Panned to the right

[Rig]

I've noticed more and more that when I'm writing music, I tend to pan most of the instruments over to the right channel. Even when I try to stop it, I find myself putting more stuff over there anyways. I don't know why...it just sounds "right" to me, no pun intended. Maybe it's a left-brain vs right-brain thing, I dunno.

Has anyone else noticed weird trends in their production habits?

[gregaaron89]

Maybe you hear better in your left ear, so you do that subconsciously to balance it out?

[Unrl]

Wow yeah, that is a real wierd one Rig..

I have the habit of constantly turning every instrument down, and then turning my speakers up. And then when I compare them to other songs I'm like 'Eh? Why so quiet?' so I end up ruthlessly turning everything up until it becomes a pile of shit with crap mastering quality.

Story of my life.

[Quarl]

At 11/3/09 12:54 AM, Rig wrote: it just sounds "right" to me, no pun intended.

Clearly the pun was intended >:C

Everyone falls into weird habits. I have a tendency to pan things willy nilly ineffectively. I'll layer maybe four or five snares, then send them all in different directions. End result: pans become barely noticeable. Thing is, panning the entire snare to the left or right sounds kind of awkward. Leaving it mono seems like a bad choice/ seems boring. Panning the snare layers in all different directions helps me sleep at night.

[ZStriefel]

At 11/3/09 12:54 AM, Rig wrote: I've noticed more and more that when I'm writing music, I tend to pan most of the instruments over to the right channel. Even when I try to stop it, I find myself putting more stuff over there anyways. I don't know why...it just sounds "right" to me, no pun intended. Maybe it's a left-brain vs right-brain thing, I dunno.

Has anyone else noticed weird trends in their production habits?

I do the exact same thing. I actually keep a multi-meter up to keep track of myself lol.
But I think it may be due to poor ear care. I used to go to local shows 3-4 times a week without ear protection. I'm not sure what the cause is for sure, but either way.. Ear protection is a musssst.

[Bjra]

try cleaning out your earwax

then check the levels of your speakers, mixer, soundboard, computer out. set everything to center.

[IKONiC]

At 11/3/09 08:17 AM, Bjra wrote: try cleaning out your earwax

then check the levels of your speakers, mixer, soundboard, computer out. set everything to center.

It's not a problem. He just does it without realizing. He's asking about weird things you do. Like write your songs while in the shower or in a cave, BJRA.

[Koriigahn]

I have a habit of making making 3 tracks in a week, and not showing them to anyone.

:(

[SolusLunes]

At 11/3/09 08:50 AM, Koriigahn wrote: I have a habit of making making 3 tracks in a week, and not showing them to anyone.

(

I have a habit of starting like six songs a day, and finishing maybe 1 of them in a week. And that's a good week.

[nathanallenpinard]

More than anything it probably is bad cables. If you're using crappy RCA or 1/4 cables, often times that's the reason.

The most high quality cables you can afford are very important going from your music source to the speakers all along the chain, assuming you have decent speakers. As it could be the speakers as well. One of the tweeters might've gone out a bit, and your off balance.

[Meonly70]

I have a habit of starting a song, working on it for a week and not ever finishing it.

[pr0ded]

or maybe your left channel volume is lower

and if was a "brain hemisphere" thing it would be left-brain as that controls the right side

not the right hemisphere art schools like to revere

[joshhunsaker]

as long as your general levels are around the same db with each channel, you should be fine.

You may have more 'instruments' pushed in one direction with more sound energy (from low-frequency activity) in the other channel so the balance between the levels can still be even.

During composition of a song, try switching your output cables to opposite channels and see if it mirrors what you tend to do. It could just be the spectra of the song you are making per channel makes instruments come through better in one channel opposed to the other. A big part of mixing is that whole "blend" idea.

There was tremendously handy free vst called "panature" from mb-plugins that appears not to be available anymore that I use pretty exclusively for panning instruments because it includes intensity and haas delay compensation for shifting signals in the stereo field. Makes for a much more natural panorama control.

[havegum]

I have the habit of creating tons of short loops and never ever use them to anything ever.

ever

[sorohanro]

At 11/3/09 12:54 AM, Rig wrote: Maybe it's a left-brain vs right-brain thing, I dunno.

Actually it is. I do the same and is not related to cables or speakers or ear wax, the reason for that is in our cultural environment.
When we write, we do it from left to right, because of that and some other mental reasons, when we see an image moving from left to right, that appears as moving "forward" and when an image is moving from right to left we think it as "backward".

This mind trick s used in theater (when the action is going, actors move slightly to the right, running is also usually from left to right...etc), movies (point of attention is not in the center, forward action is from left to right...etc), painting (point of maximum interest is slightly right-up corner).

Also look at piano and all keyed instruments, "up" is right, "down" is left.

For me as an ex orchestra member, it's normal to hear solos in the right (first violin, oboe, clarinet, flute, all usual soloing instruments are to right from the point of view of inside orchestra), however, keeping in mind that audience hear orchestra from the front, everything changes to vice versa.

[pr0ded]

interesting, but its backwards for lefthanded people, writing backwards feels more natural, still use a righthanded mouse and everything else

try and listen to your music with the stereo channels reversed, sounds refreshing

[sorohanro]

It is different also for Jewish people, I mean the very traditional ones with strong cultural roots. They write from right to left. Probably that's why their music and dances seems so interesting to other cultures.

Also Japanese people, they write from up to down. Their whole art is very different, even if they try to imitate European or American forms of art. That explains their passion for European classical music and our fascination for their visual arts where those differences are more obvious.

[nathanallenpinard]

Japanese aren't just up and down now though, they do Left to Right also BUT their books are published (mainly anime books like Ghost in the Shell) from back to front.

[Rig]

At 11/3/09 10:15 AM, nathanallenpinard wrote: More than anything it probably is bad cables. If you're using crappy RCA or 1/4 cables, often times that's the reason.

It's not that things sounds quieter in the right channel, it's just that I'll be writing and writing and all of a sudden everything is panned to the right. For some reason, I don't feel comfortable panning things to the left, but I force myself to anyways :\

At 11/3/09 10:53 AM, sorohanro wrote: When we write, we do it from left to right, because of that and some other mental reasons, when we see an image moving from left to right, that appears as moving "forward" and when an image is moving from right to left we think it as "backward".

Interesting explanation. That might be it, but why me? :P

[sorohanro]

At 11/3/09 01:14 PM, Rig wrote: Interesting explanation. That might be it, but why me? :P

Because:
1 - You made the mistake to go to school and learn how to read and write.
2 - You're young and restless, you look now to the future. Don't worry, when you'll be an old fart you'll pann everything to the left... you'll remember your youth with more pleasure than looking toward future...

F@#i%g human condition

[Syntrus]

My computer is a bit of a "lemon" I have this strange tendency to use vst instruments that my computer can't handle and then I replace them with instruments that it can. SPOOKY!

I have also been sending a lot of lead synths through the Free Amp recently.

I used to youWAhShock on my drums, but I stopped doing that when it became apparent that sometimes it sounded like ass.

[krssvr]

At 11/3/09 10:46 AM, havegum wrote: I have the habit of creating tons of short loops and never ever use them to anything ever.

ever

i feel you

[Mich]

At 11/3/09 04:15 PM, krssvr wrote:

At 11/3/09 10:46 AM, havegum wrote: I have the habit of creating tons of short loops and never ever use them to anything ever.

ever

i feel you

I feel you two too.

Also, my rather annoying tendency: I tend to start a new projects, spend ages on getting every little sound I add perfect, and then fail to get anywhere with it. I should just work on the main product, structure and the like, then tweak the individual things, rather than the other way around...

[CWN]

I have the bad habit of always digging up all my old songs and remastering them.. Hence I fail to produce any new songs... I've drawn the line like 50 times "I WILL NOT TOUCH THIS MIX"... never worked.
I drew the line again, hope it works this time...

[Chronamut]

At 11/3/09 11:00 AM, pr0ded wrote: interesting, but its backwards for lefthanded people, writing backwards feels more natural, still use a righthanded mouse and everything else

try and listen to your music with the stereo channels reversed, sounds refreshing

im left handed and writing backwards doesn't feel more natural - stop generalizing for the entire damn left handed world lol..

I used to slightly pan my stuff to the left - I didnt know why until one day I realized my I have hearing loss in my left ear.. and you know why - BECAUSE OF YOU GUYS!!

i cannot tell you how many tens of thousands of god awful peaking and super loud songs you guys have sent me over the years.. and congrats - your god awful lack of mastering damaged my ears.

so now I just alter the master pan on my computer and make the right slightly lower and it all evens out.

I also have a tendency so make sine and square waves either out of snippets of songs, or record things and isolate a tiny portion of it.. all for the perfect sound :)

[pr0ded]

At 11/3/09 06:27 PM, Chronamut wrote:

i never spoke on behalf or intended to for the "left handed world"

BECAUSE OF YOU GUYS!!

despite your songs peak

[Chronamut]

At 11/3/09 09:20 PM, pr0ded wrote:

At 11/3/09 06:27 PM, Chronamut wrote:

i never spoke on behalf or intended to for the "left handed world"

BECAUSE OF YOU GUYS!!

despite your songs peak

no my songs crackled in 2004.. nothing from 200..6 on peaks :)

and I was more or less referring to the super loud songs that blast your ear drums and are just horrible horrible horrible..

[Quarl]

At 11/4/09 08:17 AM, Chronamut wrote:

and I was more or less referring to the super loud songs that blast your ear drums and are just horrible horrible horrible..

Have you tried turning down your headphones or getting monitors? I rarely turn the volume of my headphones past a quarter of their max. In fact, the only time I turn them up to half of their max is when I'm checking the final product just to make sure it still sounds good to kids who love ear damage.

[Chronamut]

At 11/4/09 09:53 AM, Quarl wrote:

At 11/4/09 08:17 AM, Chronamut wrote:

and I was more or less referring to the super loud songs that blast your ear drums and are just horrible horrible horrible..

Have you tried turning down your headphones or getting monitors? I rarely turn the volume of my headphones past a quarter of their max. In fact, the only time I turn them up to half of their max is when I'm checking the final product just to make sure it still sounds good to kids who love ear damage.

you don't understand - my volume WAS at normal - it was THEM who would make songs at like 500% volume level and peaking so it was this sudden blast of ear damage..

[sorohanro]

That's why you should turn always volume to half when you listen to NG music.
That should be the next developed habit of every musician that cares about hearing :)