Improving your image (stereo that is)

[SafeandSoundMastering]

A short text about getting a better stereo image during mixing:

Stereo Imaging

I hope it is of interest, I commonly advise on this issue so it should be useful.

cheers

SafeandSound Mastering

[*Noodles*]

Not a bad article - but I'd be interested to hear about how much emphasis you place on panning for space, not just widely panned channels causing phase cancellations.

I absolutely agree that mono compatibility it certainly a way to ensure that mix won't fall into self and keeping relative balance.

[SafeandSoundMastering]

Thanks Noodles, I am going to be honest with panning of mono sources at least, I put instruments where I want it to be in the stereo image (I rarely mix these day tbh), rarely anything too wide unless it's part of a stereo pair on overheads (and thats going to relate to how they were recorded mix position wise and also subjectively mix preference wise). It is difficult to be specific about panning because elements like double tracked guitars etc. relate to the width of your drums so there is no standard plan IMO. Again main thing is to ensure it does not alter too drastically when summed to mono and that is subjective in itself. Ultimately there will be a compromise between stereo and mono. Most important is out of phase elements which literally go AWOL when summed. A surprising number of people cannot recognize this aurally. It's an important skill to learn when mixing.

cheers

[*Noodles*]

I'm tempted to try the Andy Johns method of narrow drums, wide guitars. I rarely have issues but would be interested to see how much (if any) difference it makes to the stereo/mono fold.

[Snap]

a problem I've found, and I don't understand, is when doubling up tracks. I'll record say a guitar as a mono signal and duplicate it, pasting it maybe a millisecond or two behind the other copy, then pan each to opposite sides of the mix, making sure to keep the level the same. Sometimes works perfectly, others, I get a volume imbalance to one side, that only gets corrected by there being about a 10db difference between the two.

no idea!