Hard panning: Good or bad?

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chessrock

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I say good, because the stereo separation helps open the song up.

Others say it can make for poor mono compatibility and/or phase issues.

What's a good happy medium, and what would be the best way to get a bit of both worlds?

Any ideas are welcome.
 
Try 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock. You will get the separation and still maintain mono compatibility.

Bob
 
Just double check your mixes in mono to check for phase problems. That is the ONLY way to be sure of mono compatability.

Everything else is just opinions on what people like. Some prefer a more natural sound like you are really there and others like a more manufactured sound.
 
Not to be an idiot or anything, but do people really listen stuff in mono anymore? (Other than AM radio.)
 
baldguy,

Yes, almost all the background music for stores and other places is mono. A lot of stereo based radio stations also like their advertising done in both a stero and mono mix.

Music used on loudspeaker systems at ballgames can be mono.

There are a lot of commercial applications for mono recording and when you work with someone doing commercial work, you may need to provide both types of mixes.
 
If it works for you and is mono-compatible (if you care about that characteristic), then it's good!

If not, then it's bad!!!

;)


Bruce
 
Most people still have mono televisions. If a song will be on TV or film on tape at some point it will be good to have it working in mono.

BUFFALO - When you say 9 o´clock and 3 o´clock do you mean where the panpots are pointing? And would that translate to 50% left or right in miwing programs you think?
 
P Hallin -
You're right - I meant like the hands on a clock. At 9 o'clock left you are sending approximately 75% of the signal to the left channel and 25% to the right channel. However, all pan pots are not created equal. Most mixers use a logarithmic scale for pan pots and faders, which means that 9 o'clock may actually be sending 65% of the signal to the left channel. In software, it's easier- you can specify the percentages.
I actually prefer a 10/2 o'clock spread. Experiment! Good luck.

Bob
 
I useually go with the 9-3oclock positions if im xy ing my mics because I like the results I get from that.

I have heard Bob Katz use hard panning on some of the most beutiful intros(like Peg and Jose) ever. I like that idea for some sounds but for the whole song no. I think Bob Katz is a genius.
 
Screw mono, if people wanna listen to my stuff, they can get something in stereo for christsakes. Plus, my stuff is never gonna appear in a baseball stadium or wallmart...
 
If you want your stuff played on the radio, you should be aware that most car radios occasionally shift between full stereo and mono, depending on the signal strength they're receiving. This is imperceptible to the average ear, but if you pan too hard, that instrument will drop out of the mix when in mono.
Having said that - I just did a very sparse mix with the drums panned hard right and the rhythm guitar hard left, and it made the mix really come alive. Experiment!
 
Screw mono, if people wanna listen to my stuff, they can get something in stereo for christsakes. Plus, my stuff is never gonna appear in a baseball stadium or wallmart...

LOL....ditto that.....And anyway five years from now this mono or not discussion will be moot...


I just did a very sparse mix with the drums panned hard right and the rhythm guitar hard left, and it made the mix really come alive. Experiment!


Isn't that awesome how that happens, It still amazes me, especially if you double the tracks sending one right and one left.


-nave
 
Unlike most people here, I only have 4 tracks to work with, so I have to sometimes go to extremes to get a little "spice" in my meager mixes!

Bob
 
On straight ahead rock songs I found panning at 9 and 3 o'clock resulted in a loss of power, so I started panning at 10 and 2 or even closer in.


Buffalo Bob: nosey enquiry: what are you recording on? I'm thinking of going back to my Tascam 424, with the idea of relearning the basics and getting to grips with hardware effects boxes rather than software.
 
Atwork-
I am using the 1st generation Yamaha MD4 minidisk recorder.
I learned to record on the 1st generation Tascam Model 144 Portastudio, the first cassette mutitracker.
I'm only doing rough song demos, nothing for release, so it's great. It's only 16 bits with Atrac compression, but I like the ease of use. I also love my small collection of outboard hardware, because I just like to turn dials!

p.s. I am really salivating over the new Yamaha 2416!

Bob
 
Buffalo Bob,

thanks for the reply. I'd be looking at the 2416 too, or its big brother, if I had the money.
 
Yo Atwork and Buffalo Skin Man:

There is no 2416....by Yam....


There is a 4416 by Yam

and

There is a 2816 by Yam....BUT no 2416. If you have one, you have been bamboozled by a salesperson from Musician's Friend.

Green Hornet:D :D :p :p :cool:
 
Some people have home stereos that have the speakers pretty widely spaced (like both sides of an entertainment center) and sit pretty far away (like other side of the room). When they are this far apart, and you have drums panned everywhere it gives the impression that the drum kit is that big. To sound natural, you need the kit to seem to be coming from a natural sized area. Having a tom on the far left of the room and a a tom on the far right of the room, well, there is no drumkit or drummer that big and/or fast. Keep the kit in a decent area, get the toms and cymbals out of the center, keep the snare and kick center for the most power, along with bass and vocals. Take the guitars all the way or almost all the way left and right. Make it sound like you are listening to a real band sitting there.
Checking in mono helps you find phase anomolies, some things will disapear, menaing there is problem. Otherwise, I say screw mono too.
 
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