J
jonmorri
New member
Can anyone give some general guidelines about where stuff should go in the stereo field? I am doing rock/metal. I have been panning the guitars and bass all the way out R/L, and drums in the center. Thanks.
Simman
Well-known member
First rule is there are no rules....
I know that may not seem helpful but if it sounds good to you and things sit where you want them to then you've achieved success.
Here's a few likes that might also help.
This is am old article by Randy Neiman called "Panning for Gold"
http://industryclick.com/magazinear...aseid=9913&magazinearticleid=141955&SiteID=15
This is by Robert Dennis, "Panning Doubles"
http://www.recordingwebsite.com/articles/pandouble.php
There are probably hundreds of others if you search around.
I know that may not seem helpful but if it sounds good to you and things sit where you want them to then you've achieved success.
Here's a few likes that might also help.
This is am old article by Randy Neiman called "Panning for Gold"
http://industryclick.com/magazinear...aseid=9913&magazinearticleid=141955&SiteID=15
This is by Robert Dennis, "Panning Doubles"
http://www.recordingwebsite.com/articles/pandouble.php
There are probably hundreds of others if you search around.
J
jonmorri
New member
Awesome info! Thanks a lot.
bigwillz24
New member
Try picturing the band on a stage. Where are the drums? Where's the guitar player? The bass player? That will tell you where to put them.
Or
Kick, Snare, bass, lead vocal in the middle with all or instruments spread out over the spectrum.
Or
Deep low sounds in the center and higher frequency sounds spread out over the spectrum
or a mixture of the above
or turn the knob till it sounds right
or...
I think you get the picture.
Or
Kick, Snare, bass, lead vocal in the middle with all or instruments spread out over the spectrum.
Or
Deep low sounds in the center and higher frequency sounds spread out over the spectrum
or a mixture of the above
or turn the knob till it sounds right
or...
I think you get the picture.
D
Drumz519
New member
Just to give you an idea, my guitarist and I tend to quad track rhythm, guitar (100% Left, 100% Right, 50-75% Left, 50-75% Right). It creates a very solid image. Then throw the bass straight down the middle and pan the drums the way they're setup.
C
cello_pudding
Well-known member
usually in a room you hear the bass all over the place. it's best when bassy things just stay in the middle, or it sounds un-natural. doesn't mean you can't do it.
and if you're going to have it all in one speaker, its good to counter it in the other...but since usually nothing is in that bottom end, it's not a good idea to hard pan bass.
the beatles did it, but they also had very treble-y bass tone.
but....do whatever you want. i never noticed how strange beatles songs were until i got into recording, so most of your audience won't even notice.
and if you're going to have it all in one speaker, its good to counter it in the other...but since usually nothing is in that bottom end, it's not a good idea to hard pan bass.
the beatles did it, but they also had very treble-y bass tone.
but....do whatever you want. i never noticed how strange beatles songs were until i got into recording, so most of your audience won't even notice.
Seafroggys
Well-known member
with my trio, I like panning the guitar and bass opposite each other, maybe about 35-50%, with the drums everywhere from left to right. Lead Vocals in the center, backup vocals panned left and right.
P
PhiloBeddoe
New member
Absolutely you can pan anything anywhere you want.
I would say that the standard for rock/metal would be to pan the guitars out and keep the bass in the middle.
Putting the bass off to one side can be pretty distracting, especially in headphones. An interesting technique I heard the other day in some Audioslave song was to take the high end of the bass (a separately treated track, more distorted and guitar-like) and put it off to one side opposite the guitar. Meanwhile the more low end bass track stayed in the middle.
Regarding drums, usually there is some stereo separation so not everything would be in the middle. Kick and snare are usually in the middle, toms are spread a little, and overheads are spread. Some people start by spreading the overhead mics and them placing the toms in the same location as they appear in the overheads.
I'd say just listen to some of your favorite bands in headphones. You may never know what mics, compressors, eq's, etc. were used, but panning is pretty obvious.
I would say that the standard for rock/metal would be to pan the guitars out and keep the bass in the middle.
Putting the bass off to one side can be pretty distracting, especially in headphones. An interesting technique I heard the other day in some Audioslave song was to take the high end of the bass (a separately treated track, more distorted and guitar-like) and put it off to one side opposite the guitar. Meanwhile the more low end bass track stayed in the middle.
Regarding drums, usually there is some stereo separation so not everything would be in the middle. Kick and snare are usually in the middle, toms are spread a little, and overheads are spread. Some people start by spreading the overhead mics and them placing the toms in the same location as they appear in the overheads.
I'd say just listen to some of your favorite bands in headphones. You may never know what mics, compressors, eq's, etc. were used, but panning is pretty obvious.
J
jonmorri
New member
Cool. Thanks for all of the replies. This is really getting fun again now that I have some people that know what they are doing - in my life. 
carlosguardia
New member
Again, you can pan whichever way you like, but one piece of advice is, when mixing down, try to level both L and R to the same average in volume or else the final mix might result in something that fatigues your ears.