Understanding stereo width

We want to create mix depth and contrast by spreading out the various elements

To fully get a handle on width, and how to dial in the perfect balance of width and solidity at the mixing stage, it helps to first understand how stereo audio works in relation to human hearing. In the real world, our brain uses a source sound’s level and timing differences to accurately pick out where that sound is positioned around us, how close or far away it is, and the speed of its movement.

Relating this to a stereo monitoring set-up, we use a pair of speakers (or stereo headphones) to approximate how we hear with our two ears. If a signal contains the same information in the left and right channels, it will sit dead centre in the mix – it will be mono. Stereo information is created when there is a difference between the information in the left and right channels. We can use mixing techniques to either position elements of a mix at different points around the stereo field, or even generate completely new stereo information. Turn down a sound’s level in the right speaker in comparison to the left, and it’ll sound like it’s coming from your left side – panning, in other words! Delay a sound’s right channel by a few milliseconds, so the left side reaches your ears slightly sooner, and it’ll also sound like that sound is coming from your left, as you’ve created that difference in the left and right channels – this is the Haas effect.

In music production, we don’t necessarily want to position sounds to such a realistic degree, but instead create mix depth, contrast and interest by spreading out elements in various ways. When mixing a multitrack recording of a live band, for example, some engineers use panning to approximate the position of the band’s various elements as heard from the front of stage: drums down the middle, guitars on the left, keyboards to the right, and so on.

There are fewer rules in electronic music, but a few approaches are universal. Low frequencies are less directional than higher frequencies, so are usually more central in the mix. Also, while stereo tricks can be seductive, widening everything will cloud the stereo image – be sparing with your panning and widening, and juggle wider parts against centrally-positioned elements to create depth and contrast.