Mixing/Panning Stereo Audio tracks

[caugust]

I'm wondering where to pan different stereo audio tracks. Usually tracks that come from soft synths or keyboards and any stereo signal... I used to just keep everything at 100 to the left and 100 to the right. Then realized that was hurting my mixes. I read a couple tricks that Pensado uses... Was wondering if anyone here had some experience with this... Any tricks you use that you wouldn't mind sharing?

Thanks!

[RCM - Ronan]

First thing I will do is see if I can throw away one of the channels and use it as a mono element.

[meteor]

If you must use both sides...Try to weight the side that has the most low end or low scale notes toward the center of one side and use the high side for stereo placement on the other side... cheers,

[A LaMere]

depends on the stereo spread of the mix, and what's happening with the actual track and stereo tracks themselves... tracks from keys and soft synths can sometimes be essentially the exact same track, one on the right, one on the left...

other times, there really is something different going on in the right and left side...

I've tried nearly everything as I'm constantly working with keys and soft synths...
hard-panned, mono, mono and hard panned, over easy.... scrambled... poached..
Hey wait a minute... what were we talking about again?

[deuc647]

I usually try to keep things mono until i get to orchestra things, then i like to spread them out a lil, not too much, but mono with a hint of reverb can do great things. If u must track stereo, i say keep them somewhat close, panning them too far in the stereo field sometimes gives certain instruments a really unnatural sound.

[James Meeker]

Try to get that stuff as mono as possible. Only use stereo if you MUST and chose to do so (and are doing something cool with that stereo space).

Stupid as it may seem, but if you want real depth, space, width and fidelity you're going to get it by having 90% of your tracks in mono. Especially with keyboards. Once you get it into the mix you can start moving it around in the panorama, having fun.

Granted you can do cool stuff with the tips mentioned above if it is too late to mess around with stuff.

Bass heavy stuff should basically be mono, and generally in the center of your mix. Generally.

I saw someone once say, on the internet of all things, one of the smartest things about panning--that center, hard left, hard right are for your most important elements. The less important stuff goes in between all that. Honestly, it makes sense in most mixes!

[obscure object]

I don't know if you know this already but here you go:

you record a stereo synth track, one of these sounds that have different information on left n right channels, and? What happens when you pan the stereo track is that you essentially reduce the volume of one channel (say right, if u're panning left) against the other (in this case, left). So you will be losing information on one side (u pan hard left, u lose the right completely) and manipulating the true sound of the synth. Some guys mentioned recording in mono, but I prefer recording in stereo and using a panning plug-in (in Digital Performer, it's called Trim) which mainly allows you to pan and adjust the level of the left and right channels individually and seperately (or even sum them to mono, and pan in the DAW mixer, or whatever really) ... I think there's a similar free VST plug-in that does just that, but somebody will have to jump in with a link

[jimmyjimjim]

If you have a lot of those elements, theres a few tricks you can use to make them all sit differently:

1/ Find the 1-3 sounds which works the best in mono, then place them in the three best mono locations: L-C-R this is one type of stereo

2/A couple of them might work as is.- another type of stereo.

3/1 or more might need a good small/medium room verb almost 100% wet to place them behind the others. Yet another stereo type.

5/Some might work as stereo but slightly panned.

6/ Some less important sounds can be used to enhance your stereo width by turning up the Side component in comparison to the mid component, this will place it "beyond the speakers" A completely different stereo effect again.

7/Make it mono, pan to left, then mult it/duplicate it and pan to right with a 16-21ms 100% wet delay. This is the Haas effect in action and takes up a different stereo space then the other techniques.

8/EQ left and right differently, this is a different kind of stereo yet again.

9/Make it mono, pan to one side, add a 150-180ms delay to the other side. This work best with sounds that are "moderatly" rythmical. (aka. doesn't work with either pads or drum sounds, but stuff in between)

Ofcourse, some of these techniques are already the basis of the stereo effects already there.

[dhiltonlittle]

this is quite obvious but what i do with stereo tracks in protools, which are actually "multi mono" anyway is if there is not info that i want to keep in stereo go to the pan for the track, center both left and right and link them. then both the left and the right move together as if it where an actual mono track as you pan it.