Panning when mixing

[Dalinkwent48@aim.com]

The main reason for doing these things before you pan is to help you EQ and do other FX more effectively. Then once all the elements have their own sonic space carved out, then you pan wherever you want and it should be right on.

thats what i was thinking...so if its all in mono then the eq'ing and other things are done a little bit more efficiently...basically if i cant get it somewhat carved out in mono then i should sell all my gear and go sell tubesocks or something lol

 

[Matthias King]

thats what i was thinking...so if its all in mono then the eq'ing and other things are done a little bit more efficiently...basically if i cant get it somewhat carved out in mono then i should sell all my gear and go sell tubesocks or something lol

I wouldn't exactly say that, it just makes it easier to do some of those things with everything centered without the extra benefit of panning making it easier. You can sometimes do a bit more solid EQ/comp/FX job that way before the panning. Then, ideally, after it's panned it should really click.

Everyone has their process and it's not a requirement of course. I don't do it anymore for my own music, mainly because I use the same "palette," so to speak, of sounds, tones, and tools and I know them basically back to front. But on the occasion when I record someone, or I work with someone else's tracks, I usually leave all the mono tracks centered, do the basics to them, then pan them. It usually ends up making things easier to fit together.