pushing an instrument forward / pulling it back in a mix

[karambos2]

If I want a guitar to sound as though it's playing on the left I simply pan it left. Ditto if a bass or a voice should feel like it's playing on the right - I pan it right.

But how do I pull an instrument or a voice "forward" or push it "back" in a mix? In other words, how do I get it to sound like a guitar or voice is further away or closer (not left, right but north south, if you will).

thx

karambos

[Gunther]

More reverb vs direct sound = further back.

Long early reflections / long reverb decay = bigger room, but that feeling of space will help you push things back.

Less high freq (cut eq) = further back

Less volume = further back (duh)



If you are using a microphone to record the guit or voice in a small room, then close mike it to make sure none of the room is in there. Otherwise it will sound like a guit in a small room.

Or, use room treatment to kill all early reflections, then you will have more freedom with mic placement and you wont have the early reflection issue. Early reflections are part of what tells the ear how close a sound is.

[Gunther]

Or better yet, go to a big echoy room and have something make noise on one end (boom box, friend playing sax...) while you stand on the other end. Walk closer to the sound and notice how it changes.

[mixsit]

Fast attack/less transients also helps equal farther back.
Wayne

[crosstudio]

this is how i approach it:

left - right is panning

front - back is volume and reverb

high - low is frequency content.

in this regard you can create a 3D space in front of your head.

with surround sound (which i have never done except just playing with simulated surround) you should be able to take the above and apply it to a 360 degree audio field.

[littledog]

Originally posted by crosstudio

high - low is frequency content.

hmmmm... eq=altitude?.... hmmmm.....
which frequency moves the sound in which direction?

if true, that would be kind of cool. e.g. "boost 6dB at exactly 65 hz and your whole mix will float up to the ceiling!"

hmmmm....

[iwanarock]

I use a Waves y56K card in my Yamaha AW4416 that has Trub Verb on it and it is really easy with the True Verb to pull stuff forward and move it back in the Mix. I know they also make a lot of plug ins depending on how you are recording you might want to take a look at their products.

[BuildingStudios]

Originally posted by littledog
hmmmm... eq=altitude?.... hmmmm.....
which frequency moves the sound in which direction?

I think he is just talking about the way his mind perceves frequency. I hear it like that too... lows on the bottom hights at the top. But i have met people who perceve it in other ways, like colors ... i dont know