5. Panning and stereo field

Place the guitars in the panorama: double tracking 100% L/R, quad, mono compatibility and what to keep in the center.

Panning decides where each guitar sits in the left–right panorama. In rock/metal, panning isn’t decorative: it’s what creates the wide wall that leaves the center free for the vocal, the bass and the kick. And it depends directly on how you recorded (see rhythm: double tracking): without two real takes, there’s no width worth anything.

The base rule: double tracking to the extremes

Double rhythm → 100% L / 100% R

The two rhythm takes (two different performances of the same riff) go one 100% left and the other 100% right. That’s the classic metal width: maximum separation, clear center. Don’t leave them halfway (50/50): you lose width and dirty the center.

Quad: when you want an even bigger wall

Four takes → 100 / 100 / ~50 / ~50

If you recorded four rhythm takes (see the walls section in recording), a typical spread is: two at 100% L/R and two at ~50% L/R. You fill the panorama with layers at different depths and the wall gets huge, keeping the center free. You can also vary tone/amp between pairs for more richness.

What goes in the center (and what doesn’t)

In the center (mono): lead vocal, kick, snare and bass. They’re the song’s anchor.
To the sides: doubled rhythms, layers, harmonies.
Leads and solos: normally in the center or barely to one side, so they’re the protagonists; their delays/reverbs can open up to the sides without moving the dry signal.

🟠 Better to set it now· in mixing

Panning defines the song's stereo architecture and almost everything else (levels, center EQ) depends on it. It's best set early in the mix; retouching it is cheap, but mixing without deciding it leads to a muddy center.

Mono compatibility: check in mono

Sum the mix to mono every now and then (many speakers, bars and phones are mono). Two things to watch:

That the guitar wall doesn’t disappear in mono (if two takes are too in phase/nearly identical, they cancel). Two genuinely different takes hold up well in mono.
That the vocal and bass in the center stay solid.

Common mistakes

Doubled takes for the panning demoPending — this one is on you

You already requested the two rhythm takes (ritmica-doble-L.wav / ritmica-doble-R.wav) in the recording stage. With those same ones, placed 100% L/R, I’ll build here a mono (one take) vs double (L/R) demo and, if you upload the 4 wall takes, a double vs quad comparison. They go in prodmus_frontend/public/audio/guitarra/, WAV 24/48.

Quick path — place the guitars

Quick path

Double rhythm: one take 100% L, the other 100% R.
If you have four takes: 100/100 and ~50/50.
Vocal, bass, kick and snare in the center.
Leads in the center (or barely to one side); open up their effects, not the dry signal.
Listen in mono: the wall doesn't fall apart and the center stays solid.

Expected result

A wide, stable guitar wall, with the center clear for vocal and bass, that holds up in mono without cancelling. Lowering one of the doubled rhythms should make it clear how the panorama “closes in”. With the guitars placed, the last step is to glue them as a single instrument on the bus.