Pan and Stereo Width
Pan decides where a track sits left to right.
Stereo width decides how wide its image spreads.
Together they shape the horizontal space of a mix, giving each part room instead of stacking everything in the center. This page grounds the controls in libsonare's PannerProcessor and StereoWidthProcessor; for the basics see Mixing Basics.
Pan position
Pan moves a track between hard left and hard right. Spreading parts across the field lets each breathe and reduces masking — one part burying another that shares its frequency range. But "pan" hides two separate decisions — how a position maps to the channels, and how loud the center is — and libsonare exposes both.
Keep the vocal in the center, the guitar to the left, and the keys to the right, and each part gets a spot of its own, so each one is easier to follow than when all three are stacked in the middle. The busier the mix, the more this left-right placement decides how well the parts separate.
Pan mode: how position maps to channels
A pan mode chooses the mapping:
- A true pan moves a mono source across the field.
- A balance control turns one side of a stereo track down rather than repositioning it.
- Independent L/R positioning places each side separately.
Choosing the right mode matters most for stereo sources: a true-pan applied to an already-stereo track can collapse its image, where a balance keeps it intact.
Pan law: keeping loudness steady as you pan
When a source pans from center to a side, its perceived loudness can jump unless compensated. Pan law sets how much the center is attenuated relative to the sides (common laws are around −3 dB or −4.5 dB at center) so a part does not get louder or quieter simply because you moved it. Match the pan law to your monitoring and summing expectations.
Stereo width
Stereo width narrows or widens the image, usually by adjusting the side signal (left minus right — what differs between the channels) relative to the mid signal (what the two channels share).
Widening adds spaciousness, but it can create mono compatibility problems. Too much side energy can weaken or cancel when summed to mono.
Narrowing tightens focus and improves mono robustness. Width belongs late in the strip, after pan, so it acts on the already placed signal.
How libsonare models pan and width
Pan is a PannerProcessor configured by PanMode (true pan / balance / independent) and PanLaw (center attenuation), placed after the fader in the strip. Stereo width is a StereoWidthProcessor operating on the mid/side representation, late in the signal order so it acts on the panned signal. Both are parameter-smoothed for click-free moves and write to the post-fader GoniometerBuffer so the resulting image can be metered. The placement matches the fixed strip order described in Channel Strip.
Related: Mixing Basics, Channel Strip, Mono Compatibility, Automation and Metering