Traditionally, the lead vocal sits in the middle of the stereo image, along with the kick, bass and snare. Other instruments may be panned into the centre, but even then, some might be stereo sources that spread themselves across all of part of the stereo field. One mono instrument that tends to take centre stage is the lead guitar, but what do you do with it when the lead vocal comes back in? One has to give way, but unless you double-track the guitar, it tends to end up with the lead guitar either being panned outwards or ducked. In this example, I show how a reamped guitar solo avoids being obviously panned to one side, whilst at the same time being panned outwards to leave some space for the vocal.
