Panning

[KB55]

At the present I am using Reaper to mix Recorded tracks sent to
me from other folks.
I don't think I ever had the panning right before. Certainly
not now.
I am mixing mono tracks instruments and vocals. When I use the
pan knob, all the way to right is nothing, coming back to
left it gets louder and louder, all the way left seems to be
more in the left than right but still in both sides. I am
using headphones for now.
How do I get a mono track to play center, left, or right. I
have tried all the options on the pan knob.
Stereo decrease/mono default, stereo pan, dual pan, and the
Reaper 3x.......... All seem to have the same results.
Thanks

[Ambientgtr]

Kenny has a video on panning explaining this and how to do it. I just don't remember which video it is.

[martmix]

here is some videos about panning by Kenny,

https://www.youtube.com/c/REAPERMani...?query=panning

[Crashwaggon]

Check your audio device settings in preferences.

Device->Output range

Pretty sure you have both options set to the same output (Left, or Output 1 or similar). This is usually the culprit when things get quite when you pan to the right.

[KB55]

Originally Posted by Crashwaggon

Check your audio device settings in preferences.

Device->Output range

Pretty sure you have both options set to the same output (Left, or Output 1 or similar). This is usually the culprit when things get quite when you pan to the right.

I installed 6.10 on a newer computer a while back and have not even set up my interface on it yet. I have done no Recording on it. I am just taking tracks that friends send inserting multiple media files, wav, ito the Project and starting from there.

I watched some videos from Kenny one on Panning, which mentions the mono track should work as I would expect, the more left the more in left channel, the more right the more in the right, center in both. My situation now it works the same in any mode, all the way right nothing, further you go left the louder it gets all the way left is the loudest and seems as though it is in both channels. I will check out the interface thing when I get home, but at the present my interface is loaned out so don't know how far I'll get with that
Thanks

[valy]

Originally Posted by KB55

I installed 6.10 on a newer computer a while back and have not even set up my interface on it yet. I have done no Recording on it. I am just taking tracks that friends send inserting multiple media files, wav, ito the Project and starting from there.

I watched some videos from Kenny one on Panning, which mentions the mono track should work as I would expect, the more left the more in left channel, the more right the more in the right, center in both. My situation now it works the same in any mode, all the way right nothing, further you go left the louder it gets all the way left is the loudest and seems as though it is in both channels. I will check out the interface thing when I get home, but at the present my interface is loaned out so don't know how far I'll get with that
Thanks

Well, REAPER must be using some sort of sound card -- otherwise you wouldn't hear anything at all.

And whatever it is using will be listed in the Audio Device preferences.

[serr]

Signal routing is ultimately playing connect the dots...

Maybe you errantly only made a mono output to one channel of your interface for the hardware output on your master bus? Verify your hardware output.

Some interfaces have built in mixing and routing features. You could set it so only the left channel main output came out the headphones or a dozen other examples. It's a whole other mixing board itself. This is most likely what's messing with you. Pull out the manual and look that up.

There's the Windows workaround for interfaces that don't communicate their I/O mentioned above. You enter the output range. If it matches the hardware, it works even though the system doesn't see it. This is an edge case thing that Reaper has a clever workaround for if it comes up.

Work through that until you can intentionally send a signal out your left and right output jacks on your interface. Then set your monitor system to an appropriate volume - ie. not a super low volume from listening to volume war CDs. Now you can start to mix. Work that all out first or your mixes will be skewed.

PS. The connection format for your audio interface doesn't matter. A pci connecting card vs USB/firewire/TB connecting vs physically built into your logic board. An interface is an interface and you connect to any of them the same way in Reaper.

[Fabian]

Originally Posted by KB55

My situation now it works the same in any mode, all the way right nothing, further you go left the louder it gets all the way left is the loudest and seems as though it is in both channels.

This may be obvious, but... are you sure that you do not have a mono plugin on your master?

Losing the right channel when panning has always been due to a mono plugin for me.

[KB55]

Originally Posted by Fabian

This may be obvious, but... are you sure that you do not have a mono plugin on your master?

Losing the right channel when panning has always been due to a mono plugin for me.

That Kinda rings a bell with me, I will check it out tonight. While I am here, on single source mono tracks, to make use of placement within the stereo field, should I be using mono or stereo plugins. I am new to the DAW's I have been on the soundboard or mixer for a good while but this whole different show. Thanks for the help.

[KB55]

Thanks to all for your input. I am headed home to do some digging.
Thanks🙏🙏