Pan law

[Tachy]

Hi guys, I use nuendo, and I have to choose in the preferece menu the three tipes of pan law, 1) -3db ( i'ts the defaul and what I use now )
2) -6db
3) 0db
I noticed the if i switch to 0 db pan law I have an improvement of the mono tracks.....and viceversa if I choose the -3db and -6db...
What is the best for your opinion, what is the option that can make your mix more real?

 

[Deaf Ear]

All pan law does is tell the host program to reduce, logarithmically I believe, the db of a track as it's panned to one side or the other. It does this because a signal panned to one side will seem louder to the ear because of the localization. I usually leave mine set at -3, but to each his own. Maybe somebody else can explain it a little better.

 

[Tachy]

ok thanks for your reply...I'll continue to use the -3dd.

 

[Jackal_Strain]

I've never gotten into the actual physics of it, but when set to 0db, my guitars seem to cut through better.

 

[JeffTD]

I've always done -3db, because Cubase was set to that at default and it's what I'm 'used' to.

When I switched to logic, it was at 0db by default, and all my mixes sounded 'flatter,' and not quite as wide.

Does anybody know what the 'industry standard' is, or what's default in ProTools?

 

[Arjen W.]

Hm, -3dB seems logical, it probably has to do with the fact that if you double a sound source, the amplitude is increased by 3dB. When you hard pan something, you're basically taking one side, effectively halving the source. I think.

 

[deLuther]

It looks like ProTools has -2.5db panning law. That says results of search...

 

[~BURNY~]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan_law
There's no voodoo to it. Sound quality has nothing to do with it. It's just a matter of convenience.
Equal power is the way to go unless you want to make the task harder.

 

[::XeS::]

Sonar use "0dB Center, sin/cos taper, constant power".
If I mix a song with 0dB and I switch to -3dB Center, the song is not loud like the mix at 0dB...maybe more clear.
I'd like to know what's the best for you....probably I'll switch to -3dB