How To Pan Bass

So here are the rules of pan (so you know what to break, if you want) Always pan the lead vocal center. Always pan the bass center. Balance the channels equally. If you have two similar-sounding instruments, pan one left and the other right. A stereo pair of microphones should be panned hard left and hard right.

Should I pan my bass?

Always pan the bass center If the bass comes from both stereo speakers, it can be louder than if it only comes from one. Also, in the days of vinyl records, there could be problems with mistracking on playback if the bass was panned all the way to one side.

Where should you pan the bass guitar?

Suggested Panning Positions Instrument Comment Bass Guitar Bass heavy instruments, such as the bass guitar, should be kept near the centre as to not disrupt the balance of the track Rhythm Guitar If the rhythm guitar has been double track pan the two tracks hard left and hard right.

Why mixing in mono is the secret?

When we mix in stereo we can separate mix elements out in the stereo field to make them easier to hear. When we collapse the mix to mono, these different elements start to obscure each other again. The fact is, that if your mix isn’t clear and punchy in mono – it just “isn’t ready yet”.

Should Bass be in the Centre of a mix?

Panning Bass By leaving it in the centre, you’ll get the best low-end projection from stereo speakers and retain good mono compatibility.

Where do you pan drum and bass?

The panning knob is generally located just above each channel’s fader. This can either be a knob that you turn left or right or it can be a slider that you move to the left or right.

Is Bass a mono or stereo?

sub bass must always, always be mono. some producers always have their kicks mono, where as others also do the same for snares.

Should I pan snares?

Basics of Panning Drums. When you’re panning your drum sounds, you want to make sure that the most impactful elements remain at the core of your beat. Therefore, I advise you to leave all the kicks (including 808 kick drums) and snare sounds at the center. In other words, you don’t need to apply any panning to them.

What is LCR panning?

LCR stands for Left, Center, and Right, and it’s a panning technique where all panpots are set to either left, center, or right—nothing in between. Mixes translate well for those not sitting in stereo’s “sweet spot,” because the most important material is panned to the center.

Should I pan vocals?

The best way to give your mix a solid core is to keep lower frequency sounds in the center. That means kicks, basses and anything else below the 120hz range. If your track has lead vocals pan them center as well. But as a general rule lead vocals should always be panned center.

Should you pan hard?

When you pan hard left or hard right, your sound is only coming out of one speaker and this can undo the illusion of the wider stereo field, ‘pinning’ the sound to just one speaker and thus making it stand out unintentionally in the context of the mix because it sounds artificial.

Where should the snare sit in the mix?

Low cut up to just below the thump of the snare to clean the mud. You’ll see a bump at the lower end of the snare on the frequency spectrum, this is the body of the snare. In my example below it’s at 200Hz. Listen to the snare in the context of the whole mix and cut or boost it to sit perfectly in your mix.

Where do you put background music on pan?

If you have several background tracks, you’ll want to pan them away from the center. This will create space for your vocal to live in. How much you pan your BGVs is up to you. It depends on the song and your own taste.

Do pros mix in mono?

Because when you drop the audio down to mono you don’t get to hide behind panning to create clarity in the stereo field. And it’s not just getting “fake” clarity. You’ll expose problems like phase cancellation, equalization problems, and much more.

Should you EQ in mono?

Mono Forces You To Work Smarter If you want to get the absolute best EQ balance in your mixes, then make it a habit to do most of your EQ’ing while in mono. That way you won’t have the stereo field to distract you with “easy separation”.

Can you hear panning in mono?

A mono track can be panned anywhere in the mix – hard left, hard right, and anywhere in between. In fact, panning a mono track, can sometimes create a much more defined and focused picture of the sound you are panning – rather than trying to pan a stereo file (more on that below).

Where do you put the bass in a mix?

Try saturating the bass in the low mids and above. Because those are the frequencies that are available in those small speakers, the extra “push” of the saturation will help with translation. This way the bass will cut through the mix without having to boost with EQ.

How do I get my bass guitar to cut through the mix?

Duplicate the Highs. A more advanced trick to get the bass to cut through the mix is to duplicate the track, filter out all the low-end and then add big boosts in the mids. That way you won’t muddy up your mix but you’ll have plenty of bass guitar energy in the middle frequencies.

Where do drums go in a mix?

Finally, make sure you pan your drums. The kick and snare should be kept in the center, and the overheads are usually panned hard left and right. Everything else, however, can be panned however you’d like.

Should drums be mono or stereo?

You should keep your individual drum hits in mono if possible, especially the kick drum, though you should also use stereo effects or panning decisions to create width and separation in your sound to add more variety to your mix.

Should you hard pan guitars?

Put simply, panning the guitars hard left and hard right introduces more balance, and it also ensures that the two parts are clearly distinct from each other. Panning instruments wide gives the mix a very wide and broad feel.