True Panner: Free ITD Panning Plugin by The Note Audio

The Note Audio has released True Panner, a free stereo panning and spatial imaging plugin. It combines conventional level-based balance with ITD (Interaural Time Difference) panning. This plugin is available for macOS and Windows in VST3, AU, and AAX formats.

Human spatial hearing relies on more than one cue. Level differences between the ears are only part of the picture. Arrival time differences are just as fundamental to how we locate a sound. Yet the pan control found on almost every mixing console and DAW channel strip adjusts level alone. It works, but it renders the stereo field one-dimensional. Therefore, engineers often reach for delays, wideners, and EQ moves to recover the depth that level panning cannot provide.

True Panner adds the missing cue. Its ITD-based panning introduces small time differences that the ear uses to judge direction. This produces placement that reads as positioned rather than merely louder on one side. Moreover, because the shift is frequency-independent, the tonal character of the source stays intact as it moves across the field.

Six modes cover the range from an everyday balance move to precise spatial placement: Balance, Dual Pan, Width, Time Pan, Spread, and Output. In addition, a real-time stereo field visualizer makes the effect of each adjustment visible as well as audible. This is particularly useful when time-based and level-based panning are combined.

Key Features

• Five panning modes from one interface: Balance, Dual Pan, Width, Time Pan, Spread, and Output.
• ITD-based panning for frequency-independent spatial placement.
• Independent left/right pan controls with width adjustment.
• Real-time stereo field visualizer.
• Low CPU usage, suitable for use on every channel in a session.

Pricing and Availability

True Panner is available free of charge. There is no trial period and no feature restrictions. Downloading requires a free account at thenoteaudio.com. Once installed, the plugin needs no licence or activation and runs offline.

The plugin is CPU-efficient and designed to run on every track in your session without performance issues. However, it currently focuses on stereo panning. Surround and Atmos support is planned for a future update.

---

More info: The Note Audio | True Panner