Intro to Direction Mixer in Final Cut Pro
You can use Direction Mixer to decode middle and side audio recordings or to spread the stereo base of a left/right recording and determine its pan position.
Direction Mixer works with any type of stereo recording, regardless of the miking technique used. For information about XY, AB, and MS recordings, see Stereo miking techniques and the Final Cut Pro Direction Mixer.
Using the Spread controls
Direction Mixer’s Spread parameter behavior changes when fed LR or MS signals. These differences are outlined below.
When working with LR signals, keep in mind the following:
At a neutral value of 1, the left side of the signal is positioned precisely to the left and the right side precisely to the right. As you decrease the Spread value, the two sides move toward the center of the stereo image.
A value of 0 produces a summed mono signal—both sides of the input signal are routed to the two outputs at the same level. At values greater than 1, the stereo base is extended out to an imaginary point beyond the spatial limits of the speakers.
The following applies when working with MS signals:
Values of 1 or higher increase the level of the side signal, making it louder than the middle signal.
At a value of 2, you hear only the side signal.
Using the Direction controls
When Direction is set to a value of 0, the midpoint of the stereo base in a stereo recording is perfectly centered within the mix.
The following applies when working with LR signals:
At 90°, the center of the stereo base is panned hard left.
At −90°, the center of the stereo base is panned hard right.
Higher values move the center of the stereo base back toward the center of the stereo mix, but this also has the effect of swapping the stereo sides of the recording. For example, at values of 180° or −180°, the center of the stereo base is dead center in the mix, but the left and right sides of the recording are swapped.
The following applies when working with MS signals:
At 90°, the middle signal is panned hard left.
At −90°, the middle signal is panned hard right.
Higher values move the middle signal back toward the center of the stereo mix, but this also has the effect of swapping the side signals of the recording. For example, at values of 180° or −180°, the middle signal is dead center in the mix, but the left and right sides of the side signal are swapped.