It might be easier to think of the drum kit as one stereo instrument, rather than multiple individual tracks. One exception to this rule is the drum kit. As a general rule, it's best to keep low-frequency instruments (like kick and bass) panned closer to the center, and high-frequency instruments (like guitars, keyboards and overheads) panned to the sides. With a strong center channel, you can use the other instruments in the mix to help sculpt your stereo image. Finally, the lead vocal is the most important element of the mix, and needs to be front and center to keep the listener's attention. That's why we typically leave any bass-heavy tracks panned in the center. Due to the way our ears perceive sound, it’s difficult to detect where bass frequencies are coming from. The kick and snare provide the beat of the song, so it's important to keep them centered. Traditionally, the kick, snare, bass and vocal tracks are panned directly in the center, as it is the focal point of your mix. It allows you to place instruments from left to right, effectively determining where the left and right walls of your mix are, and how close each instrument is to them. Panning is your most powerful tool for sculpting the stereo image. Now that you understand the basics of stereo imaging, let's take a look at some of the tools you can use to dial in the width, depth and height of your track. Visualizing a variety of different mixes in unique genres helped me to understand the relationship between each instrument and how to place each of them within the stereo image. A stereo instrument might stretch all the way from the left side of the room to the right side, while a mono instrument will sit neatly in the center.Ī bass instrument will sit closer to the floor, while a high-pitched instrument will be closer to the ceiling.Ī dry track with no reverb will sound like it’s at the front of the room, while a heavily reverberant percussion instrument will sit farther away at the back of the room.ĭavid Gibson does a great job of explaining this concept in his book, The Art of Mixing -although the audio and visual references are a bit dated. When sculpting the stereo image of a track, try to visualize each instrument in a three-dimensional space. It represents the "floor and ceiling" of the mix, with bass frequencies perceived as closer to the floor, and high-pitched frequencies perceived as closer to the ceiling.Ī well-balanced track will sound rich and full throughout the entire frequency spectrum. Height is the perceived distance from the top to the bottom of the track. It is controlled using volume levels, reverb, and other time-based effects. This represents the "left and right walls" of the mix.ĭepth is the perceived distance between the listener and the "back wall" of the mix. It is the easiest dimension to manipulate and is controlled using the pan knobs on each track. Width is the perceived distance between sounds in the left and right speakers. However, music exists in a three-dimensional space (four, if you count time), which means multiple factors contribute to the stereo image of a track. The size of the room is defined by the amount of reverb or delay on each track, which helps your ear identify how close to the "walls" of the room each instrument is. Other rooms sound large and reverberant.Įach instrument takes up space in the room, depending on the panning position, frequency response and overall level. It's essentially the "room" in which your track is playing. Stereo image is the perceived spatial location of sound sources within a track. But first, let's talk about how our ears perceive stereo sound. In this blog, you'll learn how to dial in a balanced stereo image in any session to help you create immersive soundscapes. Instead, you'll need to carefully place instruments throughout the stereo spectrum, and use a few plug-ins to help enhance the illusion. But simply hard panning instruments left and right won't create the desired effect. Want to make powerful, immersive tracks that surround the listener with deep, detailed sound? The secret is a wide stereo image.
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