3D PANNER FOR MIXING ENGINEERS
Space for every element in your mix.
When a mix gets crowded, the usual fixes are more EQ cuts, more compression, or a stereo imager pushing things wider. 3D Panner gives you another direction to move in: put elements in their own place around the listener, including behind, above and further away, with HRTF binaural rendering.
Why crowded mixes sound muddy
When several parts share the same frequency range and the same position, they mask each other and the mix loses clarity. Engineers separate them in frequency with EQ, and in space with panning and reverb.
Normal panning only gives you one line, from left to right. Once that line is full, space stops helping and everything goes back to the EQ.
Depth, height and front to back
Your ears are better at telling two sounds apart when they come from different directions. This is called spatial release from masking, and it's why a backing vocal placed behind the listener stops fighting the lead, even though both still sit in the same frequency range.
3D Panner lets you use that. Keep the lead, kick, snare and bass in front, then give pads, doubles and percussion their own position, distance and height.
What you can do with it
- Give each element its own position, distance and height on the sphere, beyond what a stereo imager can do.
- Split a source into up to eight frequency bands, each with its own limiter, to control the low end, mids and highs separately.
- Add slow, tempo-synced movement to keep background parts alive without automating them by hand.
- Choose from up to 20 different HRTF measurements to fit the shape of your head when you check placement on headphones.
Clean up a crowded mix with 3D Panner
- Find the parts fighting each other. In most mixes that's backing vocals, pads, guitars and keys in the midrange.
- Leave the lead vocal, kick, snare and bass in front and in the centre.
- Load 3D Panner on the supporting parts and send each one somewhere different: behind, above or further away.
- Listen for the masking to clear before you reach for more EQ cuts.
- Check the placement on headphones, then check the whole mix on your monitors before you print.
QUESTIONS
Does 3D Panner replace a stereo imager?
It does a different job. A stereo imager changes how wide a sound is. 3D Panner changes where it is, including height and front to back. You can use both.
Can I put it on a bus?
Yes. It's a normal insert plugin, so it goes on a single track, a group or a bus.
Will the 3D placement translate to speakers?
The binaural 3D effect is designed for headphones. Check the mix on your monitors too, as you would with any decision made on headphones.
Which DAWs does it work in?
Any DAW that loads VST3, AU or AAX plugins: Pro Tools, Logic Pro, Cubase, Studio One, Reaper, Ableton Live, FL Studio, Bitwig and more.
3D PANNER
Hear it in 3D.
One-time $29.99. Every update included, no subscription.