pan left, pan right, what the heck???

[feaker]

Never been here before. Just the word technology scares me.Took a vocal last night and panned it to the right 40% and it seemed to clean up the entire mix? Never messed with the pan control before.I googled for hours last night and didn't get much info.My question is, can I get a cleaner mix using the pan control and mixing in stereo? Right now everything is in mono both recording and what I place on the forums.Some recording I hear from folks are so clean here. I don't know if they are mastered or they just clean them up themselves.I read comments all the time about panning and EQ. Did a search on the forum and did not find anything.Do I export my final mix in stereo if I didn't use any panning?16 or 24 bit?Ok enough. I don't know much as you can see. A reccomendation of a good book would be greatly appreciated.I have to admit, I like the tweaking as much or more than the whole songwriting/production process.Paul

[clanmorgan]

My answer is YES... it will make the mix sound "cleaner".When I mix I try and use panning to make the individual elements stand out in the mix. If Im mixing say a blues tune with drums, bass, rym gtr and lead gtr... I keep the bass in the center... ever wonder why you can put a sub-woofer in one spot for your surround sound tv ? The low frequencys dont really have "direction" to them. So with the blues band I would shut my eyes and think about what the tune would sound like If I was listening to it live... you know... rym gtr player is on the left of the stage and the lead gtr is on the right... and the drum kit is laid out with the bass drum in the middle and the hi hat and cymbals on the sides... Think of this physical layout in your head and try and use panning to make it sound like a real band your listening to live.SO using that example I try to build the soundstage with panning... is the band close together like in an intimate setting or in a large hall ? Once I have the panning all set Ill try and EQ the individual tracks to make them stand out in the mix... if the rym gtr has WAY too much low end then the drums, bass and rym gtr will sound muddy and not really clear... so try to EQ everything so they all sit in their own space..... Then theres compression, reverb, yada, yada, yada.... Hope this helps.

[feaker]

clanMan, two more hours searching on the internet this morning and nothing.A couple of minutes with you and things are starting to make a lot more sense.Just stumbled on this technique last night. The mix had no clarity. In fact it is in peer to peer right now. When she sings "she abandonded me" things got awful:)Can't wait to go down now and try some of this.Thanks so much for your time.I really appreciate itSincerelyPaul

[Casey H]

Hi PaulI am a home recording novice who didn't even know what pan was until a few weeks ago. Some good friends here on the forum have taught me a lot.So, my advice is that of a novice... take the advice from the experienced folks first...My home recordings are only intended as roughs, but I do want them to sound better than my old tape recorder days..OK, the novice speaks...I record the main tracks, rhythm guitar and vocal, and duplicate them so there are two of each. Then, on each pair, I pan one right and one left. For example, I might do the vocal as L10 and R10 (to keep it relatively close to center) and the rhythm guitar as L30 and R30. I don't play anything else so I can't say about drums and bass but I like what was said above about bass down the middle. If I add a little lead guitar, I don't always double it, I might pan hard to the right or left to make it interesting. Sometimes on doubled tracks, moving the 2nd copy a few milliseconds delay after the first one adds effect. It takes trial and error. It works well on lead guitar and harmony tracks.When I record rhythm guitar, it always feels too bass-y for me. So I EQ those tracks to lower the bass and up the higher frequencies on those. I like giving the rhythm a brighter sound.I have been compressing each track before final mix, but I haven't got that down to a feel for what is needed, what works, etc... especially for my rough demos.So, there it is from one novice to another. When I get Autotune 5 software I will be REALLY dangerous!! I saw it for under $200 on the Internet the other day! Casey

[aimusic]

Panning? I didn't know they still used that method to seperate gold from minerals? ...Panning is awesome, I learnt about it 4/5 years ago, mucking about on a basic DAW system, I was like, ohhh what does this PAN button do and WHAM the guitar was in my left ear, then I thought but I told it to pan Right, then I realised I had the wiring of the speakers the wrong way around... nah just kidding, panning does a lot in the way of creating space.What I love listening to is say for instance some of the Beatles stuff, and you hear literaly the whole drum set panned to one side and the guitar to the opposite - but the scary thing is they made it work, I can listen to it and not think "damn one side is way heavier than the other" that is some serious skill...But like they said above, try and pan as you visualize the musicians... kind of helps the ears think they're listening to a LIVE-ish performance....

[feaker]

Hi CaseyYa know, I like hearing hints from someone in the learning stage. The info is usually not complex:)I am going to try some of the numbers you stated. Last night I messed with the vocal , sent it right, and it sounded so much better. I didn't know if it was the vocal being louder (not indicated) or the mix was less clutered? I looked and tried the compressor, but if the presets don't work (and they didn't) I am then stumped at this stage. My bass for example, I send to melodyne uno and hand minipulate each note for amplitude. Tedious, but I don't mind. Have nothing but time. Same for vox.AimMakes sense visualizing the band up there.If it wouldn't be so overwhelming, I would love to stand behind a professional when he masters. Been looking for tutorials (u-tube etc) and nothing yet.Never noticed the beatles pan arrangement. I have the 45's upstairs in the attic. Going to pull them down and listen.Thanks for the info.Brings in a whole new possibility in impoving my stuff.Paul

[Casey H]

PaulLook for some of the books in the "for dummies" or "idiot's guide" realm... I have CuBase LE and the manual is terrible coupled with them assuming you know the terminology to start with... I found an Idiot's Guide book on CuBase and it has helped a lot. I know there are some books on home recording in these series's... Casey

[feaker]

CaseyGot it. consider it ordered.Just was in the studio "panning for gold".Sounds so much better already.thanks pardPaul

[clanmorgan]

Hey Feaker,I searched the net and found some good little tidbits for you on Panning. Check these out ... they may be useful:http://www.tweakheadz.com/pan_control.h ... space/Also, what are you using as your recording device ? Is it a computer DAW or standalone... Ill see if I can find some tutorials for you. - Mic

[feaker]

Hi clanWow, I am soooo lucky here.I have a : dell computer xpMackie 1604 xlz mixerM-audio delta 66 soundcardCakewalk home studio 2 (have the updated studio 6, not using, looks too complicated)Melodyne unoLots of amps, monitors etc:)Off to those sites to suck up some knowledge.Yes I will have to take notes!I can reciprocate information if you need to know: .. how to fix your car,weld, build a house,electrical, plumbing etc. Send me something broken, I promise you I can repair it:)Have the body and memory of a sixty year old, but the enthusiasm of a thiry year old.Paul