I wonder if he'd be getting kicked in the teeth (the OP) if he'd asked about his motorboating problems. There are probably even more threads on that than the pan law...
Though admitting you're asking out of laziness is also bound to encourage a kicking...

I also use 0dB. -3dB will work fine, but you'll need to adjust your mixes appropriately. I think most other DAWs use 0dB as well.

The people flaming me for not using Google are right in some ways and I stand corrected. I expected getting a bit of a kicking so it's no problem. What I cant google though is why you, my fellow forumites, are using the settings you do and what you personally think is good/bad with them. Also, both the manual and google will indeed tell me fast 'what' the different panlaws are and how they mathematically affect the music but not 'why' or essentially 'how' (at least not what I've found yet) they are used or soundwise affect it (like what will I hear for difference using sin/cos or square-root). I'm also in this way, asking what you prefer, after a more subjective than fact-based objective result and think this forum should be a good way to start.

Still, I find it interesting that some people took the time to flame me but couldn't take the time to actually answer the question

Thank's a lot for the answers I've gotten this far though.

0db is the default because it mimics the behavior of conventional mixing consoles.

WARNING: If you're happy with your current pan law, don't change it.

I once decided to experiment with different pan laws, not realizing at the time that it is NOT a per-project setting. It is a global setting that will be applied from then on, including projects previously mixed with a different pan law. The first old project I brought up that had pan automation sounded absolutely dreadful, as if it had not been mixed yet. Yikes.

I'll second bitflipper on that! It can mess you up.

One thing to consider that if you are very used to working on analog desks, then you might want to use the -3 dB setting. This is typically how analog panning works. There is typically a resistor network on the pan pots that give the -3 dip in the middle. As I understand, it was part of the "secret sauce" some mixers used to get a bigger sound.

But yeah, figure out what you want and then stick with it or be prepared to re-mix everything you have again...

Thanks a bunch for your posts. What I still can't understand though (and I have googled now ) is the difference between sin/cos or square root...

You can analyze pan laws till you're blue in the face, my friend, but frankly "the juice may not be worth the squeeze"...

ORIGINAL: bitflipper
I once decided to experiment with different pan laws, not realizing at the time that it is NOT a per-project setting. It is a global setting that will be applied from then on, including projects previously mixed with a different pan law. The first old project I brought up that had pan automation sounded absolutely dreadful, as if it had not been mixed yet. Yikes.

Similar experience here. I once did a Sonar reinstall, and afterwards could not figure out why my mixes sounded different. Took me a while to realize I had changed the pan law to -3dB center, and on the reinstall it was reset to 0dB. While I actually prefer -3dB center, I now leave it at the default just so I don't get bit by this again. I understand at least one other DAW saves the pan law setting with the project; that sure would be nice and would avoid what bitflipper and I ran into.

the sin/cos thing and square root just determine the curve of the pan.

sort of like how you can select different fade ins and fade outs... you can have fast linear or slow here. Sin/cos would just be different than square root.

don't worry about the minutia here. Just use the default and worry about making some music.

Good luck..

ORIGINAL: Legion

The people flaming me for not using Google are right in some ways and I stand corrected. I expected getting a bit of a kicking so it's no problem. What I cant google though is why you, my fellow forumites, are using the settings you do and what you personally think is good/bad with them. Also, both the manual and google will indeed tell me fast 'what' the different panlaws are and how they mathematically affect the music but not 'why' or essentially 'how' (at least not what I've found yet) they are used or soundwise affect it (like what will I hear for difference using sin/cos or square-root). I'm also in this way, asking what you prefer, after a more subjective than fact-based objective result and think this forum should be a good way to start.

Still, I find it interesting that some people took the time to flame me but couldn't take the time to actually answer the question

Thank's a lot for the answers I've gotten this far though.

I didn't get the impression that anyone was "flaming" you...I certainly wasn't...My first reply was a legitimate answer (a "what I'm mixing" preference)...

Bit,

I believe -3dB in the center is the standard for your typical analog console. It also allows for more head room.

Definitely don't change the setting in an existing project. Everything will get out of whack. However, I recommend you use -3dB center in the future.

Google - Pan Laws - top link:

http://www.harmony-central.com/articles/tips/panning_laws/

Eric

ORIGINAL: bitflipper

0db is the default because it mimics the behavior of conventional mixing consoles.

WARNING: If you're happy with your current pan law, don't change it.

I once decided to experiment with different pan laws, not realizing at the time that it is NOT a per-project setting. It is a global setting that will be applied from then on, including projects previously mixed with a different pan law. The first old project I brought up that had pan automation sounded absolutely dreadful, as if it had not been mixed yet. Yikes.