"Pan Normalization"

[rio452001]

I use Wavelab 6 (+ UAD Plugins) for mastering.

One of the tools offered is pan normalization-- basically, it's supposed to help even out the loudness of the R & L channels.

I'm wondering whether it isn't messing up the original panning of the recording. On a recent recording, I ended up getting the kick drum coming out of the R channel after mastering, presumably, the pan normalization increased the loudness of the R channel as part of the process, resulting in the kick no longer being centered (ie., equal loudness both R & L) but appearing to come out of the R channel.

Does anybody here with Wavelab use the pan normalization feature? Have you experienced any problems along these lines? Is the cause likely something besides pan normalization?

Am I better off just to not use pan normalization and just watch the balance of the 2 channels in the final mix more closely?

(Generally, I increase loudness by use of limiters, compression, etc., I don't use otherwise use normalization apart from pan normalization)

 

[SouthSIDE Glen]

I assume that pan normalization - like peak normalization - is meant mostly to be used for non-musical audio purposes, such as automatic balancing of a stereo dialog track, or of laboratory waveforms, or other such applications, but frankly I don't see much of a purpose of it for musical applications.

G.

 

[Massive Master]

Does anybody here with Wavelab use the pan normalization feature? Have you experienced any problems along these lines? Is the cause likely something besides pan normalization?

Didn't even know it had pan-normalization (and for the record, I never use any sort of normalization anyway, so I never went looking for it).

Am I better off just to not use pan normalization and just watch the balance of the 2 channels in the final mix more closely?

You're better off to listen to the balance. If the mixes are off from center, call the mix engineer and find out if it's like that on purpose.

 

[rio452001]

Thanks-- that settles that-- no pan normalization required

thanks again,

Rio

 

[Thurgood]

Pan Normalizing................ could that by definition be dead center??

 

[RAMI]

Normalizing................definition

Oh-Oh! Everybody stay clear. Simply tip-toe out of the thread and don't say a word.

 

[dintymoore]

normal = boring

Why would anybody want anything to be normal?

 

[mixsit]

Why would anybody want anything to be normal?

I tell ya, it's Abnomalization.. as in almost never..

So again, we have these things, folks reach for them .. 'cause their named 'normal something'?

"basically, it's supposed to help even out the loudness of the R & L channels.

..I'm wondering whether it isn't messing up the original panning of the recording.. I ended up getting the kick drum coming out of the R channel after mastering"

So I guess the question is 'pan/balance' based on what?
Ya know if you have a Haas delay pan of about 1ms it could take several db of 'balance adjustment to 'correct it back to center?

 

[SouthSIDE Glen]

What many folks tend to forget is that audio editors like Sound Forge and Wavelab are used for much more than just music production, and some of the tools they come equipped with are designed more for uses other than music production such as audio lab work, broadcasting, forensic restoration, etc. There's more to audio than just music, and these tools need to address those needs as well. Most of the normalization functions I can think of would fit this bill, but are mostly useless for the average music engineer.

G.

 

[Thurgood]

Tip toe soft pads heard in the distance (on the left side).

 

[SouthSIDE Glen]

Pan Normalizing................ could that by definition be dead center??

Only on average, I would assume. It's probably not meant to collapse the panning to mono, but rather to balance the average energy of the left and right channels so that the average is somewhere around center.

..I'm wondering whether it isn't messing up the original panning of the recording.. I ended up getting the kick drum coming out of the R channel after mastering"

So I guess the question is 'pan/balance' based on what?

Yeah, that is the question, for sure. It doesn't *have to* mess up the original panning, and probably won't. If you have, say, a guitar at 50% right, that's accomplished by sending that guitar at x dB to the left channel and 2x dB to the right channel. That difference is already encoded into the stereo signal, and cannot be changed without going back and changing the mix.

That guitar can be boosted in level without changing the pan by multiplying the gain sent to each channel by the same amount. For example, you could double the volume of that right side guitar without changing that panning by sending 2x dB to the left side and 4x dB to the right side.

G.