Panning Beats...HELP!

[K9SaVeLLi]

Does anybody have a good rule of thumb for panning beats? I know this question probably has many different answers...but that is what i'm looking for...different ideas to go off of, so i can form my own formula. I've been told to make the mix the sounds like if you were standing in front a stage at a live show watching a band perform, but i'm using way more sounds than you would hear on a stage for a rock band. I produce rap music and i'm tryna get the cleanest pre-mastered product possible. Also, some sounds i use bounce left and right...does this create a problem? Should i pan each sound as a mono track or does it matter? Any info is appreciated.
-K9

[jake-owa]

I like drummer perspective but this is a question for the drum forum.

[Stealthtech]

I normally pan as if live. Kick and snare up the middle, toms and cymbals around the clock. Other percussion can go where you like.

[K9SaVeLLi]

Yo, y'all...i'm not asking how to pan a DRUM beat, (although i appreciate the input Stealthtech)...more like a musical composition beat. Rhythm/Drums, bass lines, piano, strings, guitar, pads, random other noises. I'm trying to clean up and MIX the beats so they sound better and all the noises can be heard better, regardless of their sound levels in the mix. So each sound, stands out, but fit together nicely. Maybe this isn't the rite forum for this question...but understand what the question really is...


It is possible i didn't communicate the question thoroughly...i had my share of beers when i wrote it...lol!

[barefoot]

K9,

Really, anything goes with hip-hop and electronic music. I only have two general rules I use for panning:

1. I try to maintain a spectral balance between the two channels. In other words, I spread the predominantly high, mid, or low frequency sounds around and don't have too much of one or the other on either side.

2. I always run the very low frequencies up the center to have the most power and avoid overdriving one of the channels. For example, I might have a snarling bass sound that has plenty of stuff going on in the upper frequencies that I want to pan back and forth or spread with a stereo chorus. Instead of doing this to the whole track I split the track into high and low (below about 100Hz) frequency components. The low part I send straight down the center and the high part I pan around as much as I like.

You can hear some examples of this in my music on my web site.

Hope this helps.

Thomas

http://barefootsound.com