Panning

Panning is one of the most useful tools we have inside our mixing console. When everything is in mono, it’s all fighting for the same space. But by panning things out in your mix you suddenly have space for all your elements, and you don’t even have to turn the level up. In fact, you might find you actually turn it down once you have panned it and given it some space.

Let me demonstrate and explain how panning can enhance the audio experience. We’re going to look at some vocals and guitars and how, without changing any levels, we can suddenly hear those elements better in our mix.
As I start work on a mix, everything is just in mono. I can hear the lead vocal, I can hear backing vocals, and I can hear guitars, but it’s just all very mono and I can’t define those voices. I start by panning the BV and have another listen.

Panning the vocals:

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Just to get better clarity, I first mute the guitars for a minute. I’m listening to the lead vocal, and I pan the BV in this order:
• BV 1 in the middle
• BV 2 panned to the left
• BV 3 panned to the right

Now that I’ve panned those, I’m going to play back that same section and have a listen. I haven’t changed any volumes, or added effects, but I can now clearly hear all vocals and can define them.

Panning the guitars:

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I’m going to mute the vocals for a second, and focus on just the guitars. I’m going to jump to another section because there’s also an acoustic guitar so let’s see what we get. Currently I’ve got an acoustic and two guitar parts all in mono. I then pan in this order:
• Electric guitar 1 panned to the right
• Electric guitar 2 panned to the left
• Acoustic guitar in the middle

Now I can hear two electric guitar parts and acoustic up the middle. Again, I’ve done nothing more than pan the guitar and the vocals and suddenly it sounds much wider and a lot more interesting. By panning, I’m creating space. I can pick out each person’s voice and instrument when I listen to the mix.

FAQ: Does panning affect the sound depending on where you’re sitting in the audience?

I’m not afraid of panning. Some people have asked, “what if I’m sitting on the side of the auditorium?” Most modern PAs have very good coverage, but you do need to be sensible about this. For example, if I go to a full acoustic concert at the Opera House and I sit down on the front row and I’m sitting on the right-hand side in front of the cellos, I’m going to hear more cellos in “the mix”. Maybe I’m in the cheap seats behind the orchestra in the choir rostrum; I’m going to hear more percussion. But I’m still getting a great experience from the live music. In short, everyone is going to have a slightly different experience depending where you are in the room. Panning just provides that depth and experience in your mix.

Have a practice and remember, panning is your friend.

See video here for the full tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29Mkj05LBI8