PanMan

PanMan treats stereo motion as a rhythmic and performance-sensitive effect rather than a single repeating left/right sweep. Its modes distinguish continuous LFO movement, timed steps, complete motion shapes, two-position triggered jumps, and random positions generated either by the clock or by incoming events.

Offset chooses the center of movement, Width determines its excursion, and Smoothing controls whether position changes snap or glide. Those same basic decisions remain relevant across the different modes, making it possible to change the source of movement without rebuilding the entire spatial idea. The dynamic Tweak controls can also make the pan range or speed react to how loudly the part is played.

For a predictable groove, choose a rhythmic mode and program the positions or motion events. For percussion that should move on selected hits, use Ping Pong or Step with the detector and Trigger Divider. Keep an eye on the position meter when using the extended range beyond conventional hard panning, and check how the result fits the stereo arrangement rather than maximizing width automatically.

Manual, About PanMan, p. 5; Common Controls, pp. 6–7; Modulation Modes, pp. 8–26.

Position, width, and level

Offset establishes the base pan position, from −105° to +105°. Width sets how far the modulation moves around that position, with up to 210° of total travel. Movement is still limited by the available endpoints. Smoothing changes transitions from abrupt to gradual. The Pan Position Meter distinguishes the normal range from the extended beyond-the-speakers range.

Input / Output set levels and interact with the selected saturation character. Check output level after strong drive changes, and use the stereo meter to confirm that a wider sound is actually the intended movement.

Motion modes

• LFO uses Rate and Direction for continuous motion. Rate spans 0.1–10 Hz; Direction chooses left-to-right, back-and-forth, or right-to-left.
• Rhythm Step advances through pan positions at a selected Rhythm, with Steps setting the repeating sequence length. Feel shifts the whole pattern ahead of or behind the beat. Tap Tempo / MIDI choose the timing reference.
• Rhythm Step Editor lets you add and move position points in time and space. Its bar and grid controls organize the pattern; a custom pattern takes over from the automatic Direction and Steps settings.
• Rhythm Shape triggers complete motion shapes as rhythmic events. Its editor adjusts event placement and duration rather than merely selecting a succession of static positions.
• Ping Pong alternates between two positions when triggered. Trigger sets the audio threshold, Manual Trigger creates an event, and Trigger Divider requires between 1 and 12 events before advancing.
• Random chooses a new position at rhythmic intervals. Step / Random Step chooses a new random position on triggers instead.

Tweak panels

In the dynamic modes, Threshold, Attack, Release, and Env / Gate define how the input drives modulation. Env responds proportionally to level; Gate moves toward the set modulation amount when the threshold is crossed. Offset Mod, Width Mod, and Rate Mod change the movement's center, excursion, and speed.

Triggered modes expose a detector filter: Type chooses highpass, lowpass, or no filter; Cutoff chooses its frequency; Gain adjusts detector level; and Monitor auditions the filtered detector signal without panning. Use it when bass energy causes unwanted triggers.

Analog Style selects Clean, Fat, Squash, Dirt, Crunch, Shred, or Pump coloration. Shape smoothing and rhythm editing let a hard sequence become a flowing spatial pattern without changing its underlying timing.

Manual, Common Controls, pp. 6–7; LFO and Tweak, pp. 9–14; Rhythm Step/Shape, pp. 15–21; Ping Pong and Detector Controls, pp. 22–24; Random/Random Step, pp. 25–26.