The new Logic update adds "true stereo panning."
What is that exactly? Do other DAWs already have it?
"true stereo" panning?
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- KVRAF
- 15272 posts since 8 Mar, 2005 from Utrecht, Holland
Some of the basics need to be explained first:
http://logic-pro-expert.com/logic-pro-b ... ICEnlXhAkI
I understand the default behaviour of the Pan knob on a stereo channel in Logic is like the Balance knob on a hifi amp. Turn it to the left, and you hear only the left channel. Turn it to the right, and you hear only the right channel. Never input from left will leave at the right side, and never input from the right will leave the panner at the left side.
This configuration behaves like you have split the stereo channel into two mono channels where the left channel is panned left (and fixed there) and the right channel is panned right (and fixed.) The pan knob simply adjust faders for the left & right channels.
What I imagine what "true" panning does, is when the pan knob is set left, then input from both left & right are panned to the left. And vice versa. So when viewed like two mono channels, it's not the faders that get adjusted but the pan knobs of the separate channels.
Does that make sense?
http://logic-pro-expert.com/logic-pro-b ... ICEnlXhAkI
I understand the default behaviour of the Pan knob on a stereo channel in Logic is like the Balance knob on a hifi amp. Turn it to the left, and you hear only the left channel. Turn it to the right, and you hear only the right channel. Never input from left will leave at the right side, and never input from the right will leave the panner at the left side.
This configuration behaves like you have split the stereo channel into two mono channels where the left channel is panned left (and fixed there) and the right channel is panned right (and fixed.) The pan knob simply adjust faders for the left & right channels.
What I imagine what "true" panning does, is when the pan knob is set left, then input from both left & right are panned to the left. And vice versa. So when viewed like two mono channels, it's not the faders that get adjusted but the pan knobs of the separate channels.
Does that make sense?
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- KVRAF
- 2357 posts since 24 Nov, 2012
it's a bit of a strange idea without thinking in terms of 360 degrees - for example let's say you are wanting to pan the true stereo field to the left - well anything that is already at the extreme left has nowhere to go so you will have to be narrowing the stereo field as you pan it left (or right)
But I imagine that is wrong so it will be interesting to not google but wait for someone here who knows about these things
But I imagine that is wrong so it will be interesting to not google but wait for someone here who knows about these things
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- KVRian
- 626 posts since 15 Jun, 2015
Yes, true stereo panning is particularly rare in DAWs, because it is also rare on mixing consoles. Imagine the following scenario:
You have a piano with two microphones, one on the treble end of the keyboard, one on the bass end. The stereo image you record has the bass on the left and the treble on the right.
As you turn the typical pan knob to the right in a DAW, the left channel is slowly attenuated so that you no longer hear the bass keys at all (except for maybe some bleed-through from the treble mic).
In true panning, turning the pan knob to the right moves the sound of the treble mic farther to the right, and brings the bass mic over from the left, to the center. In true panning, you are moving the stereo image, rather than just reducing the volume of one side.
You have a piano with two microphones, one on the treble end of the keyboard, one on the bass end. The stereo image you record has the bass on the left and the treble on the right.
As you turn the typical pan knob to the right in a DAW, the left channel is slowly attenuated so that you no longer hear the bass keys at all (except for maybe some bleed-through from the treble mic).
In true panning, turning the pan knob to the right moves the sound of the treble mic farther to the right, and brings the bass mic over from the left, to the center. In true panning, you are moving the stereo image, rather than just reducing the volume of one side.
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- KVRAF
- 3059 posts since 10 Nov, 2013 from Germany
Hi,Penelope wrote:Do other DAWs already have it?
In REAPER you can choose between 3 pan modes per track:
Dual-Pan (1), Stereo-Pan (2), Stereo-Balance(3).
Yes, this is what the Stereo-Pan in REAPER does.What I imagine what "true" panning does, is when the pan knob is set left, then input from both left & right are panned to the left.
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- KVRAF
- 9798 posts since 18 Aug, 2007 from NYC
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- KVRAF
- 1793 posts since 9 Apr, 2011
There are two ways to conceptualize "True Stereo" panning, since a stereo track is just two mono tracks.
The way I think is most correct is dual panning - you can pan each of the channels independently. The most extreme possible pan is both channels playing out of one speaker. With the piano example above you'd hear both bass and treble sides of the piano out of one speaker.
Another method is stereo rotation. This wraps channels around. Since the left channel is, by definition, the farthest left pan possible, and can't go "more left," stereo rotation starts to wrap that around to the right channel. With the piano example above, the most extreme possible pan would be each channel playing out of the opposite speaker than where it started.
The way I think is most correct is dual panning - you can pan each of the channels independently. The most extreme possible pan is both channels playing out of one speaker. With the piano example above you'd hear both bass and treble sides of the piano out of one speaker.
Another method is stereo rotation. This wraps channels around. Since the left channel is, by definition, the farthest left pan possible, and can't go "more left," stereo rotation starts to wrap that around to the right channel. With the piano example above, the most extreme possible pan would be each channel playing out of the opposite speaker than where it started.
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- KVRAF
- 1793 posts since 9 Apr, 2011
A lot of hosts seem to have it as an option that isn't immediately obvious, like Logic and Reaper. It's also the default for stereo tracks in Pro Tools.incubus wrote:
Being able to pan the stereo field is indeed very useful. However, not many hosts have it so I've given up on it being anything important.
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- KVRAF
- 6155 posts since 4 Dec, 2004
All hosts have the ability to do it. The new Logic feature built it into the mixer strip.
It's kinda like Cubase's input gain knob where it's on every channel but every daw has a plugin that can do the same thing and every daw has fx chains or track templates where you can set those things up easily enough, so it's not that big a deal to me personally, but it's nice to have it already there on the channel strip if or when you need it so why not?
Good add.
It's kinda like Cubase's input gain knob where it's on every channel but every daw has a plugin that can do the same thing and every daw has fx chains or track templates where you can set those things up easily enough, so it's not that big a deal to me personally, but it's nice to have it already there on the channel strip if or when you need it so why not?
Good add.
