panning

[Anders]

I need some advice on panning these tracks. It would be cool if you could try to explain why you pan certain instruments a certain way too. So how would YOU pan these tracks?

1: vocal
2: bass
3: drums ( 4 mics, snare, kick, 2 overheads)
4: rhythm guitar
5: lead guitar
6: keyboard 1
7: keyboard 2
8: bongos/ percussion

If it makes anyn difference the music is reggae.

[ssscientist]

Vocal - center.
Bass - center too, but cut out the low low (below 30 - 35Hz)
Drums - Kick and snare in center, overheads panned hard (9 + 3) but not too hard.
Rhythm + lead guitar - here's where you start building stereo image of the band. Place the guitars one to a side but inside, meaning closer to the middle, than you think they should be --- the differences in their parts will take care of the rest of the separation.
Keyboards 1 + 2 - If there are 2 separate keyboard players, pan them in relation to the guitar players. And don't go beyond the edges of the stereo field set up by the drum overheads or your mix will start to sound funny.

There's Panning Law to consider too, and here's a link to a good Craig Anderton article on the subject.

As always, nothing I've said is written in stone --- just a rough guide. And don't be afraid to experiment. Your mileage may vary (YMMV).

[Anders]

thanks man! thats really cool.
hope to get more views on the subject too.

[SouthSIDE Glen]

Please don't follow a recipe. Instead figure out what works for that song.

Before you even approach your mixer, go for a nice walk and imagine the finished song in your head. Start with the main hook of the song and how it sounds and then start building the rest of the mix around it in your head, more or less one instrument at a time. Get your head buried in the music (I wouldn't go walking on a really busy street for this ) and get the song laid out in your head to at least a rough degree.

Then, when you have a rough plan in your head, you can sit down at your desk and start rough mixing to that plan. It'll be much better than a cardboard cutout recipe.

G.

[cello_pudding]

i would say it really depends song to song.

you have to fill panning space and frequency space. depending on the tone of the guitar/keyboards, you may pan them differently. and how integral the parts are to the song.

the one poster gave you a rough idea. i would say tweak it according to these other rules.

[littledog]

Just a note on overhead panning:

Some people will recommend against full wide panning of the overheads, saying that this results in a drum kit that appears to be 15 feet wide. But this is largely dependent on how you had your overheads set up when tracking.

The above may be true if you were using a widely spaced pair, but if you were using an X/Y coincident configuration, full panning may give the most accurate representation of the kit.

[cello_pudding]

true


a center already exists since each mic picked up a bit of the center, and together they create an overlap. there's no need to create one with 30/70 or whatever

[ssscientist]

Originally Posted by SouthSIDE Glen

Please don't follow a recipe.

He asked for a recipe.

I gave him one with plenty of wiggle room.

He thanked me saying that's exactly what he was looking for and opened it up to others for their opinions.




.

[kylen]

Yeah - Don't break the Panning Laws ! (haha - just kidding - that's mixer routing stuff that's essential to be aware of...)

Actually I listen a lot so here's what I like in general. Since I enjoy sitting in the center of the stereo field and feeling like I'm in the center of things - everything surrounds me - I am the center of the universe (got carried away)...I generally like the [anchor - rhythm section] of the entire song (if there is one) to be in the center area - there's a little width in the center so it doesn't have to be exact. I like little floaty butterfly pulse stuff out on the side(s) [acoustic rhythm guitar]. [Lead] vocals generally in the center, backups spread towards the sides a touch so they're not all behind the main vocal. [Lead] guitar solo is centerish...

I dunno, anymore I just want to hear the music and feel like I'm on a soundstage listening to a performance during the recording maybe not being bothered by too many quirky stereo-ish panning tricks like we had in the 60's or thereabouts.

Then on another day you want to hear quirks...be creative and believable, maybe not always both together on the same day. That's the best I can offer

[SouthSIDE Glen]

Originally Posted by ssscientist

He asked for a recipe.

I gave him one with plenty of wiggle room.

He thanked me saying that's exactly what he was looking for and opened it up to others for their opinions.

Relax, I wasn't talking about your post; you indeed left plenty of wiggle room in there and it was a fine post.

I was just tyring to take it from the other direction and try to nudge him to come up with the right mix for the song. There's way too much copying of formula in prosumer mixing and not enough actual creative analysis of the music at hand, and I'm just trying to encourage the latter.

Especially since this is a reggae arrangement with more than your typical 4-piece combo; those two factors both open up the valid options wide and practically beg for mixing by arrangement and feel, and not for a standard genre template.

G.

[RAMI]

I think people are getting touchy from the heat.

I wouldn't be so paranoid if people would only stop talking about me.

[SouthSIDE Glen]

Originally Posted by RAMI

I wouldn't be so paranoid if people would only stop talking about me.

Remember, Rami...

Just because one is paranoid doesn't mean the whole world isn't against them.



G.