Panning & dBs - general 'rules'?

[jyro]

I know I have seen this stuff here before but I had a quick search but could not find anything so a pointer in the right direction would be appreciated.

Just wondering what in a track is best to pan, and where to pan it to.
And what are the general dB levels people work with for the various parts of their tracks prior to final mixdown.

Obviously this is also a trust your ears situation but I'm interested in reading some of this.
I'm especially wondering if I would be better to double my bass line, have one hard left and one hard right, rather than one bass line running in the middle.

thanks

[RandoRando]

its all personal preference really, but i like to pan my crashes always on the left, and hats alternating between left and right,a ride with no stereo serpation, and some panned hats around it sounds nice

[Basic A]

Leads and VOCALS... 15-25% left or right is the easiest way to make a listener pay attention to an element...

[lyons238]

if i remember correctly i thought a lot of people recommend panning the high end stuff a tad left like hi hats and stuff? is this correct? its what i do anyway because i remember reading something like most right handed ppl can actually pay more attention to detail with their left ear or something idk..

[sixth sense]

I pan my drums like a real kit

[legend4ry]

I pan my drums like a real kit

Indeed.


Everything else it just depends! I like to keep as little centered as possible, I feel tunes are a boring listening experience if both your ears are hearing everything on the same level.

[FuzionDubstep]

hmm never thought about panning different instuments slightly would be a good idea I reckon..
and as everyone says 'whatever sounds good'

just do what sounds good to you if we all followed the rules dubstep wouldnt be where it is today its about trying new things breaking the rules slightly be original

[olyko12]

In the production bible there is a whole thing about drums and panning and dBs
So much info it's hard to remember it all but it's very useful

[Lectric]

PROTIP: Pan all drums and percussion 100% right. Pan Bassline and all synth leads and instruments 100% left.

[RandoRando]

PROTIP: Pan all drums and percussion 100% right. Pan Bassline and all synth leads and instruments 100% left.

And then make the alpacas mono to fill it in?

[jyro]

So at what db do people let their unmastered mixdowns peak at?

[paravrais]

So at what db do people let their unmastered mixdowns peak at?

You sir, need the moneyshot thread: http://dubstepforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=74832

[jyro]

thanks man

[Electric_Head]

think of all your elements as real world sounds.
place them all accordingly.

If I listen to nature, how do I hear the sounds.

Background ambience is just that, background.
Lead sounds lead
etc.

it works for me

[Ennayess]

I'm especially wondering if I would be better to double my bass line, have one hard left and one hard right, rather than one bass line running in the middle.

I dont think so. usually on a decent club system everything below 100hz (ish) gets sumed to mono. if you had 2 basslines in they would have to be identical otherwise you would get phasing issues. phasing on sub is bad

[Electric_Head]

Having identical bass lines would also cause phasing issues if I`m not mistaken.

[Karoshi]

http://en.audiofanzine.com/recording-mi ... ealed.html

edit: link not exactly what you meant, but still an alrite read

[jyro]

Having identical bass lines would also cause phasing issues if I`m not mistaken.

Really? I wouldnt have ever thuoght that. Anyone else have knowledge of this?

[paravrais]

Having identical bass lines would also cause phasing issues if I`m not mistaken.

Really? I wouldnt have ever thuoght that. Anyone else have knowledge of this?

Yup. Layering two identical versions of any sound is never a good idea. If you want to layer something to make it fatter then each layer wants to be quite distinct from the others whether by a different EQ approach or effects processing etc.

[henrebotha]

Soooo much misinformation...

Creating identical copies panned hard left & right is EXACTLY the same as one track centred. That's how stereo works. So no, it won't cause 'phasing issues'. You're just manually making it mono.

I disagree with the idea of 'normal' panning being boring. The Beatles tried panning all their drums to one side, and that hasn't exactly caught on, has it?

If you're 100% committed to trying new things, stop working in stereo and start working in 5.1.