11. Stereo & pan — left, right, and the space between

← Learning path

You have two ears, so music can come from the left, the right, or anywhere between. Pan is the knob that places a sound in that left–right space. Spreading instruments across the stereo field makes a mix feel wide and 3D instead of squished into one spot.

inst hat = sample 808hat pan -0.3          # hats slightly to the left

A common move: keep the kick and bass in the center (so they feel solid and powerful), and pan hats, percussion, and extra layers out to the sides for width.

Real name: panning / stereo field. pan -1 = hard left, 0 = center, +1 = hard right.

✅ Live now: the pan parameter on any inst (equal-power panning), plus a stereo reverb, so your mixes really are stereo.

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