Panning Lead Vocals?

[Autobahn]

As I am a bit new to the engineering side of things, I have a question regarding lead vocals while mixing.

Considering it is a single stereo vocal track how do you usually fit it in.

a) Do you leave the track centered
b) Pan hard L/R
c) One copy centered, another panned 50% L, another panned 50% R or other % (volumes adjusted accordingly)
d) One copy centered, another panned hard L, another panned hard R
(volumes adjusted accordingly)
e) Another theory or no-standard
f) I need help

I'm specifically looking at the pop/rock genre where most guitars/boards would be panned hard L/R.

Any help/ideas would be appreciated

[sparqee]

A stereo vocal track.... So is this a recording of one singer that was made with two microphones? Or are you talking about a single vocal that has been processed with some kind of stereo effect (e.g. reverb)? I typically record a lead vocal on a mono track and it usually stays parked in the center of the stereo spread. If the song is a vocal duet then I might play with the stereo placement of each voice (assuming that they are stepping on each other). With double tracking and harmony lines I'll do all kinds of things with the placement. Whatever sounds good and fits the mood of the song.

Getting back to your question; I suppose since I don't understand what is actually on each side of your stereo track I can't offer you much of an opinion.

[Autobahn]

Sorry, yes I meant a mono vocal track...long day!

Thanks

[Phlipper]

This really depends on the voice. Here's what I normally do with mine
Single Mono track dead centre - I leave this track dry with no effects (possibly a bit EQ'ing if it needs it during the mix)
Then I set up 2 FX Channels, panned anywhere from 50% to 75% left and right, and send the vocal to them. This gives me complete control of how much reverb, delay etc. I get through during high notes etc.
Most of the time I'll set up a seperate FX channel for each effect, i.e. 1 for reverb, 1 for delay etc. but I've got tracks where I've added both of these FX to a single FX channel and been fairly happy with the results.
This gives a kind of intimate feel to the vocal because you can use as much dry vocal as you want for the kind of track. Play around with EQ, Compression etc. on the FX tracks and you'll be amazed at some of the textures you can create, you'll find that there's a bit of an illusion on the dry vocal when you alter these and it's easy to get the vox to cut through a complex mix.

[Autobahn]

Great. Very good suggestion. I can see how that would give you greater control.

[trez g]

Yea but I do it a little different....
Main vocal centre
Backing %35-47 l/r
1st Adlib %70-90 l/r
2nd adlib %

[zwh]

Originally Posted by Autobahn

As I am a bit new to the engineering side of things, I have a question regarding lead vocals while mixing.

Considering it is a single stereo vocal track how do you usually fit it in.

a) Do you leave the track centered
b) Pan hard L/R
c) One copy centered, another panned 50% L, another panned 50% R or other % (volumes adjusted accordingly)
d) One copy centered, another panned hard L, another panned hard R
(volumes adjusted accordingly)
e) Another theory or no-standard
f) I need help

I'm specifically looking at the pop/rock genre where most guitars/boards would be panned hard L/R.

Any help/ideas would be appreciated

To answer your question honestly, I do them all!

I'm still an amateur but I've found use for all the above ways you've mentioned.

Typically for my catchy rock type song I'll just leave the main vocal in dead center. Sometimes dead center will sound weird to my ears, and I'll give it just a very slight pan left or right to off center it just a bit. I don't know why but sometimes this seems to even a vocal out for me.

Sometimes I have a singer lay down a main vocal track and then have him sing over himself as a duet (Double tracking I think it's called?). Anywho, depending on the song and how good of a take each track was, I might pan them slight left and right to make the vocal sound fuller. Or, I might keep the main/best vocal track dead center with little 'verb on it. And then for the second duet track I will keep it dead center or panned slightly, but lower in volume with heavy reverb on it. It can turn out nice and make a vocal sound fuller without it being plainly obvious that the singer laid down two tracks.


One song of my band's is a catchy alternative 90's rock style, with bass and vocal for the intro. For this song I panned the vocal hard left and left the bass in full center. I liked how it turned out, and I feel the fact the vocal was hard left brings the listener's attention to the intimate vocal for the intro. As the rest of the band pulls in, the vocal pans into center. There are two voices for the choruses, so I pan each voice slight left and right. In dead center there wasn't enough separation between the two and it sounded rather plain. This of course was all done with automation.

Sometimes a dry track or a track with slight 'verb on it can be sent to another track (or basically cloning the same track) and EQ or add slight delay on it to make it sound like another voice. I've done this with good results also.

Sorry for rambling. Basically my point is (from what I've learned so far in my short audio engineering experience) that pretty much anything can work, it just depends on the song and the style you're going for. Try keeping it in center and EQing and try different reverbs and see what you can get. If you're not satisfied, experiment. There is no right or wrong, and anyone who tells you so is..... well, wrong.