I have just finished recording an instrumental piece, just one single stereo drum track (I bounced all the individual drum multi-tracks into one single stereo track), two tracks of rhythm guitars, one bass track and one lead guitar track, it is a solid rock track. I have panned the rhythm guitars hard left and right, placed the drum center of the mix along with the bass and am wondering where in the mix I should place the lead guitar (also overdriven sound). Any tips? Also should I slight pan the bass 11 O'clock to allow it to sit better in the sonic image with the drum track?
Mix Help
- Thread starter StarMan
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R
RAMI
Guest
There's no right or wrong answer to any of those questions. Pan stuff where you think it sounds good.
gecko zzed
Grumpy Mod
^^^ pretty much what Rami says.
However, I would try and give that hard panning L & R of the rhythm guitars a rest.
Try bringing them in a bit and letting some reverb fill the extreme L & R space.
Putting the bass a bit off centre won't hurt. Try it and see. If you go too far you'll have it coming out of one side which will make the mix lopsided and uncomfortable to listen to (specially with headphones).
Try placing the lead slightly on the opposite side of the bass . . . again, not too far from the centre (for the same reasons).
However, I would try and give that hard panning L & R of the rhythm guitars a rest.
Try bringing them in a bit and letting some reverb fill the extreme L & R space.
Putting the bass a bit off centre won't hurt. Try it and see. If you go too far you'll have it coming out of one side which will make the mix lopsided and uncomfortable to listen to (specially with headphones).
Try placing the lead slightly on the opposite side of the bass . . . again, not too far from the centre (for the same reasons).
Are your toms panned wide or close to center in the stereo mix? I'd be tempted to pan them wider if they are used fairly often, and keep your rhythm guitars in fairly tight (+/- 15), then see where the lead guitar should sit outside the rhythms. You could put a sample delay on the lead which will counter balance the lead on the opposite side, or send the verb or delay return from the lead to the opposite side if you're not digging the asymmetry the panned lead is creating.
I don't like the idea of panning bass myself, though. I'd work at making room for the kick and bass in the center via eq and possibly "ducking" the bass with the sidechained kick signal.
Good luck.
I don't like the idea of panning bass myself, though. I'd work at making room for the kick and bass in the center via eq and possibly "ducking" the bass with the sidechained kick signal.
Good luck.
>Ryguy76
Are your toms panned wide or close to center in the stereo mix? I'd be tempted to pan them wider if they are used fairly often, and keep your rhythm guitars in fairly tight (+/- 15), then see where the lead guitar should sit outside the rhythms. You could put a sample delay on the lead which will counter balance the lead on the opposite side, or send the verb or delay return from the lead to the opposite side if you're not digging the asymmetry the panned lead is creating.
I don't like the idea of panning bass myself, though. I'd work at making room for the kick and bass in the center via eq and possibly "ducking" the bass with the sidechained kick signal.
Good luck.
They are panned wide in the mix. Will place a delay on lead, should I re-record the lead with delay pedal or just keep the distorted guitars and add delay in the mix? Also I have noticed there is a slight variation between the recorded rhythm guitars, I re-recorded them all again today and the same thing happened again. Its one of those human nuances, listening to it sounds like a slight delay, its still in time with the drums ect. I tried just copy/paste one of the rhythm tracks and then panning them, but didn't like the feel as it sound too perfectly generated, in other words, a straight copy/paste. I rather keep the human nuances in it. It sounds kinda cool on headphones the panned rhythm guitars variation. Thanks for the tips so far.
Another question, if there is a left and right hand recorded bass part, should they be placed in the mixed around 11 o'clock and 1 o'clock so the kick drum sits in center?
Are your toms panned wide or close to center in the stereo mix? I'd be tempted to pan them wider if they are used fairly often, and keep your rhythm guitars in fairly tight (+/- 15), then see where the lead guitar should sit outside the rhythms. You could put a sample delay on the lead which will counter balance the lead on the opposite side, or send the verb or delay return from the lead to the opposite side if you're not digging the asymmetry the panned lead is creating.
I don't like the idea of panning bass myself, though. I'd work at making room for the kick and bass in the center via eq and possibly "ducking" the bass with the sidechained kick signal.
Good luck.
They are panned wide in the mix. Will place a delay on lead, should I re-record the lead with delay pedal or just keep the distorted guitars and add delay in the mix? Also I have noticed there is a slight variation between the recorded rhythm guitars, I re-recorded them all again today and the same thing happened again. Its one of those human nuances, listening to it sounds like a slight delay, its still in time with the drums ect. I tried just copy/paste one of the rhythm tracks and then panning them, but didn't like the feel as it sound too perfectly generated, in other words, a straight copy/paste. I rather keep the human nuances in it. It sounds kinda cool on headphones the panned rhythm guitars variation. Thanks for the tips so far.
Another question, if there is a left and right hand recorded bass part, should they be placed in the mixed around 11 o'clock and 1 o'clock so the kick drum sits in center?
Mixerman
New member
If the overdriven lead guitar is carrying the melody, then center is your best bet as it is the position in the stereo field where you automatically give importance. One of your jobs when mixing is to force the listener's focus. Everything in a track is important, but only in how it supports the melody instrument or vocal.
As to panning the bass, while there really is no technical reason why you shouldn't pan the bass with current delivery mediums (i.e. CD, wave files), the bass is the foundation of a mix. Panning the bass rarely makes sense, and will tend to weaken the mix.
Enjoy,
Mixerman
Mixerman
New member
Why? So, not only do you want to reduce the stereo field, you want to make sure to wash out the guitars? I mean reverb on guitars is fine for certain kinds of parts, but typically, those guitars are recorded with the reverb, or at the very least, the reverb is a part of the overall plan. You're coming to this poster suggesting a rather unusual treatment (that might have worked fricking great once, I won't argue that), but you're doing it without having even heard the song or production! This is not reasonable advice, and it's not even advice you may agree with in a few years from now.
Actually putting the bass off center usually weakens a mix.
Give me one reason for doing this. One. I can think of a reason why this idea might come up as a fix to a particular hypothetical problem, but it's yet to present itself to me in the real world. Still, I'd be interested if you can come up with a reason why you might want to pan the bass slightly left and the melody slightly right. Just so you can understand why I ask this of you, here is a quote from Zen and the Art of Mixing:
"The players always think their parts are the important ones—and they are—but the context in which you place a part should not be an arbitrary one. It’s a decision made based on where you want the listener to focus."
Enjoy,
Mixerman