Pan Law Calculator — Channel Level from Pan Position

-3 dB (Equal Power)

Left = cos(pan × π/2), Right = sin(pan × π/2)

Where pan is normalised 0 (left) to 1 (right). At centre (0.5), both channels are at cos(45°) = 0.707 = -3 dB.

-6 dB (Linear)

Left = 1 - pan, Right = pan

At centre, both channels are at 0.5 = -6 dB.

Mono Fold Level

Mono fold = 20 × log10((L + R) / 2)

When a stereo pair is summed to mono the two channel voltages add. We reference the result to the averaged stereo pair (the /2 term), so a hard-panned signal reads -6 dB relative to its single channel and a centre-panned signal reads the law's centre figure. The DIFFERENTIAL is what matters: with the -3 dB law a centre signal folds +3 dB louder than a hard-panned one, whereas with the -6 dB law centre and edges fold to the same level — the classic mono-compatibility advantage of linear panning.

Stereo Width Factor

The stereo width factor scales the side signal (L-R difference). 1.0 = unchanged, 0 = mono, 2.0 = doubled width. The effective left/right levels show the result after width adjustment.

The custom pan law dB reference field is display-only — it is echoed in the breakdown so you can record your DAW's setting, but it does not change the calculated curve. The pan law selector above controls the curve used in the calculation.