Quote from: FarleyCZ on January 14, 2016, 12:32:21 am

I think people got used to all kinds of "stereo knobs" so much they forgot the wonders of plain simple panning.

What I don't get is how some tracks seem to have pretty much everything toward the centre, but in a stereoscope the image is quite wide.



In the track I'm working on I've panned things so that (in headphones at least) the panning sounds quite extreme, but the overall image is only registering as about half as wide as the track I linked to.

Ahh so I'm not going to act like I know more than I do, but the problem is your perception of "width" (something that will get better over time, like a muscle)

This article messily sums it up. While the guy knows what he's talking about, his writing style is all over the place. Just control+F "Kraken" and hit play; read the entire thing if you're interested.

http://www.nyonyxx.com/production-help/2015/12/15/mid-side-edm-width-eq-compressor

Melda Productions offer amazing stereo plugins. I just picked some up. The Stereo Widening plugin does wonders for the stereo image it uses some complex algorithm to give a natural wide sound without thinning them out. Then I use the stereo processor which allows you to manipulate the low, low mid, high mid, and high bands separately. Mat Zo recommended them in an earlier thread I highly suggest checking them out!

-Ryan

What I don't get is how some tracks seem to have pretty much everything toward the centre, but in a stereoscope the image is quite wide.

As an example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCvePDQeh18

In the track I'm working on I've panned things so that (in headphones at least) the panning sounds quite extreme, but the overall image is only registering as about half as wide as the track I linked to.

Ok, I'm definitely not a pro, but as in that track all the elements keep moreless the same width and panning, I'd say they mixed it without any special tricks and then cranked it crazy high on master channel. ...but I'm probably wrong.

...but honestly, I find it boring. It might sound good in the club and I guess it's good weapon in loudness war, but I like when the stereo stage is more diversified.

What's the difference between using an imager or a mid/side EQ to make anything below around 100hz mono? Does the EQ just have more control?

For low bass control I use A1StereoControl - a freebie that does quite a decent job at stereo adjustments. Maximus does a good job of it too. I try to leave stereo separation aside unless it's for a creative effect or absolutely necessary (moving white noise FX further from the centre to free up high end for other sounds).

I see a fair few producers use stereo separation for a lot of jobs where panning will well and truly suffice. It starts to make your track very difficult to mix if you overdo this effect, especially because phase issues and phase cancellation start cropping up a lot. I try to limit it to layers or background sounds where their prominence isn't as important as other parts.