Crash and ride cymbals panned wrong way

[Old Mac Donald]

I have just invested in a (cheap) electronic drumkit and am using it to trigger acoustic kits in the Logic library (I'm liking 'Brush Kit' right now). Thing is, when I listen back to my recordings the cymbals are panned the wrong way ie: Crash to right / Ride to left. Is there a simple way to switch this?

[Chimpotle]

I’m not in front of logic right now so this I me just trying to recal, but I believe if you are using the EXS24 for samples, it’s alittle bit of a hassle to change the panning, and I cant explain it without opening up logic. So sorry about that….

But… If you use ultrabeat for the samples, you can easily switch the panning in the channel stirp within ultrabeat for each cymbal. While youre there, you should swap the panning of the toms as well – you may not have noticed they are reversed as well.

[David Nahmani]

Producers are divided on drum panning: some like to pan drums from the audience perspective, while others prefer the drummer's perspective.

 

To invert the stereo image, use a Utility > Gain plug-in and select "Swap L/R".

[Old Mac Donald]

That's a great help - thanks guys!

[bcfromfl]

I was a drummer years ago, and I have noticed this on various samples. Annoys the heck out of me! Fortunately I found one or two great-sounding libraries that are panned the *correct* way, and I'm happy...

 

-Bruce

[Old Mac Donald]

The 'right way' being Snare & Crash left / Ride to the right, right? I've tried the reverse trick given above but that gives you the snare in the right speaker which sounds odd to me. Is this 'an issue' with the preset Logic drumkits then? I was thinking it might have been the way I configured my cheapo electronic drumkit (it's all new to me this virtual drumming lark).

RE: "Fortunately I found one or two great-sounding libraries that are panned the *correct* way, and I'm happy"

 

Could you recommend a workable, acoustic sounding kit that's 'the right way' round Bruce? Thanks!

[Rev. Juda Sleaze]

The 'right way' being Snare & Crash left / Ride to the right, right? I've tried the reverse trick given above but that gives you the snare in the right speaker which sounds odd to me. Is this 'an issue' with the preset Logic drumkits then? I was thinking it might have been the way I configured my cheapo electronic drumkit (it's all new to me this virtual drumming lark).

 

If you use a multi-out instance of EXS or UltraBeat, then you have can each kit piece wherever you like in the stereo field.

[David Nahmani]

that gives you the snare in the right speaker which sounds odd to me.

 

And yet that's what you'd hear if you were standing in front of a live drummer!

[bcfromfl]

On a current project of mine, I've blended two kits from E/W Ministry of Rock library. They are both panned in the same manner, and I used two because I wanted more cymbal choices. I don't do loops -- everything is programmed note-by-note. I can't remember exactly how I've broken it down, but bass and snare are on one track, and then toms, ride, hi-hat, and crashes are on two other tracks. That way I have better control on efx, volume, and positioning.

 

Snare and bass drum are a smidgeon left, and toms pan right to left, small to large. Hi-hat is right, and ride is left. Various crashes occupy different positions. Admittedly, I have the panning a little extreme at the moment, which gives the illusion that the kit is right in front of you. I'll move most of the panning closer to center as I get closer to finishing, and perhaps deepen the reverb to move it further back.

 

I should add that the panning is already done this way in the library. I may use the stereo positioning (?) plugin to narrow the L-R spread.

 

You may want to give Addictive Drums a look: http://www.xlnaudio.com/?page=products&p_page=addictivedrums

 

-Bruce

[Chimpotle]

Rev. Juda$ Sleaze is right - the easiest way to deal with your issue is to use multi-out and pan them how you want to hear them.

 

Regarding Davids note that you would hear the drums that way if you were standing in front of them - i think Old Mac's issue is when he's playing his kit - when he hits his ride which is on his right, he hears it through his phones on his left. I can see how that would be frustrating and confusing. He may not have an issue with which perspective the drums are panned from during mixdown. I think his concern is primarily during performance.

 

So Old Mac - if what im think above does indeed sum up your issue, Rev's advice to use multi-outs is the easiest and cheapest (cheap being not one extra cent spent) way to address your needs.

[Eriksimon]

that gives you the snare in the right speaker which sounds odd to me.

 

And yet that's what you'd hear if you were standing in front of a live drummer!

 

Then why are pianos (almost) always panned from the players' "listenpoint"? Is it because the pianist hears the drummer like the audience does...?

 

BTW the Gain > Swap L/R is the easiest solution.

[Rev. Juda Sleaze]

BTW the Gain > Swap L/R is the easiest solution.

 

Previously on LPH:

 

I've tried the reverse trick given above but that gives you the snare in the right speaker which sounds odd to me.

 

Keep up!

 

Then why are pianos (almost) always panned from the players' "listenpoint"? Is it because the pianist hears the drummer like the audience does...? Confused

 

That's a very good point. Although the audience doesn't really hear the piano the other way around, because of the direction the lid faces. Hmmm... Why have I never seen alternative lid configurations?

 

I have no idea why, but I'm generally more comfortable with higher register noises in my right ear. Guess I might just be conditioned to the way producers usually pan keys...

[David Nahmani]

Then why are pianos (almost) always panned from the players' "listenpoint"? Is it because the pianist hears the drummer like the audience does...?

 

You pretty much never face a piano player in a concert (I am talking about an acoustic, upright or grand piano). You pretty much always face a drummer in a concert.

[David Nahmani]

I have no idea why, but I'm generally more comfortable with higher register noises in my right ear. Guess I might just be conditioned to the way producers usually pan keys...

 

It's funny, if you think of a classical orchestra, the conductor and the audience have the high registers on the left, the low ones on the right.

[Rev. Juda Sleaze]

I have no idea why, but I'm generally more comfortable with higher register noises in my right ear. Guess I might just be conditioned to the way producers usually pan keys...

 

It's funny, if you think of a classical orchestra, the conductor and the audience have the high registers on the left, the low ones on the right.

 

Yeah, but I've listened to way more Rhodes, or whatever, panned this way on records than listening to orchestras. I guess I've listened to a lot of stereo orchestra recordings, but I can't say as I often notice the panning.

 

Maybe it's just more of a habit of mine when mixing, rather than a real preference. There's lots of head-games in music production

[Eriksimon]

BTW the Gain > Swap L/R is the easiest solution.

 

Previously on LPH:

 

I've tried the reverse trick given above but that gives you the snare in the right speaker which sounds odd to me.

 

Keep up!

 

Say what? Snare in the right speaker? Why isn't it centered to begin with, like any wellbehaved snare??

[David Nahmani]

Say what? Snare in the right speaker? Why isn't it centered to begin with, like any wellbehaved snare??

 

+1.

[Scott Jackson]

Say what? Snare in the right speaker? Why isn't it centered to begin with, like any wellbehaved snare??

 

Personally, I find myself panning the Snare slightly to the left. I don't know why. It just never sounds right to me anywhere else. Maybe because I use to play drums and in a simple 5 piece kit (and most kits for that matter) the snare is slightly left of center (from the drummers perspective) with the kick drum being centered.

[Rev. Juda Sleaze]

Personally, I find myself panning the Snare slightly to the left. I don't know why. It just never sounds right to me anywhere else. Maybe because I use to play drums and in a simple 5 piece kit (and most kits for that matter) the snare is slightly left of center (from the drummers perspective) with the kick drum being centered.

 

I pan snares very slightly to the right, as I like to mix kits from the audience perspective. Plus I find a +/- 1-3 pan on generally centred instruments can clear up a mix by a suprising amount.

[Rockdude9k]

Drummer perspective tickles my fancy and here's why. I love to air drum...end of story. Doesn't matter where, doesn't matter who's watching. So if I'm rocking out to a record and the drums are audience perspective it really mess's with me. So I always mix drummer perspective. Especially with the

 

[Nublu]

So we're watching a movie. One of the characters has a theme... with a light brush cymbal highlighting his footsteps. The character enters the view from the Audience's right. The cymbal panning follows the character into the middle of the scene, who pauses, exits to the viewers left, does something in another room, and returns into the scene from the left, and into the centre of the scene. Theme stops, dialogue begins.

Big smile when I saw that.

I like opportunities to "break the mould". I like the use of these expressions to invite the audience to participate.