"common" practices in stereo panning for sound fx?

[Josh Bass]

I know that in all things art there are no rules, only guidelines, but I figure there must be a typical way things are done concerning how sound fx are panned in the stereo field, generally.

My last short was the first one where I messed with panning anything at all. . .in all my previous works I'd just done everything center.

The last time, the basic rule I followed was: anything ON SCREEN is center, regardless of where on screen it takes place. Anything OFF SCREEN is panned according to which side and how far off screen it is.

Is this "how it's done?" Should some things on screen be panned left/right? (glass breaks against a wall on right side of frame, would that effect be panned somewhat right, for example?)

[Gary Nattrass]

There tend to be two types of spot sound effects:

Noises on and noises off, noises on screen tend to be central or can panned slightly if the image warrants it, noises off screen can be panned further for effect or even placed in the surround field if that is Ok too.

[Josh Bass]

Thanks.

So thinking in widescreen terms, let's say you had stuff happening at the edge of the frame, but still onscreen, or maybe the left or right THIRD of the frame. . .still panned central?

I'm going to stay stereo for now, and not enter the world of surround.



ON these same lines. . .I believe I read somewhere that people's brains can only process four or five simultaneous sounds at once, so if even if twenty things are happening onscreen, you can, or should, only represent four or five them sonically, lest you create a sonic mud where you can't distinguish anything. Agree? Disagree? Thoughts?

[Gary Nattrass]

Depends on what the sound effect is but if I did pan an on screen sound it would not be as wide as the visuals so not to distract the ear and concerntration too much away from the action.