Samson MIXPAD manual Using Pan/Balance

Using Pan/Balance

	OUTPUT			The final Main output of the
LEFT			RIGHT	MIXPAD is stereo—that is, there
	BALANCED
	+4dBu			are two discrete output jacks,
				labeled “left” and “right,” which
				will normally be routed to a
				stereo power amplifier and two
				discrete speakers.* Because of
				this, you will usually be working
		with a stereo field that ranges from hard left to
		hard right. The Pan control in monophonic
		channels (and the Balance control in MIXPAD 12
L	R	and MIXPAD 9 stereo channels, when only the
		upper input is connected) allows you to place
PAN
		each individual sound at any point within this
		left-right field, while keeping the overall level
		constant.
L	R	You can use stereo panning creatively in a variety
		of ways: For example, you might want to have
BALANCE
		guitars coming from one speaker and keyboards
from another, or you might use panning to “spread” the signal from a

piano miked with two microphones—one over the bass notes (panned left) and the other over the treble notes (panned right). By turning a Pan knob while a signal is present, the sound appears to move in space (a process known as dynamic panning)—this can be particularly effective when applied to sound effects.

In live performance, you may want to resist the temptation to pan anything completely hard left or right, since some members of the audience not seated in the center of the venue may miss some signal altogether. In these circumstances, you’re best to use modest panning, with signals routed no further than the 9 o’clock and 3 o’clock positions.

*You can, of course, also use the MIXPAD monophonically—simply route the same signal to both the left and right outputs.

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