thelvnguage - Raspberry Jam - Updated

[Monk]

Panning is an easy way to get definition from a field of instruments which may be fighting for tonal space in a mix.

A pan knob merely varies the gain of an element between speakers. The louder an element, the more it will mask, and vice versa.

For those who pan to so-say enhance clarity or separation (which is exaggerated and unreliable in headphones due to L and R channel isolation, and with nearfield monitoring to a large extent), in mono that apparent convenience vanishes and congestion and colossal masking can often be observed.

A room acts like a mono speaker, allbeit a highly resonant one!

However, what I’m feeling here is, to coin a phrase, “Big Mono”, which isn’t engaging. It’s a sense that everyone’s up the middle pushing the phantom centre. I'm expecting a performance by a quartet in a stereo sound stage, as I would expect as an audience participant, or a music consumer with a pair of fully functional ears with binaural acuity and a kickass stereo system.

The keys for example, have a direct sound which is excessively wide and not of this world with an equally odd proximity. They feel detached from the performance space as a whole, compared say to the guitar or drums which give different cues my brain is trying to interpret and make sense of; there's ambiguity, contradiction and hence distraction.

Sticking to sound stage, it would also benefit from the bass guitar having the perception of being in the room. Otherwise it sounds dry as a bone, and in need of ambiance and a phase relationship with the other elements. Better integration generally in other words, and depth. I would also look at it’s attack. Here it sounds muffled and mumbling somewhat, and would benefit from better instrumental definition (an issue in mono). I’ve not explored the multi, so not sure what you are up against.

Oh, I'd turn the vocal up too