internal mix 04 pan

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C H A P T E R 4 :D I M E N S I O N 1:H O R I Z O N T A L = P A N O R A M A

THE MASTERY OF THE FIRST DIMENSION is much underrated.

"That's easy, it's just amatter of left-right distribution." How v Tong can you

be! If you do not do your homework in this area, you wiU soon encounter

problems on the way to a tidy mix, because a good plan for the panorama is the

basis ofa good mix.

Start the mix by drafting amixing strategy in which you set out the placem ent of

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CHAPTER 4 : D I M E N S I O N 1 : H O R I Z O N T A L = P A N O R A M A



individual instrum ents, almost like placing them on a stage. For the sake of sim-

plicity, we will assume that the instrumentation is consistent and continuo us, thus

allowing us a static panoram a distribution. Of course, in the distribution, you do

not simply choose randomly, but apply certain rules. The most imp ortan t aspect

in planning your panoram a outline is three-dimensional thinking! Dimension 1

- the pan oram a distribution - is the horizontal level on your stage plan, you have

to imagine dimension 2 - the frequency distribution - and dimension 3 - depth

- appears as the vertical axis in this two-dim ensional representation.

Start v ith those aspects that have been tried and tested a million times: bass

drums and snares are placed at the center. This is essential for the simple rea-

son that the surfaces of two loudspeaker m embranes are better at simultaneously

transmitting a deep sound transfer than a single loudspeaker with half the sur-

face area. That would be the case, for example, if you placed the bass dru m to the

left. The same applies to ail deep or ultra-deep sound events. Deep sou nd partsthat are placed at the outer extremes of the sound pano rama can easily lead to a

lack of mono-com patibihty and a bad energy d istribution within the overall ap-

pearance of the panorama. The goniometer or a good peak meter will alert you

to an uneven energy distribution w ithin the panoram a. Accordingly, the bass is

also placed at the center. The remaining drum s are now placed more or less natu-

rally across the panoram a, according to the style you wish to achieve. For natural

drums, I always pan from the position of the listener. I visualize the drums in

front of me like a live mixer would see them on stage, and I place the hi-hats a bit

to the right, the high tom a quarter to the right, the mid tom at the center, and the

floor tom further to the left. It is essential dur ing pan ning to check the overheads

to determ ine whether the righ t-hand side is also the hi-hat side. At this stage, al-

ways monitor your correlation meter to check that the entire range does not slip

into the red sector as a result of the total left-right spread of the stereo overhead

track.. This should apply to most procedures related to setting up the micropho ne

and is simply remedied by gently limiting the pan oram a to a 9 o'clock to 3 oclock

setting, if you visualize the pan knobs. Now you correlate - and the correlation

meter indicates witli a cheerful green light that the tracks harmonize better.

The lead vocals naturally take center stage at the front; now we look at the second

dimension in our mental visualization, because the center is aheady crowded

with SO many events; the bass exclusively occupies the lowest one-and-a-half oc-

taves in the center. This is not a place for any o ther instrument] Above that is the

bottom sector of the bass drum at about 80 to 100 Hz. The heads create localiza-

C H A P T E R 4 : D I M E N S I O N I : H O R I Z O N T A L = P A N O R A M A



tion with the clapping sound; depend ing on the bass drum sound, it has quite a

broadband presence in the upper mid-range to 6 kHz. Because this section of the

bass drum sound is characterized by transients and occurs in obstinate rhythmic

sequences, this range does not generally interfere with the upper mid-range of

the lead vocals. Above the bass drums are the toms, which we will ignore here

because of the panorama distribution and their sporadic occurrence. The next in-

strument in the center is the bottom sector of the snares at 120 to 260 Hz. Because

of their rhythmic transient character, the snares coexist peacefully with the lead

vocals v^dthout any spectral competition. The main body of the lead vocals sets in

the lower mid or "misery" range, responsible for the warmth of the sound, and

from there develops upwards into the higher regions. The range around 1 kHz is

responsible for the nasal sound, whereas speech comprehensibility for the male

voice begins at about 2.5 kHz, and at slightly above 3 kHz for female voices. S-

sounds and similar consonants are located between 6 and 8 kHz, above that the"shiny" upper notes. The snares broadly occupy the area from the upper mid-

range to the treble areas. The only range so far with a potential cause for concern

is the lower m id-range, because it is also occupied by the bass drum and the bass.

However, because this range is less important to bass drum and bass, it is possible

to counteract this slightly with parametric filters, resulting in a slight thinning of

the range between 180 and 250 Hz.

Keeping these thoughts in mind, you can now distribute the harmonic instru-

ments across the panorama, which provide warmth and the harmonic basis.

Here, it is always my aim to maintain a complimentary spectral left-right balance.

For example, if there are two harmonic instrum ents, like a Rhodes and a rhythm

guitar - both played in the lower ranges - in addition to two higher events such

as Strings and a synthesizer phrase - you have to distribute the four events in the

panoram a in such a way that they do not overlap spectrally - in other words, in

the second dimension. That's why we place the R hodes on the left and the guitar

on the right. We also distribute the other two events to the left an d to the right

in the panorama in order to achieve a complimentary frequency distribution.

You have to take a fairly radical approach to this in order to ensure that the lead

vocals remain unchallenged in their center position. It is a very easy beginner's

mistake at this stage to take fright at the existence of so many stereo tracks andto make very little use of panning as a design aid or to use it too hesitantly. The

fact that the Rhodes is a stereo track and that the stereo chorus sounds simply

great is no excuse for placing it in ftrll stereo width right bang at the center! The

left Rhodes track can also be set at the far left and the right track to 10 o' clock, if




tha t is more suitable for the overall picture. This way, the re is sufficient space on

the right for the guitar and it now n o longer overlaps with the frequency domain

of the Rhodes.

Take the same approach to all other similar m atters. If the hi-hats are slightly tothe right in the panoram a, place the shaker as a counterweight slightly to the left.

Mixes without an overall panorama strategy frequently suffer from an imbal-

ance in the energy between one channel and the othe r Tlie distribution strategy

becomes more complicated, the more instrum ents and events there are to be dis-

tributed and the more inconsistent their appearance, hi this situation, I recom-

mend separate panorama outlines for the various parts; if necessary the guitar

switches sides in the subsequent part, if this is what is required by the instru-

men tation. In complex pop music, there is no detrimental effect associated with

instruments switching sides within the panorama. However, any unnecessary

pano rama switches should be avoided in m ore intimate music with a consistent

instrumentation.

To und erpin your panorama strategy, follow these rules:

The acoustic rule that deep sounds spread in circular form and can hardly be de-

tected below 100 Hz, whereas high frequencies spread directionally and are easy

to detect gives rise to the following panning ru le:

Choruses, orchestrations and general instruments in pop productions are gener-

ally placed in such a way that deeper sounding instruments are always placed

more towards the center; the higher the sound event, the further out they arelikely to be placed. W ithin a chorus group, you would thus place the high voices

further to the sides in the panoram a, and deep voices more towards the center.

The same applies to string ensembles, orchestrations and almost all many-voiced

(thick chorus) soun d events.

Of course there are exceptions to this rule, depending on your ovm preferences

and artistic freedom.

9^110 C H A P T E R 4: D I M E N S I O N 1: H O R I Z O N T A L = P A N O R A M A



The art of a skillful panorama distribution is to pay due attention to the second

dimension (the spectrum), which is not part of the outline - and that at least

three times as m uch! The spectral d istribution across the center is a slightly vari-

able standard, and, as far as left and right are concerned, it makes sense also to

be aware of the spectral distribution. Distribute the events in such a way that

the frequency distribution is also balanced in the outer sectors. If a mix is very

complex, you can approach this spectral distribution in a series of "sUces" such as

"outer left - 9:00 to 10:30 - center - 1:30 to 3:00 - outer right" in order to find a

place for each event. In this instance^ using a stereo expander can create an extra

dimension.

E X E R C IS E : W H A T I S P H A S E

C A N C E L L A T I O N ?

Please take a mono bass track and duplicate this at a 1:1 ratio on a different

track without moving in the timeline. The easiest way to do this is by using

the "Duplicate track" function. Now rotate the phase of the copied track by 180

degrees. Now pan one track on the far left and the other on the far right. Listen

to the result while switching the mono sw itch of your co ntrol room m atrix o r the

control room mixer on and off. Bingo! If your DAW does not have a mono switch in

the master section, you can use a plug-in that has one or you can put both channel

panning knobs in the center position. When the mono switch is not pressed, you

will he ar the acoustic phase interference in the room, which is not as strong due

to natural s patial de-correlation. Wh en the mon o switch is pressed, you'll hear th ephysical phase interference, when both channels are mixed together.

Repe at this exercise in WaveLab with stereo files and finished mixes by selecting

one channel and reversing the phase with the command Invert phase in the

Process m enu. Here, too, the difference between acoustic and physical phase

interference is very obvious, w ith the latter occurring w henever your stereo mix

is played on a mono device. Once you have become familiar with what phase

displacements sound like, the regular use of the mono switch is a simple, but

effective device to monitor for unintentional phase interferences.

You can visually check the phase with the correlation meter, which very clearly

shows that the signals with the same frequency on the right a nd left stereochannels add up in their am plitudes as long as the phase of both signals is within

the O-to-90 degrees sector - generally shown as green.

P l e a se r e f e r t o t h e s e c t io n "C o r r e l a t io n M e t e r . "

C H A P T E R 4 : D I M E N S I O N I: H O R I Z O N T A L = P A N O R A M A



Sound Example

U06 & W7

S U M M A R Y OF P A N N I N G R U L E S

• Before mixing, make a sketch of your panning strategy.

• Anything that is not bass, bass drum, snare or lead vocals should not be in the

center.

• Instrum ents present in the same or overlaying frequency sectors should be

placed at opposite ends - complimenting each other - within the panoram a.

• Once you have established the basic static panning, but still find parts v/ithin

the song th at are unsatisfactory in their transparency, it is always worth an at-

tempt to remedy this by using panning au tomation.

• Well planned and carefully autom ated panning often creates greater clarity

in the mix than the use of EQ and is much better than unnecessary EQing.

If an event is drowned in a sound mush , your first step to solve the problemshould involve the panoram a Imob before resorting to EQ.

• Used in a controlled fashion, widening the sound basis can create extra space

in the horizontal dimension and thus ensure a clearer sound. Check by using

the correlation meter and the mono switch on your monitoring board Please

refer to the Sound Examples #06 and #07 to illustrate this.

• Be courageous! Try extreme panorama settings, making the center free for

lead vocals.

P R E V E N T I N G P H A S E C A N C E L LA T IO NThe mono-switch in the master section is a way to control mono-compatibil-

ity that is much underused in the native world. Even today, there are still many

mono radios and TVs. If your goal is to get airplay for your production or to

publish the mix on vinyl, please activate the mono switch regularly for checking

for compatibility. If the m ix collapses as soon as the m ono switch is pressed, then

there are probably too many deep sounds distributed across the panorama or

there are simply too many phase interferences.

C H A P T E R 4: D IMENSION I : HORIZONTAL = PANORAMA



Phase Interference Mostly Occurs in theFollowing Cases:

• Bad stereophonic recordings: when you record a signal using two micro-

phones, you have to position them in such a way that no phase interference

occurs. For that reason, they are positioned either with the capsules at equal

distance and on the sam e axis to the source of the sound, o r at such a distance

that the distance of the second micro phone to the source is at least three times

that of thefirst. Here, too, during the recording you should monitor the phas-

ing with a correlation m eter in comb ination with a mono switch.

• Simultaneous multi-channel recordings with correlation errors (mostly in the

case of drum or live recordings). For example: a snare recorded w ith a top mi-

crophone and a snare strainer microphone generally has phase interference,

if the phase reversal switch on the snare strainer microphone channel is not

activated. Phase problems between the snare top microphone and overhead

microphones can also lead to interferences. Controlled repositioning of the

microphones and/or the use of the phase reversal switch on the console or

the microphone preamplifier can remedy this. If the recording along w ith its

errors is already "on tape," using the phase-shift switch in the individual chan-

nels can remedy the situation at the mixing stage. Thanks to HD systems with

sample-exact zoom functions you can also use extreme enlargement of an au-

dio file and move it by just a few samples - and maybe solve the problem that

way. This simulates the change in the distance between microphone and sound

source.

• Keyboard pads and layered sounds often contain phase effects that are not

mono-compatible. Thanks to the three different panning functions available

in Nuendo & Cubase (Stereo Dual Parmer, Stereo Combined Panner, Stereo

Balance Panner), you can replace the old panning slider in a stereo track with

separate panners and, use them to limit the stereo width from 9:00 to 3:00 - in

the same way aswith classic knobs. The resulting signal is generally still broad

enough, but mono-compatible. The same trick can be used for problematic

overhead tracks recorded with microphon es no t positioned on an axis. If your

DAW only has a panning slider in the stereo channels, I suggest using small

plug-ins. For example, the PSP Stereo Controller from the PSP Stereo Pack

lets you easily adjust stereo width. Logic has separate pan controls on each

individual L-R channel

C H A P T E R 4 : D I M E N S I O N I: H O R I Z O N T A L = P A N O R A M A



• Reverb returns; the same applies. The 9:00/3:00 setting - or the 80 left/80 right

setting, to talk in Nuendo readings - generally remedies the situation. But be

careful; limiting the width is not always necessary and can create undesirable

masking. (The masking effect will be explained later.)

• Excessive use of stereo spread; use a lower setting.

• Chorus and other phase effects; if you really want to use a chorus on a bass,

select onewhich only allows you to process frequencies above 250 Hz. If that is

not available, copy the track, apply a steep lowcut filter at 250 Hz to the copied

track and only use a chorus on this copy Ano ther possibility isTCs FX matrix

called "FX Machine," which has the option of splitting a single audio source

vrith a crossover, so that the higher frequency range is processed separately.

The FX Machine is discontinued.

• Unintentional shifting of tracks during editing. If phase interferences occur

consistently, it is worthwhile to check the offset between the two channels.

Conclusion:

Stereo width and mono-com patibility are contradictory.

The actual stereo width - depending on the target format (for example, CD, TV,

or radio) ~ is a matter for the engineer to consider. The correlation meter helps

in the decision making process, and the m ono switch provides a way of check-

ing to support the decision. Not every flicker into the red area of the correlation

meter necessarily requires corrective action. Such action should only be taken ifimportant information is lost as a result of switching to mono. The width setting

of the Stereo expander should only be adjusted while using the mono switch for

constant monitoring.

To conclude this topic of panorama control, I will describe a situation during a

mix; due to legal reasons, I cannot include this on the accompanying DVD:

The lead vocals were embedded in a chorus in the refrain. The chorus had a lead-

ing fiinction for the hook. For one bar, the lead vocals transgressed from the hook

line, causing an unpleasant interference. For this onebar, the mix sounded mushy

and fuzzy. Neither the chorus nor the lead vocal track was clear and easy to isolate.With the aid of a simple panning automation, which I used to place the chorus

into the entire left-right width for this one bar, I could solve the entire problem.

ff you find n such a situation that, the normal stereo width is insufficient in order

^ 1 1 4C H A P T E R 4 : D I M E N S I O N 1: H O R I Z O N T A L = P A N O R A M A



to create more space at certain points, insert a stereo basis widening effect into

the group in question, which remains in a neutral position throughout the song

and, using automation, can be targeted at these specific fuzzy locations to create

mo re space.

The Masking Effect

The masking effect describes the pheno menon where a high-amplitude frequency

masks a neighboring frequency of lower amplitude. This principle is also familiar

from audio data reduction, Uke the MP3 compression format. Being aware of this

effect helps with the mixing process. But first, we should describe the masking

effect more precisely.

The more congruence there is between the direction from where two different sig-

nals of similar frequency originate, the stronger the masking effect on the quietersignal, and vice versa. In nature, there would be no m asking whatsoever, as long

as these two signals of similar frequency originated from completely different di-

rections. This lets us conclude that th e masking effect is much more pronounced

when we have fewer possibilities to separate frequencies in th e form of discrete

audio channels. To put it simply, in a mono reproduction, all sound originates

from just one d irection and as a result, the mix suffers from the m asking effect,

whereas the masking effect has little impact in a surroun d sound reproduction, as

long as the mixing engineer has taken it into account in the general panoram a dis-

tribution . Accordingly, you can deduce the rule that mixes with a lower num ber

of reproduction channels contain less spatial information, whereas a surroundsound mix can han dle a lot of spatial information without becoming fuzzy.

The masking problem is already taken into consideration, assuming that you

have a clear pann ing plan which involves left-center-right frequency distribution,

as suggested in the earlier section on panorama strategies. Anyone professionally

involved with sound knows the effect in conjunction with the application of re-

verb. If you apply reverb to a lead vocal during a long-held no te, the reverb, which

consists of a very similar frequency structure, only becomes audible once this

note has become m uch quieter or has finished altogether. We can make direct use

of this insight for the application of reverb to stereo and su rround soun d mixes.

If the reverb response of a center signal tends to be m asked in the case of a ste-

reo mix, try a spatial separation of the reverb section from the cen ter by using a

Stereo expander. Use the mo no sv atch to check phasing and mono-compatibility.

C H A P T E R 4 : D I I U E N S I O N 1 : H O R I Z O N T A L = P A N O R A M A



in order to achieve a happy medium between transparency and mono -compat-

ibility.

Signals that are placed on the left hand side within the static panorama can be

used with reverb that is weighted to the right, and vice versa. In that way, the lis-tener is provided with the spatial information without watering down th e mix.

In surround sound mixes, you pan the stereo reverb return for signals that are

oriented towards the front to surround left and surround right, and the reverb

return for signals placed at SL and SR to left and right.

Don't worry - decoupling direct signals from reverb wont irritate the listener.

Imagine the following real-Ufe situation; you stand in the front third of a large

church, looking towards the altar, and you are addressed loudly from the altar

from a few meters away. In addition to the direct signal, the full reverb tail spreads

forward from the back of the chu rch to the front. W ould that make you think that

you were being addressed from the back?

Lets summ arize the salient points with respect to masking:

• Because of directional masking, mixes that are supposed to be mon o-com pat-

ible - for example for TV - can handle less reverb than m ixes that are pre-

dominantly intended for stereo or even surroun d sound p roductions. Mono

mixes thus tend to become "mushy" or over sattirated much earlier, because

the reverb increasingly dilutes the perception of the direct so un d

• The greater the num ber of available loudspeakers for the reprod uction of a

recording, the greater the amount of reverb that can be used. In order to put

into place a clear spatial structure without over saturating the mix with spatial

information, you should keep the reverb away from the direction that the dry

soun d originates from. This avoids masking.

• Masking also applies to different sounds that occupy similar frequency ranges.

That is why a transparent mix requires that instrum ents and events with over-

lapping frequencies be placed in com plimentary positions across the panora-

ma, according to the panoram a strategy made at the beginn ing of your m ixing

project.




S T E R E O P A N M O D E

As far as 1 know, Nuendo» Cubase, and Cakewalk SONAR 6.0 are the only se-

quencers that have a stereo pan m ode with an adjustable panning behavior

In Sonar, there are six different panoram a characteristics available, whereas with

the Steinberg products, there are five modes available in the Project Setup dialog

"Stereo Pan Law" that prov ide automatic level adjustment for m ono tracks. This

is based on the observation that a mono signal which is reproduced simultane-

ously and at equal volume on the left and on the right, i.e. at the center, sounds

louder than it would if was only reproduced at the far right or at the far left. The

default setting for the automatic level adjuster is minus 3 dB and results in a level

reduction of about 3 dB in the center position. At this setting, a mono signal

always retains the same physical sound level regardless of its position within the

panoram a. The settings minus 6 dB and minus 4.5 dB reduce the m ono signal atthe center correspondingly.

At the 0 dB setting, there is no level compensation, and right-left channels brought

together in the center are twice as loud as they would be if they were positioned

fiilly left and right. These different so-called "panning laws" correspond to the

behavior of analog mixing desks.

This function is very useful for eliminating the need for level adjustments after

panning changes. Experiment to find the right settings for your needs. In my

experience, the settings between 3 and 6 dB are particularly useful w hen you mix

orchestral music for mono-com patible TV productions.

C H A P T E R 4 : D l lM E N S I O N I : H O R I Z O N T A L = PANOR AMA

internal mix 04 pan

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