Stereo Panning Laws: -3dB, -4.5dB & -6dB Pan Depth Compensation

When you pan a mono instrument across a stereo sound field, the pan pot divides the signal between the left and right speakers. However, when the instrument is panned dead-center, both speakers emit the sound simultaneously.

Acoustic Center Build-Up

In an acoustic room, two coherent sound sources emitting identical sound combine constructively: in a free field, voltage addition creates an acoustic gain of up to +6 dB, while in reverberant rooms it adds approximately +3 dB. Without compensation, panning an instrument from hard-left across to center would make it sound noticeably louder in the middle.

Standard Pan Law Modes

• -3 dB Pan Law: Attenuates center-panned signals by -3 dB. Most common default in contemporary DAWs.
• -4.5 dB Pan Law: Compromise curve popular in broadcast consoles.
• -6 dB Pan Law: Attenuates center by -6 dB. Ideal for monitoring in acoustically dry, anechoic environments.