keeping insert effects full stereo across panning changes

Cubase
1

I often use “spatial” effects (reverb, echo, chorus, dimension, etc) as inserts per channel, rather than as send-type effects. It fits my mental model, and it avoids a ton of extra channels to keep track of along with their associated clutter.

But how does one preserve the full stereo image of an effect when using also using pan on the channel? For a simple example, put a mono source audio file on a stereo audio track, panned center. Insert the steinberg ping-pong delay, and set its width to full wide. At this point, the echoes should clearly bounce from one channel to the other, both sides being the same volume, although slightly decaying each time depending on the feedback setting.

But now, pan the source full- or near-full-left. Note that now the echoes that should be on the right side are missing. I’m assuming this is because I’ve “panned away” the right side of the audio?

I thought in earlier Cubase versions that the pan control did not affect the stereo image of inserted effects, but maybe I’m remembering incorrectly?

Is there a way to be able to pan the dry audio of the channel, but still have the full stereo width of the echo (or chorus, or reverb, or whatever)? Can it be done without setting up a send or efx channel for each of the possibly many tracks on which one does this?

A quick example based on the ping-pong delay would be to have a mono instrument panned full left, and have an echo on it that started on the right side at full volume, then bounced left/right/left while decaying. I’d rather not have to “bake in” the pan to a new stereo audio file… I’d like to preserve the ability to adjust that pan as the project progresses.

Thanks…

2

Preference, in the pan setting, use combined panner.

3

Doesn´t change the fact, that the Ping pong delay will still only come from one side if.

4

When you put a stereo fx on a mono channel.
You will Only feed the Left input on that plugin. On Some plugins, that will also have an impact.

You need to go about it the same way you do on a hw consol. Just route the track to a stereo fx channel pre fader.
Now you can have fun using the combined pan setting.

5

You’d probably be best panning the channel with a dedicated vst pre delay insert.

You could just about do it with the Steinberg Mix6to2 vst but there’s better vst’s out there for the job.

6

It’s a mono recording on a stereo audio track. I hadn’t thought of a putting a pan-control insert prior to the spatial effect. That might work, I’ll try that out tonight. If not, then it’ll be old-school like Reflection mentions… add fx channels. I was just hoping to avoid that extra clutter, but it does come with advantages too I guess. Minimizing instances of Replika by sharing would save some cpu…

Is there any reason to use a vst other than Mix6to2?

7

Just might be more effective to use a dedicated pan plugin rather than something that technically does the job.

8

Great, thanks for the suggestions. Got what I needed done in the short run with mix6to2, but that goodhertz panpot (and bozdigitallabs pan) look like they merit some investigation when I get a moment! I like the sound of panpot.