Need your opinions please

[projectorrrrr]

Hi, forgive me if this has been posted before. I'm currently mixing my drum tracks and would really like to get an opinion about panning them. I noticed in most records, the drums are panned with the mindset that the listener is in front of the drum kit, therefore the snares are on the right and the floor toms on the left. But what if I choose to pan the drum kit as if the listener is on the drummer's throne? (therefore snares on the left, floor toms on the right). Is this wrong? Or is it just a matter of taste? Help please. Thanks!

 

[dyango]

panning drums

hi, for me it's just a matter of style... if you're mixing a jazz song you better pan "natural" (like if you stand in front of the drum set) but for anything else you can experiment. just one advice: be sure to place the bass drum in the middle. (unless you want that beatles sound with the whole set in one side).
it's your music, it's your choice.

 

[mikeh]

I normally pan from the drummers perspective (I'm a right handed drum, so I pan hi-hat a little left, floor tom more to the right, etc.)

Naturally, I tend to keep the kick & snare center.

There is no completely right way or wrong way (audiance perspective, drummer perspective, etc) - it's what ever seems to work for the overall mix.

 

[Rod Gervais]

Hi, forgive me if this has been posted before. I'm currently mixing my drum tracks and would really like to get an opinion about panning them. I noticed in most records, the drums are panned with the mindset that the listener is in front of the drum kit, therefore the snares are on the right and the floor toms on the left. But what if I choose to pan the drum kit as if the listener is on the drummer's throne? (therefore snares on the left, floor toms on the right). Is this wrong? Or is it just a matter of taste? Help please. Thanks!

You say that "in most records" the snare sits on the right.

It's my experience that in most cases the snare is dead center....... occassionally I'll hear something different (such as in Son of A Preacher Man - where the snare is real hard right)........ but not in general.

The bottom line is that what Mike aid is straight on - there is no right or wrong - do what works for the songs - just make sure to come out in the end with a wide stereo mix......... with room for all the instruments (and vocals ).

Rod

 

[drummerdude666]

as a recording drummer it feels unnatural to me to pan them from teh audience perspective. But many tracks are panned this way. generally snare and kick dead center and then pan as you look at them. if you pan teh overheads hard L and R then pan everything else in perspective to this.