What is panning

What is Panning? - Corel Discovery Center

By Blair Gable

Photo

, Insight & Inspiration

photography

, photo tips

, camera panning

Panning is a photographic technique that combines a slow shutter speed with camera motion to create a sense of speed around a moving object. It is a way to keep your subject in focus while blurring your background.

Panning is typically done on a subject moving horizontally, such as a moving car, or a running dog. It can also be done vertically, while tracking someone diving into a pool off a high board or someone jumping up and down.

This is an advanced technique that requires lots of practice to master.

How to Pan:

Choose your moving target
Set your shutter speed somewhere below 1/60^th of a second (set your ISO and f-stop to achieve a proper exposure around your chosen shutter speed).
Move your body and camera at the same pace as the moving subject
Keep the subject in focus and hold down the camera trigger to continuously shoot frames as you move with the subject. Keep shooting through the entire rotation.

Tips when starting out with camera panning:

Practice this technique on a relatively slow moving subject like someone walking or riding a bike. The faster the subject moves, the faster you have to move.

Use a shutter speed between 1/60^th to 1/30^th of a second to start. The slower the shutter speed, the harder it is to keep steady during the exposure. Using these shutter speeds should help you practice the feel and motion.

Use the largest f-stop possible – the smaller the f-stop, the harder it is to nail the focus. The less you need to worry about the focal plane, the more you can concentrate on the motion.

If you are shooting in bright sunlight, you may need to find shade or use a neutral density filter in order to get your shutter speed low enough. A neutral density filter is like sunglasses for your camera lens.

It may be helpful to use a monopod when you are first trying this. A tripod would probably be too cumbersome, even with a motion head. I prefer to use myself as a tripod but use what feels comfortable when starting out.

How to stabilize yourself while panning:

Start from a standing or kneeling position. Hold your camera in both hands as you normally would. Firmly press your elbows into your rib cage. Firmly plant your feet or knees in a slightly wide stance. Rotate your entire upper body while panning, not just your hands; everything from the hips up should rotate. Inhale, hold, fire away. It is important that you are in a position that you are not tilting or wobbling while you are moving. The more locked-in and compact your position is, the steadier your rotation will be.

Progressing further:

– Challenge yourself by panning with faster moving objects like motorbikes or galloping horses.
– Practice with a slower shutter speed and really push your ability to freeze a moving object while completely blurring everything around it.
– Use a smaller f-stop, giving you a shallower depth of field and more extreme background blurs.
– Try shooting just one frame rather than a continuous stream. Can you consistently nail a pan with one frame?
– Vertical panning is much harder that horizontal panning so put your skills to the test!

Here are the camera settings for my examples:

Camera mode – manual (M)
ISO – 100-200
Shutter speed – 1/30^th – 1/10^thof a second
F-Stop – f16 – f22
White balance – Auto

Focus – Auto

AI Servo – continuous auto focus
– first image priority – focus
– second image priority – speed

Frame rate – Continuous High, 6 frames per second

My gear:

Canon 5D mark III
Canon 24-70 f2. 8 II lens
Lexar Professional 600x 32 GB compact flash card

What is Audio Panning and How to Use it in Your Music

Panning music is one of the best ways to take your music from an enjoyable experience to an immersive one. Extending your music across the stereo spectrum isn't just great for your listener, it can also create needed space in your mix , allowing your tracks to shine in the way you intended.

That being said, there is such thing as right and wrong when it comes to learning how to pan instruments and other sounds in music production. We've put together a comprehensive guide on all things panning.

Below, we'll discuss what panning is and how you can mix music across the left and right stereo channels. We'll also share some songs with different panning techniques so that you can hear examples to inform your future tracks. Let's jump into it!

What Is Panning In Music?

Generally speaking, panning refers to taking a stereo or mono track and distributing it throughout the left and right channels of a stereo field. You're able to control a track's position within a stereo image using an audio pan pot or a slider for pan control.

Panning allows producers and musicians to produce a wider sonic experience, which also opens up mixing and sonic possibilities with different pan positions. Most studio tracks today use some sort of panning, but you can also find panning examples in older music as discussed below.

Examples of Panning In Music

Here are a few of the best examples of panning in music. Be sure to listen to the difference between the sound of the left and right speakers on your playback device. You'll find that some instruments are more pronounced on one side over the other. This is a result of the pan control setting determined for each track in the following songs:

"Mr. Brightside" By The Killers

This iconic track opens with panning that may be a bit extreme for some listeners, though it's certainly a part of the song's all-consuming feel. First, you'll feel the guitar's central guitar lick on the extreme left side of the stereo pan, followed up by super-compressed drums coming in on the right speaker.

You'll notice that the panning position sounds different after the intro. The drums are switched center, and it feels as though the middle range of the song is filled out as opposed to hard panning. As this song exemplifies, panning automation alone can easily distinguish one section of a song from another, making it an essential tool for any music producer.

"Such Great Heights" By The Postal Service

This 2000's indie classic uses simple analog pan controls to create a compelling synth line that's more or less repetitive opening up the song. Most of the opening synth line stays panned center while occasional drops of synth escape to the left speaker and back to the right, creating interest.

"Yesterday" by The Beatles

You can find plenty of examples of extreme panning in 60s music, and the Beatles are no exception. The stereo image as we know it was an emerging technology at that point in time, so adding panning to the left and right buses allowed listeners to experience music in a whole new way. Today, the hard pan right then extreme left may seem a bit intense, but there's another reason why these recordings were this way outside of novelty:

Back then, the typical physical recording console only had three options: 1) L (left pan) 2) C (center pan) and 3) R (Right pan) or left center right for short. And so, lcr panning was born. The imaging technology has advanced since then, but plenty of listeners continue to enjoy the switched extreme from one channel to the other featured in older compositions.

What Is A Pan Pot?

A pan pot stands for panning potentiometer. It is a pan control that allows you to distribute mono sounds or stereo sounds between the left and right sides of the stereo field. Pan pots take the direct signal and split it to the left or right channel at equal volume. If a pan pot is set at 0, it is considered center so the sound is distributed equally between the left and right speakers.

The closer an audio panning is to zero, the less it is panned. So, the position indicator would tell you that at 50 to the left ear is harder panned than an instrument set at 13 which would only be panned slightly.

Where Should Different Instruments Be Panned In A Mix?

Just like any other music production technique, audio panning is entirely subjective. You are free to place mono and stereo instruments in any iteration you choose. That being said, it may be helpful to have a basic framework of where certain instruments lie.

Use this as a rough outline for right and left channel pan positions, but don't forget to experience! This model also assumes that your instruments panned left and right are balanced on either side, which isn't necessarily essential depending on the mix, so take this with a grain of salt.

Center Pan

Generally speaking, this is where you want to keep the body, or the most important or grounding parts of your song. This could be lead vocals, bass guitar, the central kick drum, and snare from the drum kit. Central sounds are the ones you want most audible to the listener. Other low-frequency sounds may be best placed in the center of a stereo mix.

Hard Left and Right

These are typically higher-pitched sounds that add shimmer to a mix without being overbearing in their own space. Typically, these are high-pitched sounds like a hi-hat, drum overheads, or atmospheric pad.

Somewhere In The Middle Of The Stereo Spectrum

These sounds add depth to your mix but are panned so that they don't detract from the limited real estate in the center of a mix. This could be electric guitars or a stereo piano track, background vocals, acoustic guitar. Typically, these are mid-range frequencies that help support the general idea of the stereo track.

How To Use Panning In Your Music

Without further ado, here are some ways you can implement panning instruments into your tracks. This moving image technology will undoubtedly enhance your songs, so be sure to try out some of these strategies on your next mix!

Identify Your Center

Sometimes, the best way to craft your panning strategy is to figure out which limited amount of sounds you want in the center of your mix. Figure out your focus: For example, maybe you want the bass guitar to take center stage in a particular section. You know that's the center, so fill in the rest of the pieces from there, taking care to fill out your right and left output levels while preventing too many sounds from building up in the same space.

Automate For A More Dynamic Mix

Don't forget to experiment with panning automation throughout your mix. It's a common theory that the chorus of a song should "open up" or feel wider. Perhaps you automate an incoming source channel to hard pan to the left or right once the chorus hits. Whatever it may be, don't skimp out on this automation opportunity.

Pay Attention To How EQ and Pan Interact With One Another

Sometimes, simply panning one sound to a different position can eliminate the need to EQ out a problematic frequency. Just be aware that EQ and panning controls interact with each other, so you'll need to keep their relationship in perspective while working through your mixes.

According to pan law, sounds behave differently depending on where they are placed within a stereo field. Pan laws are different for every DAW , but the main gist is that there are several ways to adjust a sound's position and that the type of movement may also affect the amplitude of the signal. Everything is interrelated, including panning.

Play With Different Panning Balances

It's common to pan one instrument, such as an acoustic guitar equal parts on the left as you would on the right. While this is a perfectly valid approach, don't forget to let yourself try different combinations! You never know what might work for any particular song, so work with as many different balances as possible.

Try Implementing Pan Restrictions

Sometimes, the most creative decisions can come out of restrictions. If you're having trouble figuring out pan positions, set your pan pots to specific values so that tracks can only be panned to 3-5 values as you would with lcr panning. This will undoubtedly make for some unique mix sounds and help you hear your audio in a whole new way.

Try To Visualize Your Sounds

Before moving the on-screen virtual knobs or your pan pot, try to visualize where you want each sound to be. This simple exercise can give you full gameplay so that you're not panning blindly. It's also a good idea to try and visualize the stereo field while listening to reference tracks. Notice where the bass, drums, acoustic guitar, vocals, etc. all lie, and take these insights back to your own work.

Give Your Ears a Rest and Test Your Mix

As with any mix, it can be helpful to take a break to prevent ear fatigue. Don't forget to give your mixes time to develop, and experiment with different panning positions as needed. It can also be helpful to test your mix in mono to create a cleaner pan. When in doubt, let your mix breathe and pick it up again when you have a fresh sonic perspective.

Panning allows producers to fill a defined space sonically, producing a better listening experience and endless production possibilities for all of us. Have fun utilizing this essential effect in your sessions.

What is panning - Learn4Joy Website for musicians

What is panning ? The value of this function in the mixing of a track is fundamental. Simply put, this is the arrangement of musical instruments in space. I mean in the musical space.

By default, the sound source is located in the center (center channel) and we can position it as we wish, left, right, front and back in a horizontal plane.

Panning is determined by the X, Y and Z coordinates. The X axis is horizontal, the Y axis is vertical and the Z axis determines the distance of the sound, which in turn is achieved by delay effects such as reverb. Sound position along the Y axis is determined by dynamic processing , such as a compressor

There are two types of sound source : mono - dot, and sound areas - sound that is located in a certain place acoustic space .

On the Y axis - the pitch, its dynamic characteristics are determined. The transparent arrow indicates the position of the signal in the soundstage (distance).

The picture shows two instruments - a guitar and a piano. The guitar has a value of X3 - it is recorded in mono, i.e. it is a point source of sound. The sound of the piano was filmed with two microphones, left and right (stereo). These two signals are panned.

Panning in virtual studios

We will consider panning on the model shown in the image above. We will work in Steinberg Cubase , since this studio is one of the most popular. We have a mono guitar track. With the help of the pan adjustment slider, you can position the instrument at the desired location in the acoustic space. Let's set the guitar's pan to R60.

Pan control

With a grand piano, the situation is slightly different. Here we have a stereo recording, so the piano will be placed at stereo track . You need to know and take into account the fact that in stereo tracks, when adjusting the panorama, you just make the right or left channel louder or quieter. And this is not quite what we need.

Ways to pan stereo tracks:

First way: Many but not all virtual studios have a "Stereo Dual Panner" or "Stereo Combined Panner" feature. We need to turn on the stereo pan function in the stereo balance. To do this, select the desired item in the controller:

The second way: is to import the track as a Stereo Split, i.e. we take two mono tracks with a left and a right channel and give those tracks a pan value, each with its own. SplitStereo is done in the following way. File -> Import -> Audio File, check the box next to "Split Channels", then click "Different tracks" and divide the stereo track into two mono tracks.

Add two SplitStereo tracks to our sequencer.

And the third way: using panning plugins, such formats as RTAS, VST, etc. These plugins can be: Retro Sampling BALANCE, Waves S1 Stereo Imager, as well as Sleepy Time Records Dual Panner, Flux Stereo Tool, and many others. you won't have a problem with them.

Now we will work with the classical channel regulator. Set the piano's pan values to L80 (left channel) and R30 (right channel). Let's listen to an audio example.

Solving panning problems

What is panning for ? The main tasks are listed below:

creating special effects.
left and right channel balancing;
lightening and adding transparency to the mix without losing the intent of the piece;
sound distribution in acoustic space;

The image below shows a variant of the arrangement of instruments in the acoustic space. Before mixing a track, imagine, or better yet, graphically indicate on paper the location of the instruments in your mix.

Once you've created a sketch, distribute the panorama according to your idea. Rely only on your imagination and of course only on hearing. It is very important to know and understand that there is a limit of 60° in the width of the acoustic space. If you form an equilateral triangle between the listener and two stereo speakers, then this will be the ideal sound source location for the listener.

2. Ensuring maximum transparency of the sound picture. What does “transparency” mean in this case and what are the reasons for the “turbidity” of the mix?

One of the main problems is sound masking . If sound sources have similar characteristics of timbre and frequencies, and they sound from the same point in the acoustic space, then we will not be able to clearly separate them. To better understand this problem, let's take an example from everyday life. Let's say that you are talking on the phone in your apartment and decide to wash an apple at the same time. When you open the tap, you realize that you have stopped hearing what they say in the tube.

But if you heard a washing machine in the background of your conversation, even if it was much louder, then you would hear everything clearly. The secret is simple - the noise of water from the tap is close in frequency to the sound coming from the phone and therefore the frequencies sounding from it are masked.

The audio example below demonstrates the masking effect.

Below is a list of instruments that are not panned (sounding in the center), causing the mix to become muddy and muddy.

Lead with distortion effect and added Ping-Pong Delay.
Electronic bass
Organ;
Crunch Rhythm Guitar;

The timbre of all instruments is quite similar, which makes it difficult to read each of them individually. Snare and Clap also mask some hit beats.

Let's start minimizing the masking effect. Let's work with the hat. We breed 2 main hi-hats left and right for 5 minutes, additional hats for ten minutes to the left.

Since the lead is the main melody, we will place it in the center. Set the electric guitar mono track halfway to the left, and the organ stereo track halfway to the right. And listen to the result:

Thus, we were able to achieve transparency and the main instruments began to sound clear.

Left and right channel balancing. Keep an eye on the balance, and deviations can be determined either by ear, or look at the indicator in the master section.

4. Creation of special effects. The movement of sound in space is what is meant. There is an automatic (cyclic) movement (Auto-Panner) and arbitrary. Auto-Panner is very often used for keyboards (Rhodes), reverse cymbals, etc. It can be used with effects such as chorus, flanger or phaser, making it just incredible sound.

The transition from one channel to another is also very effective. For example, this can be applied to Noise Sweep (opening white noise). Very often used in dance music. And you can perform this element using automation in the program in which you work (for example, Cubase).

How to pan correctly

This is just a personal opinion, and what and how to do is up to you. Rely on your ear and creative imagination.

Kick and snare, bass and vocals should be in the center. Any experimentation with panning the kick and bass can actually mess up the mix. The vocal part is the main one, so it is in the center. This also applies to any solo parts (lead, guitar solo).
Drum set elements are placed in the sound space as they are in reality. An example is shown in the image above. Keys, ensembles and orchestras are panned according to the same principle.
As already mentioned, keep the balance of both channels. Avoid imbalance and displacement of sound energy.
Never distribute instruments 100 percent to the left or right in the acoustic space. By narrowing the width of acoustic and synth stereo instruments and backing vocals, you'll have more room to use stereo effects such as delay, reverb, chorus, flanger, and more.
To achieve even greater transparency in certain parts of the mix, use pan automation. .
Use Auto-Panner to give the instrument more movement and readability.

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Tags: sound recording sound engineering basics panning

What is audio panning and how to use it in music

Music panning is one of the best ways to turn music listening from enjoyable to exciting. Spreading the music across the entire stereo spectrum is not only beneficial for the listener, but also creates the necessary space in mix , letting your tracks shine the way you intended.

However, there are things right and wrong when it comes to learning how to pan instruments and other sounds in music production. We have compiled a comprehensive guide to all things panning.

Below we will discuss what panning is and how you can mix music on the left and right stereo channels. We will also share a few songs with different panning techniques so you can hear examples for your future tracks. Let's get started!

What is panning in music?

Generally speaking, panning means taking a stereo or mono track and spreading it across the left and right channels of a stereo field. You can control the position of a track in a stereo image using the audio pan or the pan control slider.

Panning allows producers and musicians to create a wider sonic experience, which also opens up mixing and sonic possibilities at different pan positions. Most studio tracks today use some form of panning, but you can also find examples of panning in older music, as discussed below.

Examples of panning in music

Here are some of the best examples of panning in music. Be sure to listen to the difference between the sound of the left and right speakers on your playback device. You will find that some instruments sound more distinct on one side than on the other. This is the result of adjusting the pan control defined for each track in the following songs:

"Mr.

Brightside" by The Killers

This iconic track opens with panning that may seem a bit extreme to some listeners, though it's certainly part of the song's all-consuming feel. You will first hear the center guitar strum on the far left side of the stereo pan, followed by super-compressed drums coming from the right speaker.

You'll notice that the pan position sounds different after the intro. The drums are centered and it feels like the song's mid-range is full, as opposed to panning hard. As this song shows, panning automation can easily distinguish one part of a song from another, making it an indispensable tool for any music producer.

"Such Great Heights" By The Postal Service

This 2000s indie classic uses simple analog pan controls to create a compelling synth line that more or less repeats as the song opens. Most of the initial synth line stays in the center, while the occasional synth blobs go into the left speaker and back into the right, creating interest.

"Yesterday" by The Beatles

There are many examples of extreme panning in the music of the 60s, and the Beatles are no exception. Stereo imaging as we know it was still an emerging technology at the time, so the addition of panning to the left and right busses allowed listeners to experience music in a whole new way. Panning hard to the right and then to the left may seem too intense today, but there's another reason why these recordings were made that way and not the new way:

Back then, a typical physical recording console only had three options: 1) L (left pan) 2) C (center pan) and 3) R (Right pan) or left center right for short. This is how lcr panning was born. Since then, visualization technology has improved, but many listeners continue to enjoy the channel-to-channel switching characteristic of older compositions.

What is a saucepan?

Pan pot means pan pot. This is a pan control that allows you to distribute mono or stereo sounds between the left and right sides of the stereo field. The pan pots take a direct signal and distribute it to the left or right channel at the same volume. If the pan control is set to 0, it is considered to be the center one, so the sound is distributed equally between the left and right speakers.

The closer the sound's panning is to zero, the less it's panned. Thus, the position indicator will tell you that at 50 the left ear pans more strongly than the instrument set at 13, which will only be panned slightly.

Where should the various instruments be panned in the mix?

Like any other music production technique, sound panning is completely subjective. You are free to place mono and stereo instruments in any iteration of your choice. However, it can be helpful to have a basic understanding of where certain tools are located.

Use this as a rough sketch of the left and right channel pan positions, but don't forget the experience! This model also assumes that your left and right panned instruments are balanced on both sides, which isn't necessarily significant depending on the mix, so take that with a grain of salt.

Center panel

Generally speaking, this is where you want to keep the body, or the most important or grounding parts of your song. It can be vocals, bass guitar, center drum and drum kit crackle. The center sounds are the ones you want the listener to hear the most. Other low frequency sounds are best placed in the center of the stereo mix.

Rigid left and right

These tend to be high frequency sounds that add shimmer to the mix but are not overpowering in their own space. These are usually high-pitched sounds such as a hi-hat, top drum, or atmospheric pad.

Somewhere in the middle of the stereo spectrum

These sounds add depth to your mix, but are panned so that they don't detract from the limited space in the center of the mix. It can be an electric guitar or a stereo piano, background vocals, an acoustic guitar. As a rule, these are mids that help support the overall idea of a stereo track.

How to use panning in music

Without further ado, here are a few ways you can incorporate instrument panning into your tracks. This moving picture technology is sure to enhance your songs, so be sure to try some of these strategies in your next mix!

Find your center

Sometimes the best way to develop a panning strategy is to determine what limited number of sounds you want to see in the center of the mix. Determine the focus: For example, you want the bass guitar to take center stage in a particular section. You know this is the center, so fill in the rest of the parts from there, taking care to fill the output levels on the right and left, without letting too many sounds pile up in one space.

Automation for a more dynamic mix

Don't forget to experiment with panning automation throughout the mix. According to the generally accepted theory, chorus of the song should "open up" or become wider. Perhaps you are automating the input channel of the source to pan hard left or right after the chorus. Whatever it is, don't miss out on this automation opportunity.

Pay attention to how EQ and panning interact with each other

Sometimes simply panning one sound to another position can eliminate the need for an equalizer problem frequency. Remember that the EQ and Pan controls interact with each other, so you need to be aware of their relationship when working on your mixes.

According to the law of panning, sounds behave differently depending on where they are located in the stereo field. The panning laws are different for each DAW , but the bottom line is that there are several ways to adjust the position of a sound, and that the type of movement can also affect the amplitude of the signal. Everything is interconnected, including panning.

Play with different pan balances

Usually one instrument, such as an acoustic guitar, is panned to the left as well as to the right. While this approach makes sense, don't forget to try different combinations! You never know what might work in a particular song, so work with as many different balances as possible.

Try to introduce restrictions for pans

Sometimes the most creative decisions can be made under constraints. If you find it difficult to determine the position of the pan, set your pan pots to specific values so that the lanes can only be panned 3-5 values, as is done with lcr panning. This will undoubtedly create a unique sounding mix and help you hear the sound in a new way.

Try visualizing your sounds

Before moving the virtual knobs on the screen or the pan knob, try to imagine where you want each sound to appear. This simple exercise can give you a complete picture of the game so you don't pan blindly. It is also useful to try to visualize the stereo field while listening to the reference tracks. Pay attention to where the bass, drums, acoustic guitar, vocals, etc.