An Autonomous System for Multitrack Stereo Pan Positioning

A real-time system for automating stereo panning positions for a multi-track mix is presented. Real-time feature extraction of loudness and frequency content, constrained rules and cross-adaptive processing are used to emulate the decisions of a sound engineer, and pan positions are updated continuously to provide spectral and spatial balance with changes in the active tracks. As such, the system is designed to be highly versatile and suitable for a wide number of applications, including both live sound and post-production. A real-time, multi-track C++ VST plug-in version has been developed. A detailed evaluation of the system is given, where formal listening tests compare the system against professional mixes from a variety of genres.