One control can have two names and functions dependent on if the track is stereo or mono.

Stereo tracks use a balance control to raise or lower the signal level of the right and left channels of a track. One way to visualize this is to imagine two volume controls with each control mated to the other so that when one channel has maximum volume the opposing channel has minimum volume.

Mono tracks use a panning control to position the mono sound in a stereo space. As long as the mono track is played in a mono output, like the speaker for an am radio, the panning control has no affect on the sound.

The confusion is caused by each control occupying the same spot on a channel strip while the final output is a stereo mix.


Jim Fogle - 2024 BiaB (1111) RB (5) Ultra+ PAK
DAWs: Cakewalk by BandLab (CbB) - Standalone: Zoom MRS-8
Laptop: i3 Win 10, 8GB ram 500GB HDD
Desktop: i7 Win 11, 12GB ram 256GB SSD, 4 TB HDD
Music at: https://fogle622.wix.com/fogle622-audio-home