Comments on: Stereo Image Placement = Much Better Mixing http://thestereobus.com/2008/01/20/stereo-image-placement-much-better-mixing/ Music production, pro audio and engineering tips & secrets. Tue, 15 Jun 2010 05:08:42 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Dan Connor http://thestereobus.com/2008/01/20/stereo-image-placement-much-better-mixing/comment-page-1/#comment-7236 Dan Connor Tue, 15 Jun 2010 05:08:42 +0000 http://thestereobus.com/2008/01/20/stereo-image-placement-much-better-mixing/#comment-7236 Naturally. The real question, of course, is how to achieve that big sound :) Naturally. The real question, of course, is how to achieve that big sound :)

]]> By: J-Rock http://thestereobus.com/2008/01/20/stereo-image-placement-much-better-mixing/comment-page-1/#comment-7218 J-Rock Sat, 12 Jun 2010 16:35:18 +0000 http://thestereobus.com/2008/01/20/stereo-image-placement-much-better-mixing/#comment-7218 Mixing is all about perspective. DO NOT MAKE ONE SPEAKER HEAVIER WITH TRACKS, as this will not be pleasing to the ear and you will quickly lose listeners. Your final master should sound BIG and right in front of you on speakers, and somewhat surrounding you with good headphones. PROBST! Mixing is all about perspective. DO NOT MAKE ONE SPEAKER HEAVIER WITH TRACKS, as this will not be pleasing to the ear and you will quickly lose listeners. Your final master should sound BIG and right in front of you on speakers, and somewhat surrounding you with good headphones.

PROBST!

]]> By: J-Rock http://thestereobus.com/2008/01/20/stereo-image-placement-much-better-mixing/comment-page-1/#comment-7217 J-Rock Sat, 12 Jun 2010 16:30:54 +0000 http://thestereobus.com/2008/01/20/stereo-image-placement-much-better-mixing/#comment-7217 My best advice is: firstly-AFTER RECORDING,fully EQ everything into it's own frequency range so each track shines thru when played together. Then pan rhythm guitars 75-80% L & R. I would not go all the way out to 100%, as this leaves a big hole in the sides of center position. Use a modestly small amount of stereo width to your double tracks so as not to make things muddy. Pan drums from an audience point of view; panning from the drummer's chair will sound unnatural, as people do not hang out by the drummer when listening to music. Also, in Rock music, NEVER AUTOMATE DRUMS FROM SIDE TO SIDE. THIS SOUNDS VERY AMATEUR so leave them in a set position. Do not compress every track unless needed, as this will kill dynamic definition overall. ALWAYS widen the low end of the stereo image less than the high end for a tighter sound. DO NOT USE THE SAME FORMAT FOR EVERY SONG, as every song is different in texture... and lastly, MAXIMIZE YOUR HIT! (that's the fun part!) Most importantly, do not give up. Read all the help you can find and try everything til something works for your project. My best advice is: firstly-AFTER RECORDING,fully EQ everything into it’s own frequency range so each track shines thru when played together. Then pan rhythm guitars 75-80% L & R. I would not go all the way out to 100%, as this leaves a big hole in the sides of center position. Use a modestly small amount of stereo width to your double tracks so as not to make things muddy. Pan drums from an audience point of view; panning from the drummer’s chair will sound unnatural, as people do not hang out by the drummer when listening to music. Also, in Rock music, NEVER AUTOMATE DRUMS FROM SIDE TO SIDE. THIS SOUNDS VERY AMATEUR so leave them in a set position. Do not compress every track unless needed, as this will kill dynamic definition overall. ALWAYS widen the low end of the stereo image less than the high end for a tighter sound. DO NOT USE THE SAME FORMAT FOR EVERY SONG, as every song is different in texture… and lastly, MAXIMIZE YOUR HIT! (that’s the fun part!)
Most importantly, do not give up. Read all the help you can find and try everything til something works for your project.

]]> By: Dan Connor http://thestereobus.com/2008/01/20/stereo-image-placement-much-better-mixing/comment-page-1/#comment-6628 Dan Connor Wed, 28 Apr 2010 04:35:31 +0000 http://thestereobus.com/2008/01/20/stereo-image-placement-much-better-mixing/#comment-6628 Your experience is exactly correct. Most people who suggest panning the same sound hard left and hard right don't know what they're talking about, unless the mix is very bare. What you're doing with delay is basically what makes a 'chorus' effect turn mono sources into stereo sounds. It's also what most synths use to produce 'stereo' sound. My recommendation is lose the second channel and mix with mono sources unless it's 'true' stereo - i.e. was recorded with two microphones. Otherwise you'll run into phasing issues that could turn everything to mush under certain listening situations. Your experience is exactly correct. Most people who suggest panning the same sound hard left and hard right don’t know what they’re talking about, unless the mix is very bare. What you’re doing with delay is basically what makes a ‘chorus’ effect turn mono sources into stereo sounds. It’s also what most synths use to produce ‘stereo’ sound. My recommendation is lose the second channel and mix with mono sources unless it’s ‘true’ stereo – i.e. was recorded with two microphones. Otherwise you’ll run into phasing issues that could turn everything to mush under certain listening situations.

]]> By: Craig Boughton http://thestereobus.com/2008/01/20/stereo-image-placement-much-better-mixing/comment-page-1/#comment-6625 Craig Boughton Tue, 27 Apr 2010 22:03:09 +0000 http://thestereobus.com/2008/01/20/stereo-image-placement-much-better-mixing/#comment-6625 Hey, I'm learning to mix from internet articles like your and am finding them so useful but one thing I come across is people talking about panning the same sound left and right to widen them in the stereo field. I tried this and noticed that they sill sounded like they were coming from the middle...which in stereo terms they were. I got around this by learning to put a slight difference in the two channels, IE, a very short delay on one of the channels, a few milliseconds, and hey presto the sound magically widens in the stereo field. I've done this with a tiny pitch shift too -0.1% mixed 100% wet on one channel, but it only works panned hard left and right, the closer you pan the more of a horrible out of tune chorused sound. Sorry for the long reply here but my basic point here is that if you pan an identical sound left and right it still sounds like it coming from the middle...a lot of people talk about panning left and right to widen the field but don't mention this My question is am I doing something wrong...?? Should panning an identical sound produce a wider effect in the stereo field..?? Hey, I’m learning to mix from internet articles like your and am finding them so useful but one thing I come across is people talking about panning the same sound left and right to widen them in the stereo field. I tried this and noticed that they sill sounded like they were coming from the middle…which in stereo terms they were. I got around this by learning to put a slight difference in the two channels, IE, a very short delay on one of the channels, a few milliseconds, and hey presto the sound magically widens in the stereo field. I’ve done this with a tiny pitch shift too -0.1% mixed 100% wet on one channel, but it only works panned hard left and right, the closer you pan the more of a horrible out of tune chorused sound.
Sorry for the long reply here but my basic point here is that if you pan an identical sound left and right it still sounds like it coming from the middle…a lot of people talk about panning left and right to widen the field but don’t mention this My question is am I doing something wrong…?? Should panning an identical sound produce a wider effect in the stereo field..??

]]> By: Shone http://thestereobus.com/2008/01/20/stereo-image-placement-much-better-mixing/comment-page-1/#comment-2920 Shone Wed, 22 Apr 2009 17:33:25 +0000 http://thestereobus.com/2008/01/20/stereo-image-placement-much-better-mixing/#comment-2920 Don't answer to the last one,I totaly forgot that those knobs can only turn 2/3 of the whole circle :) Don’t answer to the last one,I totaly forgot that those knobs can only turn 2/3 of the whole circle :)

]]> By: Shone http://thestereobus.com/2008/01/20/stereo-image-placement-much-better-mixing/comment-page-1/#comment-2918 Shone Wed, 22 Apr 2009 17:16:31 +0000 http://thestereobus.com/2008/01/20/stereo-image-placement-much-better-mixing/#comment-2918 Oh...I would never guess something like that!Thank you very much! I guess that that full left is 9:00 and full right 3:00...So is there any difference between 12:00 and 6:00? Oh…I would never guess something like that!Thank you very much!
I guess that that full left is 9:00 and full right 3:00…So is there any difference between 12:00 and 6:00?

]]> By: Dan Connor http://thestereobus.com/2008/01/20/stereo-image-placement-much-better-mixing/comment-page-1/#comment-2917 Dan Connor Wed, 22 Apr 2009 16:58:43 +0000 http://thestereobus.com/2008/01/20/stereo-image-placement-much-better-mixing/#comment-2917 Shone, Back when all mixing happened on analog mixing consoles, the knobs were circular, turned radially from left to right, and had a notch cut or a line drawn on them like a clock hand. <img src="http://members.cox.net/pasystem1/pan.gif" alt="Panning pot" /> As you cans see, full left is about 8:00 and full right is about 4:00 with 12:00 being right in the middle. Shone,

Back when all mixing happened on analog mixing consoles, the knobs were circular, turned radially from left to right, and had a notch cut or a line drawn on them like a clock hand.
Panning pot

As you cans see, full left is about 8:00 and full right is about 4:00 with 12:00 being right in the middle.

]]> By: Shone http://thestereobus.com/2008/01/20/stereo-image-placement-much-better-mixing/comment-page-1/#comment-2914 Shone Wed, 22 Apr 2009 14:30:27 +0000 http://thestereobus.com/2008/01/20/stereo-image-placement-much-better-mixing/#comment-2914 Can I ask you a question? I've read some of the music production books, and they say some stuff about panning at 10:30, or 4:00, 9:00 etc.Can you explain what that means? Thanx Can I ask you a question?
I’ve read some of the music production books, and they say some stuff about panning at 10:30, or 4:00, 9:00 etc.Can you explain what that means?
Thanx

]]> By: luke http://thestereobus.com/2008/01/20/stereo-image-placement-much-better-mixing/comment-page-1/#comment-1814 luke Mon, 23 Feb 2009 05:33:57 +0000 http://thestereobus.com/2008/01/20/stereo-image-placement-much-better-mixing/#comment-1814 Super helpful and well written! Thanks! Super helpful and well written!

Thanks!

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