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Always take guides like this as inspiration ideas, NOT rules. Do what you want. It's music. You're free

Its never a wasted time when I watch your tutorials. Thankyou so much Gram. You deserve everything in this world.🔥

Hey Graham, you're an excellent teacher and this tutorial was really helpful. You're clear, concise and easy to listen to. Thanks for the generous tips!

I agree with the LCR. But sometimes on mixes with a ton of tracks I may go to L-50%-C-50%-R. IOW, instead of 3 panning positions I add an extra two. The instruments on the 2 L or R positions are EQ'd and/or compressed against each other quite a bit. But that's about it. Keep it up man, good work!

KEEP IN MIND! When panning drums remember perspective. If you are looking for a drum sound from audience perspective, pan the Tom pots the opposite way that Gram did in this video. Gram had mentioned earlier that the ride was panned left and hats were panned right, meaning that the drum toms should then actually be panned backwards to give audience perspective. Drummer perspective is great too depending on what you're going for, in which hi hats would be panned left, high Tom left, mid Tom, then low Tom right, and ride right. Panning is all about perspective!

Just watched this again (I think after watching it before some time ago), and just as helpful this time around! Been trying to figure out how to have a fuller mix as well as if there are cases where tracks aren't exactly LCR, and this answered that! Thanks Graham, the Lord bless you!

I love automating panning on effects and instruments. Or sections of tracks pan individually then bus them and pan also from there, like dedicated left center or right. Cool stuff

I’ve found that even though I’m currently using free software (Audacity) for mixing/processing, your instruction has been very helpful. Love this channel!

Great tips! :-) I would usually group/collect similar instruments together (strings/pads, rhodes/organs, open hihats/closed hihats, saw synth/square synth) and pan them in pairs left and right in different amounts. Some 10%, some 40%, some 70% and some 100%. Focusing on placing lead instruments closest to the centerpoint... That way, in addition to level matching and proper eq, would give you great separation and clarity to your tracks... I would also pan the drumkit as seen from a audience perspective. (Kick-center, snare-10% right, toms-center, 20% right, 70% right). Bass, kick and lead vocals always in center...

Hi Gram. I am just starting out to mix and master my own song. Thanks for the tutorial. It helped a lot.

To pan a stereo track I use 'Time Adjuster' (AVID stock plugin) to trim L / R sides independently, thereby acquiring the "Pan" effect. I find that approach meaningful over those two pan knobs of pro tools, which changes the direction of sound, overlapping original sides thereby destroying any existing stereo image.

Correction: The exotic panning was between 1967 - 1975. Most stereos back in the late 50's and 60's were one piece furniture sets with speakers 3 feet apart built in. And that's why for the first 9 years of stereo mixing it either: hard left - Center - hard right or hard left - hard right (With nothing in the middle) The hard left - center - hard right panning of songs you hear in the sixties was the norm. It was by no means exotic. The crazy panning would start in 1967. A good rule to remember for mixing stereo today: In center always: Lead vocal, kick, snare and bass. - If you have a single vocal dubbed on two tracks then you can space them out. For example: 2 and ten o'clock. Or 9 and 3 o'clock. Or even hard left and hard right. - Two rhythm guitars playing the same part should usually be panned hard left and hard right. Or 85% left and 85% right. - Yes, unless it's stereo piano, organ or harpisord sum the stereo keyboard parts to mono. Too many "stereo keyboard" parts in your mix will not sound good. Remember up until 1979 most keyboards on record were mono. Except for some piano and organ. Stereo keyboard parts just wasted tracks. But when it's 1967 and all you have is a Scully 284-12 (1 inch 12 track) then you don't waste track space with silly notions like stereo piano and drums. What is next? You would be wanting FIRE and the WHEEL next! - This might help the inexperienced only mix with these 11 positions: - Hard Left - halfway of halfway (8 pm) - halfway left (9 o'clock) - a third left (10 o'clock) - a bit left (11 o'clock) - THE CENTER (noon!) - A bit right (1 o'clock) - A third right (2 o'clock) - Halfway right (3 o'clock) - Halfway of halfway (4 o'clock) - Hard right (5 o'clock) Or what might be easier. Stick to: - Center - 10 and 2 o'clock - 9 and 3 o'clock - Hard left and Hard right. And Don't be afraid to move solos and stuff around in the mix. And remember your Effect Return channels get panned to! After 17 years of doing this professional I can tell you to LISTEN TO GRAHAM.

You are fantastic! Thank you for everything 😀

Another awesome lesson - your teaching is ace buddy!

This give me a head start! Thank for the video!🤜🤛

Thank you so much for this teaching. I am a beginner learning to record my own songs

Where is the LOVE button??? This was so helpful. I know when I can "hear" something different, but you have used terminology and shown example that makes it all come together in my brain. Thank you!!

Dude ur awesome, very helpful thank you!

Wow this is Gold. Love the track

Thank you Graham. I haven't used any reference before, I'm really gonna start that

Thanks I need to listed too this program over & over to gets a full understand

Thank You so much Sir, you have helped me a great deal!!!!

You are soooooo good bro - thx for this video 💎🎵🎵🎵

Great tutorial, thanks for posting

Brilliant video! Thank you 🙏

Awesome info. Thank you!

The type of video i always wanted

Very helpful vid. Thank you!

having used ableton live lite for over a year (8 track limit). seeing a project with what feels like 100 or more tracks in insane to my eyes

This is awesome. Thank you.

Thank you for these videos

Love your pdf . Gonna read all carefully

great vid, minor note, usually when I use superior drummer I record each drum in mono within pro tools but keep the overheads and ambient mics stereo because those are the mics that have true stereo imaging.

Thank you for this information.

Very good tutorial

Thank you 👍

My DAW has stereo plugin. Very useful. You can make video on stereo plugins an how you like to use them. I mean the plugins which delay the signal on the left or right and make things sound stereo.

i like to use LCR but at like an 80/20 ratio, with the 20% being slightly panned drums, percussion or some type of ambient/movement FX off a center instrument. so maybe like a main synth melody down the center, but with a decently-wide stereo chorus, delay or reverb that pushes it out may 30% to each side or so. most, if not all, main instruments i usually pan hard or center, especially double-tracked & wet/dry parts. doubled harmony/rhythm parts panned hard opposite, dry/wet panned hard opposite. i also like to take 2 different instruments & pan them hard opposite with each of their "wet" signals panned opposite (dry guitar hard left & wet guitar hard right + dry synth hard right & wet synth hard left) some things change depending on the part of the song & often, whatever needs to be the main focus, i place literally "front & center". perfect example is a solo... you don't want it "masked" to the side, you want it right down the middle, usually without lots of reverb which would pull it back or further away from you. just a raw & loud signal "front & center".

Thank you

good job!

Education. Education. Thanks.

Hey Graham, I've been devouring your lessons the last couple days and learning SO much. So thank you! Quick q: if I'm mixing in mono, at what point should I pan?

Good advice.

Thank you 🙏🏽

I started on a Fostex 4 track and track 3 was always striped with SMPTE timecode so the sequencer would follow. Yeah so 3 tracks for audio. Common sense was required back in those days

I recommend listening to this with earbuds or headphones to get the full effect

I suggest while doing this checking mono compatibility.

Drawing is a great idea to map it! Thank You Graham!

Hi Graham, I tried to join your webinar today at 4pm but it didn’t work. :( I was looking forward to it as well. Is there another way to view the course. It didn’t work on both safari or chrome.

this is good.

I programmed some drums in Hydrogen. When I bounced, all the tracks came out in stereo. When I imported them to PT, I deleted half of those tracks, and then panned them as I had mic'ed them from a real drum kit.

So I followed your video about mixing in Mono. Worked a treat..... so now are you suggesting to now pan that Mono mix?

As a counter to the philosophy presented. Historically you keep bassy elements centred cause on vinyl the grooves spaz out otherwise. Go crazy panning everything else. You have 2 ears, use them. Or. Think of if you were watching a live performance. How it would translate sonically and tryn recreate that. So (depending on if you take the stage or audience perspective) you pan the snare left or right, with toms on other side. Same with hats vs the ride.

Would you be able to do a video on copywriting your song's? Many thanks :)

Nice

I was wondering wouldn’t doing a mid pan cause phase issues?

graham i've only watched 2 of your videos, by random chance, both hit on your advice concerning mono vs stereo, can you clarify? i am using an old version of cakewalk 2003. each track has the option to turn mono off/on. should the original tracking be recorded in mono, mixed in mono then stereo turned back on after mixing, or record in stereo then turn it off to mono and mix?

what's the effect when you put the left panning knob all the way to the right and the right panning knob all the way to the left? thanks in advance

Pretty sure I'm correct but always want to double check myself. For heavy music like melodic death metal many of the tracks come within around the 80% width, correct? If I'm correct I assume its to get a powerful, consolidated mix that punches and is less desperate.

RESPECT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi virtual teacher, which DAW do you use more?

Cant say I am exclusive with either I do both pending on what i am looking to achieve

I haven't been able to solve one problem with adjusting the stereo field. Consider a project with 2 rhythm guitar panned left and right, drums, and a bass and a lead guitar down the middle (genre: hard rock, metal, etc.). My problem is with adjusting the levels. Say I adjust the levels while monitoring in stereo and get everything right. When I switch to mono, elements right in or near the centre like the lead guitar, snare, hi-hat, etc. become too loud. When I turn those down and sounding right in mono, these elements become too quiet in stereo. How do I approach this problem? Also, the result of panning the rhythm guitars hard left and right is that it makes them disappear in mono. How do some bands (eg. Lamb of God) get their hard panned guitars sound so wide and yet still cut through in mono with just double tracking? Please help!! 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

why pro tools has 2 knob for the pan? I use another DAW and I don't understand its law pan

So should i EQ before panning?

Hi I'm using a 1970s AKG C414 condenser mic with Cubasis on iOS, Through a behringer UMD 404, my voice is either too loud or too quiet i can't seem to get it spot on. I have all the software EQs, CompressorFX, Is it better to record quiet then increase volume later.

Is it good practice to widen low mid synth bass (using haas effect) underneath a bass guitar (or another synth bass) on the center? To give a sense of width to the low end/low mids?

GREAT VIDEO! BTW, what is the name of the song? It's awesome!

what song is this? was is completed? id like to listen to final version.

How come when your panning the toms the high tom is left and mid-low toms right ?? Are we assuming its a left handed kit?? Because when u listen to music if you close your eyes and pretend the band is in front of you the toms would actually roll right/centre/left !!! Am i wrong ??

What’s the name of this song and who is the artist?

Pro tools is a good DAW but it's somewhat weird. Logic Pro is much more transparent.

my tracks are panned since day one

Wow!!Gram thanks again for your #PriceLess info!!! How about I pay you $120 a week to intern!!??

Can you do a Summary from all of your Video Themes. A Summary of all the themes? Would be great!

❤️❤️❤️❤️🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

I fucking love the sing tho!

Never ever pan bass it Will cause phase issues means cancellation right...

I'm afraid of frequencies start to compete with each other in the mix.

Fast F to about 3:30

bass is omnidirectional in the real world. keep it there in the middle in the mix to sound like a real bass wave.

Why not split the stereo tracks into mono and delete the superfluous tracks?

Just a comment I've no right to make cos you're the expert, not me. You did a 'use a reference track' guide which I can't find now cos I'm bad at searching KZfaq. As well as listening to all the mixer of the reference track did RIGHT, listen to what you DON'T like about it. Are bits too harsh to you? Do bits stick out too much? Do sounds sound odd cos they've had the bejeezus EQ'd out of them? Try out a mix with the bits you don't like in the ref. track put 'right' - said advisedly, you'll see why - in yours. I bet, like me, you'll discover one of 2 things. The first is there's a REASON why the other guy did all the things he did in the mix - and you've learned what it is the hard way, just like he did. If you don't learn/see that.... You've just discovered your ideas, though different, are as GOOD as the other guy's and congratulations on that. I find reasoning out what you DON'T like in a mix is equally as helpful as spotting what you DO like and you learn about your own abilities either way. Yours respectfully Chris.

Holy autotune Batman

Hooo leee fook that horrific autotune

Kept waiting for guitars. Waiting and waiting. Nope. That’s why so much music sounds so generic. It’s all just electronic except the vocals. Good overview. Tell the artist about this thing called a guitar. 🤓

The title implies the poster has found some solution to a problem vexing mixers everywhere. How silly. What’s next? Maybe, “how you should write your songs”.

Those vocals are tuned. So don't be afraid to use auto tune. EVERYBODY is doing it and you basically have to, in order to make a competitive record even if you are a great singer. Just use your great singing for live performances. What a world. ;)

Thank you