Stereo enhancer on drums

[Wilby89]

Im using tal bitcrusher on my drums to get that gritty boom bap sound but have been experimenting with using fruity stereo enhancer on my drums to widen them out, was wondering if anyone else use's stereo enhancers on their drums and is it no/yes to do, any info please.

 

[m.j.p]

I use reason and have tried several techniques for widening, although I usually only apply it hi-hats and cymbals. Most of my drums I'll pan to the centre (or pretty close to), and will use a wide, very subtle short reverb that adds size and width to the dry signal, whilst being almost imperceptible.

 

[bandcoach]

I'll add the opposite view here

Unless you are a brain-dead, rule-following, zombie, there is no reason that you should have drums panned in the center...

In fact if you look at drum kit you will see that there is a spread of drum and cymbal placement and so there should be in mixing,

Pan Position Instrument	L	-	9	-	8	-	7	-	6	-	5	-	4	-	3	-	2	-	1	-	C	-	1	-	2	-	3	-	4	-	5	-	6	-	7	-	8	-	9	-	R
Kick																					X
Snare																									X
Hats																											X
Small Tom																										X
Large Tom																X
Floor Tom														X
Crash																								X
Ride													X

A lot of the ideas about panning certain instruments into certain places are as much about directionality perception of low freq vs high freq sounds as instrument positions on a stage real or imagined as they are about mixing for mono compatibility vs stereo experimentation. if you were mixing in 5.1 would you deliberately stick everything up the center or would you actually try to use the space to create interesting, novel and perhaps unique mixes that use panning as creative tool rather than as a followed rule.....

 

[m.j.p]

I'm just sharing MY method. For the music I make it suits me fine. I tend to keep the drums in the middle and have pads/guitars/piano situated around them. If I was mixing a real drum kit, sure I'd spread them out. But I ain't, so I don't.

 

[bandcoach]

sorry, my post was not directed at you - it was an opinion for all to read and take what they want from it.

panning rules in terms of what instruments where are just so much contrivance rather than creative thought - moving outside the box is the best way to move forward, if you stay inside the box you can't get out of it.......

 

[m.j.p]

panning rules in terms of what instruments where are just so much contrivance rather than creative thought

Too true. That applies to just about any 'rule' in audio as well.