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Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
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Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 3,880
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Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 3,880 |
It’s all up to what sounds good to you. Both stacking tracks in the middle mono style and slamming them full L and R are much 60’s things. FWIW not my idea of a soundstage but that’s me.  60's thing, 70's thing, 80's thing, 90's thing, 00's thing, 10's thing and now 20's thing! It never went out of style!  Some folks love LCR and some don't. Whatever! As stated multiple times here if it sounds good then it is good! If you are interested in LCR search Google for "audio LCR explained".
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Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
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Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 15,995
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Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 15,995 |
It's worth noting that there are more than one ways to pan a stereo track. One way seems to raise the gain in the favored channel and reduce it in the less favored channel and leaves the L/R image intact. One way seems to move the full stereo image further left or right. The third (that I know of) seems to separate the channels and allow them to be moved independently. As a corollary to that, stereo widening (and narrowing) is another option. With those choices, I tend to leave stereo tracks stereo. There is often a reason why they are stereo beyond simply how they were recorded/mixed. Some effects even on solo instruments are stereo themselves and it seems best to try to preserve that. Thanks for mentioning the above. I often use Logic Pro’s Direction Mixer that offers a lot of versatility other than just a simple shift. I find it helpful when getting rhythm tracks to cooperate with one another. I’m far from a keys guy but it’s hard for me to, in my mixes, envision a mono Grand Steinway  Bud Bud
Our albums and singles are on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Pandora and more. If interested search on Janice Merritt. Thanks! Our Videos
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Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
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Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 10,738
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Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 10,738 |
Mixing is a huge topic. It's also genre dependent.
BUT....
If a track is stereo, or mono, should depend on how it was recorded and predominately if it is an instrument capable of being a stereo source or a mono source. Drums, and keys, as well as orchestras are typical stereo sources. Bass, horns, fiddles, guitars, are often mono sources.
What I do. If a track is a stereo track, I will rarely pan it. It already has 2 sides for a reason. I will simply leave it centered and adjust the level so it fits the mix. Panning a stereo mix often simply looses one channel of the stereo sound. To alleviate this, you should convert the stereo track to mono and THEN pan it.
Mono tracks are easier to pan and place in the mix. When I pan something, to one side, I like to pan something to the opposite side at the same level to balance the sound.
Like I said.... mixing is a huge topic and more art than science but certainly a mixture of both exist in this thing we do. You get better at mixing by reading about it, learning the tools, listening and discussing mixes you like with others, and then of course, actually mixing. And don;t just mix your stuff..... mix tracks that others have done.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.comAdd nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both. The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
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Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.
ChatPG's knowledge base includes the full Band-in-a-Box User Manual and sales information from the website.
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Season's Greetings!
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Team PG
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