Energy Panner

Name: Energy Panner
Price: 99 USD
Author: Sound Particles

by Sound Particles · Imaging · Level-driven 3D auto-panner

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Energy Panner is a 3D auto-panner from Sound Particles that uses a sound's intensity to drive its movement, so drums can pan with the beat and synth notes move on their attack.

It supports stereo to Dolby Atmos 7.1.2, 3rd-order Ambisonics and binaural, with sidechain input, for $99.

Best for: Drums, Keys & Synths, Sound Design. Genres: Electronic & EDM, Ambient & Cinematic.

Keywords: auto-pan, drums, sidechain input, spacious, synths, hi-hats, percussion, randomize, cinematic, creative, external sidechain, kick, built-in mix knob, mixing, preset-driven, sound design.

What it does

Energy Panner is a panner driven by the intensity of the sound itself: louder moments push the source along a path, quieter ones let it settle. The idea is dynamic movement "without any effort or additional routing", from stereo up to large immersive layouts.

Two modes: Pan mode moves the sound between a set start and end point and returns it to the start; Sliding mode moves it when the level crosses the threshold and leaves it where it stopped, so it keeps drifting to new places.
Dynamics controls: threshold and ratio set how strongly level turns into movement, with attack and release (which can be linked) shaping how fast it reacts.
Paths and direction: clockwise or counter-clockwise movement, trajectory and intensity settings, and panning to speakers, points or custom points. Version 2 adds independent paths per channel and a built-in mixer.
Sidechain: an external sidechain input lets another track, such as a kick, trigger the movement.
Output and mix: up to 10 dB of output gain, a dry/wet control and Virtual Center processing.
Views: Circular, Polygon and Room displays show the movement in real time.
Presets and dice: 25+ presets and a Random Dice button for new variations.

The current release is Energy Panner 2. It has outputs from mono and stereo through multichannel layouts up to 22.2, Ambisonics up to 6th order, binaural and custom formats.

Source: Sound Particles product page

When to use it

Energy Panner is the pick when you want movement tied to the dynamics of a part rather than to the tempo. Unlike LFO or step panners such as Cableguys PanCake, it moves on each hit and stays still when the part is quiet, and Sliding mode gives semi-random paths that never repeat exactly. Compared with stereo tools such as Ozone Imager or Polyverse Wider, it changes where a sound sits over time rather than how wide it is. It also works natively in surround, Ambisonics and Atmos-style layouts, which most panners in this price range don't. Brightness Panner, its sibling, follows spectrum and pitch instead of level.

Best for: drums, shakers, hi-hats and plucked synths that should move on each hit, in stereo or immersive mixes.
Genres: electronic and cinematic music, game audio, and film and TV post-production.
Look elsewhere if: you need tempo-locked patterns; Sound Particles' Beat Panner or Cableguys PanCake are built for that.
Tip: set the start point in the centre with movement towards the speakers to get a width effect that opens up on loud hits (Sound On Sound).

What producers say

Reviewers see it as a unique, creative effect with few drawbacks, at its best in immersive formats.

Sound On Sound (Hugh Robjohns, 2021) called it "a unique and interesting dynamic panning effect" and praised Sliding mode's "ever-changing pan movements". He said it "really shines" in multichannel formats and advised using it sparingly on one or two sources.
Sweetwater user rated it 5 out of 5 (one review), using it on shakers and hi-hats and saying "I've not seen anything else like it."
Criticisms: Sound On Sound found the stereo render modes thinly documented and noted there is no beat-counter facility.

Where to buy

Sound Particles: $99 (Price as listed on KVR Audio; soundparticles.com could not be read.)
AudioDeluxe: $99

Tutorials and reviews

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