Avoiding pseudo-stereo

Most synthesizers and virtual instruments have sort of a pseudo-stereo effect…that makes instrument sound larger than it really is when panned hard left and right.…The problem is that this kind of effect can actually make your mix sound less distinct.…In this video, I'll show you some techniques for dealing with some instruments…that have artificial stereo, so you can hear that instrument better in your mix.…So, the first thing we're going to do is listen to some instruments that are in stereo.…Some are artificially put in stereo and some are recorded in stereo.…The tendency is, if you have a stereo instrument, to pan it hard left and hard…right, but the problem is sometimes that can actually cause more harm than good in the mix.…

Let's start with an electric piano.…Let's listen to it mono.…Now this is recorded in stereo, and what makes it stereo is the fact that it has…a channel that has vibrato on it, so you will hear it warble a little bit.…(music playing)…Let's pan that out in stereo. (music playing)…