# Bass, cello, tuba...Panning at the center or at the right ?



## Bacbé (Dec 18, 2017)

Hi,
I am a classical old school musician and in my compositions with orchestral libraries I use to mix like in the classical orchestra (the bass strings are at the right, bass trombone and tuba too).
But I'm wondering if the bass instruments sound better at the center like in pop music. In films music, how these instruments are mixed ? I've the feeling that the cello are kept to the right but bass are more at the center ?
Have you ideas ?


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## Will Blackburn (Dec 20, 2017)

There's no right or wrong. Alot of people like to move the Basses center. I prefer keeping basses in position and using some subtle sub bass in the middle to simulate some weight to the low strings section.


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## Iskra (Dec 20, 2017)

I pan trombones slightly to the right as in a classical seating, but I place basses and tuba almost centered, as it just sounds better for me in the mix that way. If doing a classical mockup I might be more traditional regarding low stuff, but in a live concert, if you are in the middle, you don'the exactly hear low frequencies on the right as they vibrate thru the floor as well.... In short, if it sounds good to you, then it is good 
There's no right or wrong in mixing, I guess...


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## Dietz (Dec 20, 2017)

From a technical point of view, keeping bass-heavy signals in the center of a stereo mix makes much sense, as they they are most energetic ones, too. Dynamic processors can do a better job like that. But in the real world, only a few orchestral instruments would fall into this category (opposed to e-basses, synth basses, "epic" processed percussions etc). Many recordings (both classical and modern scores) have been made with the double basses on the right side, so there's nothing wrong with it.

... that said, my own personal preference is to keep double basses as close as possible to the center axis of the stage. Not so much tubas, though.


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## pbattersby (Dec 20, 2017)

Here are 2 related threads that might be worth reading:

Orchestral instrument panning/placement for midi projects - What do you do?

Orchestral Layouts


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## DMDComposer (Dec 20, 2017)

Alan Meyerson as he likes to call it *cheats* with the basses being panned in orchestral position (right) but moving some sub-frequencies to the center just like "wcb123" mentioned. I actually like to do the same with other instruments like Violins 2 for example I leave at orchestral position (left'ish) but I like to bleed some in the right because thats how you would hear it in a real setting with it bouncing off the walls or stage or halls whatever it might be lol. 

Also though, mixing engineers depending on the piece and what is going on in the moment have been known to move certain instruments panning for specific moments. I think one example off the top of my head is Star Wars II: Across the Stars -- I believe the Harp starts on the right but several moments in the piece you hear it move to the left and back to the right depending on where it can speak the clearest. 

Hope this helps good luck!


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## Saxer (Dec 20, 2017)

I like the pop music approach of equal weight panning. String basses centered, low brass right and low woodwinds left. It's an easy way to get drone like low pads balanced and wide. I do that also with pop brass sections: baritone sax on the right, bass trombone on the left.

Symmetry is the aesthetic of the regular guy on Main Street.


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## Gerhard Westphalen (Dec 21, 2017)

DMDComposer said:


> Alan Meyerson as he likes to call it *cheats* with the basses being panned in orchestral position (right) but moving some sub-frequencies to the center just like "wcb123" mentioned.



Alan mentioned in a recent video that he changed from recording basses on the right, to recording them closer to the middle (behind where the violas typically sit) in order to have it more centered (without relying on post processing). You can hear it in the new PotC OST.


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## DMDComposer (Dec 22, 2017)

Gerhard Westphalen said:


> Alan mentioned in a recent video that he changed from recording basses on the right, to recording them closer to the middle (behind where the violas typically sit) in order to have it more centered (without relying on post processing). You can hear it in the new PotC OST.


Yes, I had to rewatch the mix with the masters video again as I forgot that important detail. He does indeed say he recorded the basses more mid to right then hard right and he then pans the spot mics hard right. 

Thank you for the correction. :D


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## Beat Kaufmann (Dec 22, 2017)

wcb123 said:


> There's no right or wrong. Alot of people like to move the Basses center. I prefer keeping basses in position and using some subtle sub bass in the middle to simulate some weight to the low strings section.



That's what I'm doing with most of my recordings as well. Specially with bigger brass orchestras because there are often more subbass parts beside the tubas. For example from the percussion instruments (big drum etc.), sometimes from an organ... So for me it is often a must, to split up the huge power of those subbass signals into both stereo channels ( example ). But I can say that I do it nowadays with nearly every recording (classic as well).

Choose the "split-frequency" < 100Hz and you will believe that the tuba still is playing on the right. 
An easy way for doing that could be that you use a plugIn which has a built in "monomaker" such as bx-digital-V3 or the bx_control V2. Currently they have an Xmas-Calender-Sale. After the 25th of december all the "doors" normally are once more opend until the end of the year. So you can get those 25 PlugIns for a very low price. As far as I can see the "bx-control_V2" comes with the mono maker function and it is an X-mas-Calender plugin. 
Of course there are other possibilities for doing a monomix with the frequencies below 100Hz.

Beat


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