Stereo image for vocal, guitar, and bass

[John Link]

How would you pan tracks for vocal, guitar, and bass (singer-songwriter singing and playing guitar, along with a bass player)? I'm putting all three tracks in the center and then also sending the guitar hard right with a delay of .013 seconds as well as left with a delay of .026 seconds (which is what Pat Metheny says he does in concerts). I've got the delayed guitar tracks about 6 decibels lower than the center guitar track. Suggestions?

John Link

[rockrev]

I usually track for the image in this type of setup -IOW- I usually mic the guitar x/y, or in a rare case m/s. That way I get a nice, full guitar that keeps a strong center image. What you are speaking of (the delay trick) is a cool way simulate a stereo spread with a mono track; however, having a true stereo image is still preferred (IMHO). If I had three mono tracks - guitar, bass, vocal - here's what I'd do:

* Bass - right up the middle, full & round in the lows

* Guitar - slightly to one side (-25ish or +25ish), or perhaps up the middle (if everything fits well), bussed to a nice stereo room emulator (Waves TrueVerb, etc.)

* Vox - right up the middle, lightly bussed to a very tasteful plate, also bussed to a slap delay for a slight presence effect

The key is to stay as natural as possible - almost as if it were a live performance. That's my .02.

rockrev

[rockrev]

BTW - I find when mixing this type of session that it is extremely important to test the mix with some sort of master limiter (which would be removed before bouncing). I find that you'll often have a great natural sounding mix, then the mastering ends up bringing out a lot of the verb and delay that you spent so much time "hiding." If you test your mix with a limiter, such as the L2, you'll have a better idea of how it will sound after it's mastered. Also, if you use Analog Channel (AC1) on your master fader (dual-mono), you will have an improved image - just have it up *before* you start mixing.

rockrev

[rockrev]

John,

If you have Waves TrueVerb, start with the "Studio A" preset for a nice room (stereo). If you have Waves Super 2-Tap, try "Close Slaps" for a nice vocal presence (stereo).

rockrev

[John Link]

Thank you for your suggestions. I neglected to mention that I have put some reverb (D-Verb) on the vocal as well as all three guitar tracks.

[lemix]

John ,

as well as all three guitar tracks.

Aha ! now you are entering into a new world of possibilities
happy tooling,

[John Link]

Just to be clear, by "all three guitar tracks" I meant the original track as well as the two delayed tracks.