we have "bigger" n "stronger".. but what about "wideness"?

[quahtemoc]

thanks alot for the replies guyss...

so 15ms of delay actually is an articial doubler...and to give it the wideness...i am not sure who mentioned it though...but it's about multi tracking say about 4 layers of guitars and the matter of panning..

i'd like to know though...what ABOUT the panning? say i'm working with 4 layers of guitar...each taking 2 tracks...making it 8 tracks in all... how would i configure panning these tracks?

compression is a good idea too...though maybe anyone might have any ideas on compression ratios for guitar sound characteristics for phat heavy sounding guitars?

[tortoise]

Delays are the best way to get stereo wideness and localization, especially when used in conjunction with panning. The primary cue for sound localization and spatial perception in the brain is the phase relationship between the ears. Amplitude differences are a secondary cue. Some panners actually affect the phase (probably unintentionally) which is why some consoles have better imaging than others.

The problem with using panning only, is that you are giving your brain a secondary cue that the sound is left or right, but the primary cue (phase) says that the signal is still mixed to center. This gives poor width and localization. You can use delays to enhance stereo panning (by reinforcing the localization of the panned sound), or to smear and widen the image (by giving strongly conflicting cues between phase and amplitude with respect to location). In a nutshell, this is how stereo imaging is done, and you can get as fancy as you want with it.

As for the amount of delay, I normally wouldn't use more than 5-7ms and less than 1ms will give audible results. You want just enough delay to mess with the phase relationship of the two copies, but not so far out of phase that your brain thinks its two different sounds or the imaging will fall apart.

[tortoise]

I should add that a popular way to modify the phase is with analog EQ, especially the older "classic" designs, as filter and resonator circuits tend to do all sorts of phase mangling to signals. You can adjust phase with something like a Manley Pultec by running the signal through it with a flat EQ. Some of the newer analog designs cause far less phase shifting, as this can be viewed as an unwanted artifact in some circumstances, so if you decide to go this route, know what you are getting. This is a great sounding alternative to using delays to improve imaging, though perhaps less flexible.