Dotec-Audio has introduced DeePanpot, a freeware channel strip utility for Windows and Mac OS offering true panning of the processed stereo audio source.
DeePanpot is a stereo pan utility, as opposed to a stereo balance controller. In theory, true stereo panning should sound more natural than adjusting the stereo balance, which is the type of stereo control that is commonly used as the default in DAW channel strips. In reality, the difference between the concepts is audible, although quite subtle.
The plugin features only two controls: a horizontal slider for controlling the pan and a bypass button to turn the plugin on or off. The bottom quarter of the GUI works as a link to Dotec-Audio’s commercial compressor effect. The interface looks very nice and I enjoyed using the plugin, despite the fact that some of the on-screen elements look like they are controls even though they’re not (for example, a tiny gray knob to the left of the logo). The CPU hit was below 1% during our test, which is great news.
Here’s a simple and fun way to test DeePanpot on your computer. Create two identical tracks in your DAW and add DeePanpot to one track, panning it 40% to the right. On the second track, use your digital audio workstation’s default balance control, setting it to the exact same value. Alternate between the two tracks to compare the two balance control techniques. You’ll probably notice that the difference between the two is very subtle, however the DeePanpot track should sound more similar to what you’d hear if the sound source was actually moved slightly to the right hand side.
The plugin is distributed in a ZIP archive containing the DLL file. There’s no installer involved, nor will you be asked to register your copy of the plugin or sign up for a user account.
Audio Demo
Check out the DeePanpot audio demo:
Download
DeePanpot is available for free download via Dotec-Audio (3.33 MB download size, ZIP archive, 32-bit & 64-bit VST/AU plugin format for Windows & Mac OS).
