Stereo Panning

The technique of distributing a mono sound signal between the left and right channels of a stereo output to create the perception that the sound originates from a specific horizontal position in space. A fully left-panned sound plays only in the left ear, a centered sound plays equally in both, and intermediate positions are produced by adjusting the relative amplitude (and sometimes timing) of the two channels. Stereo panning is a core building block of spatial audio and sonification, and in accessibility contexts it is used to encode horizontal position in sensory substitution systems, audio games, and navigation aids for blind users so that object location can be perceived rather than verbally described.