
Spoiler alert: We'll get into some rocket science stuff here, which probably doesn't affect your projects much anyway so if you prefer something with a more musical vibe, come back next week. But to dispel some of the confusion regarding an oft-misunderstood concept, keep reading.
You pan a mono signal from left to right. Simple, right? Actually, no. In the center, there's a 3 dB RMS volume buildup because the same signal is in both channels. Ideally, you want the signal's average level-its power-to have the same perceived volume, whether the sound is panned left, right, or center. Dropping the level when centered by 3 dB RMS accomplishes this. As a result, traditional hardware mixers tapered the response as you turned a panpot to create this 3 dB dip.
However, there are other panning protocols. (Before your head explodes, please note you don't need to learn all this stuff-it's just to give you an idea of the complexity of pan laws, because all we really need to do is understand how things work in Studio One.) For example, some engineers preferred more of a drop in the center, so that audio panned to the sides would pop more due to the higher level, and open up more space in the center for vocals, kick, and bass. You could accomplish the same result by adjusting the channel level and pan, but the additional drop was sort of like having a preference you didn't need to think about. To complicate matters further, some mixers lowered the center signal compared to the sides, while others raised the side signals compared to the center. If a DAW does the latter, when you import a normalized file and pan it hard left or hard right, it will go above 0 and clip.
But wait! There's more. Some engineers didn't want equal power over the panpot's entire travel, but a slightly different curve. Others wanted a linear change that didn't dip the signal at all.
Fortunately, Studio One has a rational approach to pan laws, namely
The panpots in Studio Once's channels default to the traditional 3 dB dip, so there's perceived constant level as you pan a mono signal from left to right. For stereo, they act as a balance control.
Although most programs set the pan law as a global preference, Studio One includes the Dual Pan plug-in, which offers five different pan laws. This lets different channels follow different pan laws.
THE WHAT-THE-HECK-DO-PAN-LAWS-DO TEST SETUP
To see how the different panning laws affect signal levels, I created a test setup (Fig. 1) with a mono track fed by the Tone Generator set to a sine wave. Two pre-fader sends went to two buses, each with a Dual Pan inserted and linked for mono. That way, one bus's Dual Pan could be set for hard pan and the other bus's Dual Pan for center, to compare what happens to the signal level.
Figure 1: Test setup to determine how different pan laws affect signal levels.
In all the following test result images, Track 1 shows the mono sine wave at 0 dB, Bus 1 shows the result of panning the Dual Pan full left, and Bus 2 shows the result of panning the Dual Pan to center.
Fig. 2 uses the -3dB Constant Power Sin/Cos setting for the Dual Pans. Note that the centered version in Bus 2 is 3 dB below the same signal panned full left. This is the same setting as the default for the channel panpots. However, if you collapse the output signal to mono, you'll get a 3 dB center-channel buildup. (A fine point: setting the Main bus mode to mono affects signals leaving the main bus; the meters still show the incoming signal. To see what's happening when you collapse the Main out to mono, you need to insert a Dual Pan in the Main bus, click on Link, and set all controls to center.)
Figure 2: -3dB Constant Power Sin/Cos pan law.
Fig. 3 uses the -6 dB linear curve. Here, the centered signal is -6 dB below the signal panned hard left. Use this curve if the signal is going to be collapsed to mono after the main bus, because it keeps the gain constant when you collapse stereo to mono by eliminating the +3 dB increase that would happen otherwise.
Figure 3: The -6 dB linear curve is often preferable if you're mixing in stereo, but also anticipate that the final result will end up being collapsed to mono.
Fig. 4 shows the resulting signal from the 0dB Balanced Sin/Cos setting. There's no bump or decrease compared to the centered signal, so this acts like a balance control with a constant amount of gain as you pan from left to right.
Figure 4: 0dB Balanced Sin/Cos acts like a balance control.
Sharp-eyed readers who haven't dozed off yet may have noticed we haven't covered two variations on the curves described so far. -3dB Constant Power Sqrt (Fig. 5; Sqrt stands for Square Root) is like the 3 dB Constant Power Sin/Cos, but the curve is subtly different.
Figure 5: -3dB Constant Power Sqrt bends the curve shape slightly compared to the other Constant Power curve.
In this example, the panpot is set to 75% left instead of full left. Bus 1 shows what happens with -3dB Constant Power Sin/Cos, while Bus 2 is the Sqrt version. The Sqrt version is in less of a hurry to attenuate the right channel as you pan toward the left. Some engineers feel this more closely the situation in a space that's not acoustically treated, so there's a natural acoustic center buildup.
Finally, Fig. 6 compares the 0 dB Balance variations, sin/cos and linear.
Figure 6: Comparing the two 0 dB Balance pan law options.
The difference is similar to the Constant Power examples, in that the basic idea is the same, but again, the linear version doesn't attenuate the right channel as rapidly when you pan left.
I HAVEN'T FALLEN ASLEEP YET, SO PLEASE, JUST TELL ME WHAT I SHOULD USE!
The bottom line is when using the channel panpot with a mono track, if you live in a stereo mixdown world the above is
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
20/05/2026
True to the Music City theme, the Tennessee Titans plan to make live music a prominent fixture on game days at the new venue
Reflecting the continuing converge...
20/05/2026
The long-term goal is innovation for the next generation of hockey rinks at both the professional and the community level
The National Hockey League (NHL) toda...
20/05/2026
End-users and vendors alike work toward cost-effective yet high-quality solution...
20/05/2026
The National Football League has announced that Nashville will host Super Bowl LXIV in 2030 at the new Nissan Stadium. The announcement was made at the NFL Spri...
20/05/2026
The NFL has announced that the 2028 NFL Draft presented by Bud Light will take place in Minnesota, uniting fans from around the world to celebrate one of the mo...
20/05/2026
As professional AV workflows continue to evolve, expectations around audio, video, networking, and control are rising rapidly. At InfoComm 2026 in Las Vegas, La...
20/05/2026
Haivision will showcase its latest innovations at InfoComm 2026, taking place fr...
20/05/2026
For the seventh year, Spotify is returning to CMA Fest with Spotify House, the festival's premiere destination for fans. We're taking over downtown Nash...
20/05/2026
Amp-simulation software expanded
Acustica Audio's latest release greatly expands on their amp-simulation platform, turning it into a complete amplifica...
20/05/2026
MainStage integration, Analog Lab improvements & more
Arturia have just announced the release of an update that brings an assortment of new features to thei...
20/05/2026
At the Annual General Meeting held on May 20, 2026, the shareholders of SGL Carb...
20/05/2026
From Gulkula to the nation: Yothu Yindi Foundation and NITV deepen national acce...
20/05/2026
SBS appoints David Fernandez as National Manager, Digital & TV Sales
20 May, 2026
Media releases
SBS has appointed David Fernandez as National Manager, Dig...
20/05/2026
Rohde & Schwarz and INFOZAHYST: A strategic alliance set to redefine modern defe...
20/05/2026
A Rotating Detonation Engine being hot fire tested at Purdue University's Zu...
20/05/2026
A U.S. Army VAMPIRE system, assigned to Bravo Battery, 1st Battalion, 51st Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 7th Infantry Division/Multi-Domain Command - Pacific ...
20/05/2026
Cable Captures Only Monthly Increase Among Viewing Categories in March, Earns it...
20/05/2026
April brought a symbolic decrease in the overall time spent in front of television screens. On average, Poles watched video content for 3 hours and 51 minutes a...
20/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
20/05/2026
The Royal Television Society Technology Centre today announces the launch of the RTS Technology Awards 2026, celebrating excellence, innovation and achievement ...
20/05/2026
In the heart of London's financial district, the new purpose-built Troubadour Canary Wharf Theatre invites audiences to experience Suzanne Collins' inte...
20/05/2026
LiveU, the leader in live IP-video solutions, today announced that production powerhouse BCC Live successfully deployed the new LU900Q intelligent production un...
20/05/2026
Nella Mente di Narciso Docuseries Uses Blackmagic Design Workflow
Brie Clayton May 19, 2026
0 Comments
PYXIS 6K full frame camera and DaVinci Resolve ...
20/05/2026
Beeble launches Canvas, a node-based AI compositor for VFX and Virtual Productio...
20/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
20/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
20/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
20/05/2026
First Nations Factual Co-production Development Fund launched to elevate Indigen...
20/05/2026
Back to All News
One Hundred Years of Solitude Concludes This August, With Part...
20/05/2026
Back to All News
Beloved NHK Dramas to Stream on Netflix Worldwide Starting June 22
Entertainment
20 May 2026
GlobalJapan
Link copied to clipboard
Netflix...
20/05/2026
May 20 2026, 06:00 (PDT) Dolby Recognized as 2025 Supplier of the Year and Over...
20/05/2026
Mayo's Dee Freney and Margaret Leahy from Galway have reached the final of RT Today's TV Home Cook competition.
Both contestants will cook again live...
20/05/2026
RT IN FULL BLOOM AT BORD BIA BLOOM 2026 WITH LIVE BROADCASTS, MUSIC, CHAT AND M...
19/05/2026
The winner of Thomson Foundation's Young Journalist of the Year 2025, Tracy Bonareri Onchoke, and runner up Wangu Kanuri enjoyed a three-day trip to London ...
19/05/2026
Cisco and the USGA have announced a multiyear extension of their partnership, which began in 2018. Cisco serves as the Official Technology Partner of the USGA, ...
19/05/2026
Urban Edge Network (UEN), a streaming platform for NAIA sports, has announced a partnership with Spiideo to provide streaming and production tools to UEN's ...
19/05/2026
Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) will provide live coverage of all 900 Roland-Garros matches across its platforms beginning with qualifiers on May 18. In Europe, 21...
19/05/2026
Tubi, Fox Corporation's free streaming service, has announced the launch of the FIFA World Cup 2026 FOX Hub, a dedicated destination for World Cup programmi...
19/05/2026
Telef nica, in collaboration with Sony, has conducted a 5G connectivity trial at the Movistar Arena in Spain using the 26 GHz millimetre wave (mmWave) band. The...
19/05/2026
Ross Production Services (RPS) has installed a Calrec Argo M console into its new Hypermax-1 remote production truck, replacing one of three Argo S consoles pre...
19/05/2026
Panasonic Projector and Display Corporation has announced the acquisition of 100% of the shares of UK-based media technology company Hive Media Control Ltd. (HI...
19/05/2026
Globecast has announced the completion of a nine-month renovation of its Singapore facility, converting it from a traditional linear broadcast operation into a ...
19/05/2026
Grass Valley has announced a three-year enterprise agreement with Phoenix Broadc...
19/05/2026
Bitmovin has announced that Watch Brasil, a streaming platform operating across Brazil and Europe since 2018, has replaced its legacy systems with Bitmovin'...
19/05/2026
Ateme has announced the migration of Dish Home Nepal's Nepal Premier League (NPL) streaming infrastructure to Ateme's TITAN Live solution deployed on Ak...
19/05/2026
CMSI provided workflow, media management, and HDR support for ESPN during coverage of the NCAA Gymnastics Semifinals and Championships. The company supported fi...