Panning for dummies

[chayag1234]

What are some basic rules to follow when panning instruments?
(Besides for keeping my vocals, bass, kick and snare at the center)

Also, Im trying to wrap my head around the fact that a stereo track at 100L/100R is the same thing as 0. Does that same thing apply if its at 50L and 50R?

Thanks!

[EGS]

no rules, really!

[albee1952]

Originally Posted by chayag1234

Also, Im trying to wrap my head around the fact that a stereo track at 100L/100R is the same thing as 0. Does that same thing apply if its at 50L and 50R?

Thanks!

Huh? Not sure what this means^^^. Do you mean a mono sound on a stereo track? If there is no difference in the sound between 2 sides of a stereo track, than its not really"stereo", but dual-mono(in which case, that's true(more or less) I agree with EGS about "no rules" and I know some that break even the most basic that you mentioned. I know 1 guy that always moves kick and bass slightly away from each other, though I can't seem to bring myself to do that Here are a couple of my personal choices(not "rules")
1-Try to balance instruments such that something on the left has a complimentary thing on the right(like a crunchy guitar on the left and a clean guitar on the right, or piano to the left and organ to the right)
2-mono electric guitar tracks(which is most) get a complimentary mono reverb panned opposite.
3-drum panning: I almost always pan from the audience perspective, but that's just me
4-most "stereo" keyboard sounds are not panned hard(full) left and right. Consider a grand piano on a 40' wide stage. The piano doesn't sound 40' wide. A string section in an orchestra is similar(and usually not centered)
5-listen to some commercial releases of music you like and start off by emulating what they do. Then play around a bit

[chayag1234]

Thanks!
What about blowing instruments, how are those generally panned?
Are guitars often kept close to the center or further out?
Also If I more than one bass track, do both of those stay at the center?

After browsing a bit I see that a good starting point is to follow the orchestral setup-What exactly is that?

[TOM@METRO]

There have been major hits that follow the innumerable various possibilities when it comes to panning. Every hard fast rule has been successfully broken. Do what sounds right to you. Keep an eye (ear) out for undesirable phasing of course.

[albee1952]

What about blowing instruments, how are those generally panned?They get panned where ever you think they belong
Are guitars often kept close to the center or further out?Yesbut seriously, this is another case of "it depends". My 2 cents, if a guitar track is a melody, I would probably put it closer to center. For chords, I tend to push them hard(with the complimentary mono reverb on the other side)
Also If I more than one bass track, do both of those stay at the center?What are the 2 parts doing? If they are beefing up each other(like a synth bass and a bass guitar that play the same notes), they could go in the center. But if they are playing against each other, spreading them out can give more clarity to the separate parts(again, no rules)

After browsing a bit I see that a good starting point is to follow the orchestral setup-What exactly is that?Look at a picture or video of a full orchestra and note where sections sit on the stage, then use panning to "paint" a similar picture. Early on, I would close my eyes and place instruments where I expect to see them on a stage(as a starting point). From that start, then I push things around to see what I like(and how things on each side work as a whole).

[nednednerb]

Panning is for professionals, dude! We're not dummies lol

On the other hand, maybe your question would make more sense in a "context."

For example, How do you pan your obscure sound effects if you are the original Beatles? Hard L or R because they didn't have panning like:

negative one hundred to positive one hundred
or
fifty L to fifty R

Or however the program and hardware "implement" the "definition" in use on that gear or software or receiver.

Initially panning was done by sending some of your signal to the left channel and some to the right. Hardware didn't at first have a "pan knob" but instead you would vary the fader in two channels and each of those channels would go independently (with variable amount of signal) to represent your "stereo image" in the monitors. Those "two signals" for panning is easily seen in Pro Tools stereo tracks. In many softwares there will just be one knob for each track.

How does a classical orchestra get panned? If you recorded a real orchestra, and a video was taken of the performance, I would probably just pan it "realistically" if possible with mic sources and mixing, etc.

For diverse styles, they do it differently. BG vocals might be phased out on purpose and weirdly going between ears. Some styles are more 'straight' and less range.

Many many clubs and music venues have large areas and many speakers. Probably mostly mono systems, I would guess. Maybe a couple signals at the "stage"...

[chayag1234]

Thanks!
What are some starting points to experiment with?
im mixing pop, dance, and ballad music.
My sessions include 2 Bass guitars, a full drum kit (recorded all together)
3 guitars, trumbone, flute, saxephone, 3 string instruments. 2 pads.
Any Ideas?

[take77]

Take albee1952's color coordinated comment for example (See comment #16).
See how he's placed the colors where he wants? Do you feel it?
How he want's you to perceive them? How the statements compliment each other?
Each expression is distinct from the other not blurring together. All within the context of the word mix. Pan like along those lines
It's all about musical presentation.

All good advice here.
Isn't it cool how we're all fascinated with this stuff? How can I make a record? Yeah!

One tip I guess I can offer is to also think of how the song arrangement develops.
Maybe mono parts are coming in one at a time then build into a full stereo crescendo.

Guitar 1 may come in solo at hard left. Gtr 2 enters hard right. Drums come in panned across the stereo field within the guitars. Bass n vocal center. Into a full on stereo mix.

I tend to introduce parts left to right. But maybe that's too predictable. After all, it's about creatively bending the listener's mind.

Type in "panning + visual " on youtube and you'll find a lot of well explained videos.

Best wishes in your mixing endeavors,

Mike

[take77]

Originally Posted by chayag1234

Thanks!
What are some starting points to experiment with?
im mixing pop, dance, and ballad music.
My sessions include 2 Bass guitars, a full drum kit (recorded all together)
3 guitars, trumbone, flute, saxephone, 3 string instruments. 2 pads.
Any Ideas?

Different instruments can also "take turns" in the mix within the same "slots" when not playing all at once. Or if the live & authentic stage mix is what you want, assign and space the instruments the best you can. If everything is going to be playing full on for a section, pan and blend high parts with lows & low parts with highs.