Updated - pan knob (L/R mix)

[Nubeat7]

yes you brought it to the point, in the right terms panning (true stereo panning) is mixing the signals around, while balance sets the volumes for the channels! Sadly no one takes care of this little difference...

i don't understand your chorus example? but anyways both ways have their usecases and every developer should know the difference and know when to use which way, where there is also to note, that (after testing cubase, live, reaper, renoise) most DAW's using Balance in their channel mixers (also when its called pan)

btw did you compared your version with the sqrt one i ported from the faust tutorial? would be interesting to see some proper comparing curves...

just found this one which describes the difference between balance and pan very clear
http://everything2.com/title/The+differ ... ce+and+pan

[RJHollins]

Say you have a signal with a stereo chorus, or some kind of wobble or movement between the left and right channels. As you pan this signal to the left or right, without mixing the signals, one of the channels fades to 0, and what you end up with is a sound that's fading in and out, where originally it was just moving side to side. So you've completely lost part of the original signal.

Just trying to understand this ...

I've not ever found this to be the case with what I know as a stereo track with stereo effects. Now maybe this has something to do with a special form of routing that brings the 'other' result. Now the 'issue' might be present in an M/S configuration where the efx source is MONO and is being panned through the stereo field. But you mentioned 'stereo' efx ... so I'm sure I don't follow. Can you clarify ?

[Perfect Human Interface]

Just trying to understand this ...

I mentioned chorus because it's fairly common, but it would be more simple to just imagine a sound that moves back and forth between the left and right channels, like an auto-panner. If you have a recorded sound like this, or a synth that sounds like this, and you run it through a "balance" or pan effect that doesn't mix signals, then pan hard-left, you'll end up going from a signal that moves left and right to a signal that moves between left and silence. So whatever information was in the right channel is now simply gone.

Chorus is kind of a wobbly effect like this, except of course it's more complex in the way it affects different frequencies. It's typical for a stereo chorus effect to have the phase of the internal LFO's inverted between the left and right signals to make it sound "wide." Practical or not it's just something that came to mind.

Again this is a very specific case I'm describing here. More generally it's just what I mentioned about dissociating the left and right signals from each other and losing information the further you pan. So if you want to place a stereo sound in a L/R position in a mix, you probably want to pan with mixed signals. But that doesn't necessarily mean something bad will happen if you use "balance."

And yes, it's a bit bothersome that they tend to call everything "pan!"

btw did you compared your version with the sqrt one i ported from the faust tutorial? would be interesting to see some proper comparing curves...

Not yet, but I should. I'm not so confident in my own work that I'll claim I haven't messed anything up.

[RJHollins]

Hi PHI ..

I'm just trying to recall in my 30+ years as a recording engineer if I ever had this issue come up [other than a bad cable or patch]. There might have been something of this one time ... hmm ...

Nonetheless ... there is an issue you are looking to solve ... I'm just following the thread ...

[Perfect Human Interface]

Nonetheless ... there is an issue you are looking to solve ... I'm just following the thread ...

No issue that I know of. As far as I know my modules work correctly, though the examples Nubeat offered may be slightly more accurate if true equal loudness pan law is necessary.

[RJHollins]

Oh ...

Yes, you pan module does work from my test of it. A very interesting technique I would add ... and definitely appreciate letting us look inside. As I mentioned, looking at how a good looking schematic can be helps guide me [without the humbling factor ].

But anyways, I was just trying to grasp the new concept you presented.

In fact, it gave me an idea of a alternate way to switch outputs, like in a 2x4 config where it's needed to bypass or alt route a signal. The design you presented has possibilities to put a 'SLIDE' prim in there to control the transition.
[just one idea].

Hey Guys ... all good stuff. This forum is like going to skool ... rather than me left alone to my mischievous coding practice.

Thanks!