails off) in the edges of a mix, but usually more toward the center. Thanks!

It depends on the song and the voice... sometimes you want it to sound wider, more open. Look at the chord voicings used in the song. If the chords are played with open voicings, the sound will sound bigger. It might be better to have your FX spread out to match that big sound with your main vox nice and tight in the center. Maybe you want the FX sitting right under your tight vox. You never know. If you're using closed voicings, the sound will be more compact... Maybe you want your FX to encapsulate your vox and the music...

Try different settings.

[mixsit]

'Tucked in behind the voc, (mono..) is fairly typical. 'Specially rhythmic adding stuff. 'Depth and movement', but not quite the same tack maybe as depth that 'spreads.

[mindsound]

Hi Sixer!
I tend to not use stereo delay at all. If I do, I'll go for 2 mono delay with different time values (not too far apart, though) and panned fairly wide, and most of the times, each with LFO going on. That's the only advantage I see to use a stereo delay and not ending with a big MONO soup.

So, I suggest using a mono delay, placed elsewhere (than the dry vocal) in the stereo field. Alone, it may sound odd, but assuming you are applying the same concept with other tracks (and verb as well), the result is more exciting, less homogeneous. And who knows, if you will not put your dry vocal at 14:00 and your delay at 8:00. There is just so much more possibilities, working like this. And as mentioned before, putting the delay right behind the dry vocal is cool too! It so much depends.

[bouldersoundguy]

'Tucked in behind the voc, (mono..) is fairly typical. 'Specially rhythmic adding stuff. 'Depth and movement', but not quite the same tack maybe as depth that 'spreads.

Agreed. If the delay is long and meant to be obvious or a slapback meant to be "part" of the vocal I would pan it with the vocal. If it's meant to be like the early reflections in some reverbs then I would keep the delay low enough just to give things space without being obvious, plus there would be more than just two delay taps and they'd be spread across a moderate angle of the sound field (perhaps the middle third or quarter).

[sixer2007]

Alright guys, thanks for all your help with this. So I'm getting that a mono delay 'behind' the vocals is a common way to go about this. But I'm still wondering about one thing. I often want to use the delay not as an effect but more to give a sense of space to the vocal, much like a reverb would do. Does a mono delay still do this? It seems hard to picture in my head because a mono delay doesn't make a 'space' for something to sit in, or does it?

[bouldersoundguy]

Alright guys, thanks for all your help with this. So I'm getting that a mono delay 'behind' the vocals is a common way to go about this. But I'm still wondering about one thing. I often want to use the delay not as an effect but more to give a sense of space to the vocal, much like a reverb would do. Does a mono delay still do this? It seems hard to picture in my head because a mono delay doesn't make a 'space' for something to sit in, or does it?

A delay alone is enough to be interpreted as "space" to a significant degree. If it's in the range of a slapback it can push the track back in the mix, in terms of distance rather than volume. Panned delays are okay too, but they stick out a bit more if you mix them too high. Normally early reflections (panned multi-tap delays) work best when they're not obvious.

You should just try stuff and decide for yourself what sounds good.

[sixer2007]

You should just try stuff and decide for yourself what sounds good.

The magic rule! Hehe, thanks Boulder, I will do.