Panning problem with headphones...

  • Thread starter Thread starter maxabillion
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maxabillion

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Hey, so right now I'm mixing on headphones. I know, I need monitors but I have like 14 dollars to my name, so I gotta make do (and besides, I'm just doing basic mixing to make sure the tracking goes smoothly). Anyway, one thing that's giving me an issue, is when I pan hard right, the track goes silent (I.e. it doesn't show up on the right headphone speaker). Both headphone speakers work fine, because anything in the middle shows up on both as it should. What is going on here? I'm a noob so any help is greatly appreciated.

BTW Im using pro tools, an m-audio fasttrack Ultra, SRS headphones, trying to pan audio (not MIDI) tracks. Thanks in advance guys!
 
We need more info.

Does the same happen when panning to the left?

Are you panning inputs or tracks already recorded?

Are you recording mono sources to mono tracks or to stereo tracks?
 
Does the same thing happen if you pan hard left?

If the headphones do work properly (like when you listen to a CD) it may have someting to do with how you have your panning/stereo image/mix bus set up.

<EDIT>

:D

While I was typing...BSG was already asking pretty mujch the same questions.
 
Make sure you don't have your stereo headphones plugged into a mono output jack too.
 
rfahey86 said:
Make sure you don't have your stereo headphones plugged into a mono output jack too.
Click to expand...

Plugging stereo headphones into a mono jack would send signal to only the left ear no matter where the pan was set.
 
i use cakewalk 9.0... i think something similar happened recently... but only briefly, and it was through my speakers... I just reinstalled and all was fine... but, maybe your headphones just suck... or maybe you should attempt reinstalling pt? wait.. i know.. or maybe i don't... what plugins if any were you using... TC by any chance?
 
I just have the headphones plugged into the "output 1" jack on the back of the fastrak - it doesn't look like there is a specific headphone jack, but I'm most likely wrong about that haha. There is an S/PDIF 1/8 inch jack (both in and out), but I dunno what that is (again - Im a noob, so show mercy on me!)

Im panning mono tracks mostly , but I do have two keyboard tracks that are stereo with the same problem. When I pan hard right, the track disappears, as I said, and when I pan hard left, the track is in both headphones, just louder. When I listen to music on these, I get a full audio field and can hear the different instruments panned across it, so I don't think it is the headphones. Its most likely me haha. And I'm panning tracks that were already recorded. Also, I haven't used any buses, mostly because I'm not sure how they work :/ As you can probably tell by now - I'm in over my head. Is there a relatively simple answer that I'll be able to grasp? Thanks for all your help by the way! I hope I answered all your questions!
 
I still think it's in how the tracks have been setup and assigned during the recording.
You have some weird panning thing happening. Who recorded those tracks and was there any plug/FX applied to them???

Try recording a new, fresh track...make sure it's setup up as a mono track....which means it should come up dead center in phones, and when you pan it L/R it should go L/R.
 
maxabillion said:
I just have the headphones plugged into the "output 1" jack on the back of the fastrak - it doesn't look like there is a specific headphone jack, but I'm most likely wrong about that haha. There is an S/PDIF 1/8 inch jack (both in and out), but I dunno what that is (again - Im a noob, so show mercy on me!)
Click to expand...

The Fast Track Ultras that I saw have headphone jacks on the front. Doesn't yours?

Anyway, most likely the problem comes from plugging your stereo headphones into a balanced mono output. That would cause the symptoms you described.
 
I'm who tracked the tracks. and I've since (since I started this thread) put about four more tracks up on that session, and two more on another. Same problem every time. Could be as simple as not having monitors? There were no effects on the tracks prior to recording them, although there was some reverb through the amp (not a plugin but 'real-time' reverb so to speak)
 
Plug the headphones into the headphone output on the front and the problem won't happen anymore.
 
bouldersoundguy said:
The Fast Track Ultras that I saw have headphone jacks on the front. Doesn't yours?
Click to expand...

Farview said:
Plug the headphones into the headphone output on the front and the problem won't happen anymore.
Click to expand...


I never even caught this comment: :D

maxabillion said:
I just have the headphones plugged into the "output 1" jack on the back of the fastrak - it doesn't look like there is a specific headphone jack, but I'm most likely wrong about that haha.
Click to expand...

Facepalm.gif



It helps to read the manual and get familiar with your gear. ;)

The icon on the front of your box next to the 1/4" TRS that looks like this: Headphone-32.webp

That's the headphone jack. :laughings:
 
Output one is not a stereo headphone output but a balanced single channel out. This is why the signal disappears when you pan hard right but not when you pan left. Plugging into this will not give you a stereo image.
 
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