How do you pan your drums?

[J.DavisNJ]

HOOOOW do pan drums? ¯\(°_o)/¯

But seriously...

I'm getting more into drum programming with Slate 3.0 and was curious how you guys pan your drums?

Also, drummer or audience perspective?

Are overheads panned hard left and right?

Cheers

-Joe

 

[Skinny Viking]

I prefer drummer perspective ... makes it more fun to play air drums to the music

usually my panning setup is:

Kick - Center
Snare - 5 Left if there is a track for Hats / otherwise 10 Left
Hats - 10 Left
OHs - 85 - 100 L&R (depends on how many toms)
Tom 1 - 30 Left
Tom 2 - Center
Tom 3 - 30 Right
Floor 1 - 50 Right
Floor 2 - 60 Right
Ride - 60 - 65 Right

also as a side note ... when setting up your sends for some verb, use less verb on the snare and floor tom(s) compared to the higher toms. Gives a sense of 3D space

 

[ahjteam]

I'm getting more into drum programming with Slate 3.0 and was curious how you guys pan your drums?

the way they would be set in place like a real set snare and kick being the centerpoint.

Also, drummer or audience perspective?

Taste matter really

Are overheads panned hard left and right?

I usually don't pan drums hard left and hard right so it won't sound too wide, but keep everything between L60 ja R60 except maybe the room/ambience mics at L80 R80

 

[Metaltastic]

I so much prefer drummer's perspective panning it's ridiculous, but I always pan OH's hard L/R (as any stereo pair of mics should be), snare/kick center, and toms within a L50 to R50 range (those being the opposite extremes, I mean)

 

[Loren Littlejohn]

I am audience guy. IIRC A.S. is as well.

 

[joeymusicguy]

audience pan

unless i get that weird guy who kinda went to engineering school and hates it for some reason... then against my own will, for the client, i will do drummer pan

why does everyone want the person listening to the music to feel like they're behind the kit? lol... makes no sense!

and im even a drummer!

 

[J.DavisNJ]

Thanks for the replies dudes...!

Just wanted to get a general idea of how you do it.

More responses are welcome! I'm hoping to have a test drum mix up when I have some free time.

-Joe

 

[Metaltastic]

audience pan

unless i get that weird guy who kinda went to engineering school and hates it for some reason... then against my own will, for the client, i will do drummer pan

why does everyone want the person listening to the music to feel like they're behind the kit? lol... makes no sense!

and im even a drummer!

Hahaha, I think I might like it cuz I'm the world's shittiest drummer, but DP lets me feel like I'm awesome And also I'm OBSESSED with things going left-to-right, specifically tom rolls - when they go right to left I get all neurotic and uncomfortable (I have some slight OCD tendencies, you should see my room )

 

[beyond dead]

Hahaha, I think I might like it cuz I'm the world's shittiest drummer, but DP lets me feel like I'm awesome And also I'm OBSESSED with things going left-to-right, specifically tom rolls - when they go right to left I get all neurotic and uncomfortable (I have some slight OCD tendencies, you should see my room )

me too. I liekz to air drum. and the tom fills MUST be panned this way or i no likey.

maybe we like this cause jens bogren does it

 

[greyskull]

Drummer perspective, no idea why....
Kick+snare <c>
tom 1 <100
tom 2 >30-45
tom 3 > 100
Oh <100>
Room <100-45>
Hats<100
ride>100
(chris - lord - alge panning ^_^ )

 

[Skinny Viking]

why does everyone want the person listening to the music to feel like they're behind the kit? lol... makes no sense!

and im even a drummer!

to quote myself:

It makes it more fun to play air drums to the music

EDIT: It also lets you feel like you're playing with the band instead of just watching them. I guess for a live cd it would be better for audience perspective but a regular cd you want to feel like you're in the thick of it

 

[raybrochill]

+10 to air drumming!

 

[punkrockacademyfightsong]

I'm more into drummers perspective too, just feels more natural to me.

I usually do:
kick: c
snare: c
HH: L50
tom1: L50
tom 2 (usually non existent for bands I record): R30
floor: R60
ride: R50
OH'S: 100 L/R
room: 50-75 L/R

 

[Zombietakeover]

Drummer perspective, no idea why....
Kick+snare <c>
tom 1 <100
tom 2 >30-45
tom 3 > 100
Oh <100>
Room <100-45>
Hats<100
ride>100
(chris - lord - alge panning ^_^ )

holy christ that's rather wide panning for Tom1 to Tom3 isn't ?

 

[Metaltastic]

me too. I liekz to air drum. and the tom fills MUST be panned this way or i no likey.

maybe we like this cause jens bogren does it

Jens Bogren = !

 

[crillemannen]

OH panned L/R 100%% Naa that far to wide for my taste. I pan em beatwen 60-75L/R, Toms like 25-50 L/R.

 

[Damian B]

I am a drummer, and it makes me cringe every time I heard drums from the audience perspective!!!!!! So, drummer perspective is a must for me.

For panning...

OH - Panned 100 L and R
Snare and Kick in the middle
HH somewhere from 30 to 40 L
Ride - 50 to 60 R
Toms are usually 50 L to 50 R, spaced out, though sometimes I'll go a bit wider depending on the sound I'm going for.

Basically I try to keep it as close to a real kit as possible.

 

[C_F_H_13]

Drummer's perspective usually, but I always ask the band. If they say "what?" I usually just say nevermind and do it drummers...if they want audience I do it though.

I pull up the Overheads first, decide how wide I want em (usually right out or in like 75 on each side), then I pan the hats and toms according to where I here them in the overheads. I like to keep the same image if possible, so the close floor tom mic sounds right where the overhead bleed is.

Kick/Snare-dead center
Toms-based on overs
Hat/Ride-same
extra cymbal spot mics-same
Rooms- Wide....real wide

However, lately I've tried the TLA thing about only using L,C,R panning and I havn't been too happy with it, but it does make the mix really spread out.

 

[greyskull]

holy christ that's rather wide panning for Tom1 to Tom3 isn't ?

thats what i thought before i tried it!
to be honest i dont hipass overheads etc as high as some of you guys, so the stereo image of the ohs and room mics pulls them in a bit.
but try it

 

[[UEAK]Clowd]

audience pan

unless i get that weird guy who kinda went to engineering school and hates it for some reason... then against my own will, for the client, i will do drummer pan

why does everyone want the person listening to the music to feel like they're behind the kit? lol... makes no sense!

and im even a drummer!

I agree with you on the principle of this - it obviously makes more sense to pan from audience perspective - but since I started out in music with drums it is just a total pet peeve of mine.. I have to pan for drummer's perspective. I can't help it.. I almost WANT to be able to pan audience perspective but it literally irks me, like how Metaltastic said it makes him uncomfortable - same here, haha.