Sometimes I feel that stereo samples assigned to a pair of outs (in stereo) are not really played in separate channels… Not sure if the content of both sides are going to both channels (not talking here of L+R…) or worse, we may be talking about some phasing issues… as we are in the 21st century I’m referring of those gorgeous open stereo sounds or great sounding snares, hats and cymbals that are captured with its room reflexion with more than one microphone… I mean, that is a real stereo use further than panning sounds left or right isn’t it? If I compare the original sample in my hard drive with the actual sound played in my S2400 I frequently find something amiss in the stereo image or even some flanging that suggests phasing issues…Anyone?
Have you opened your Pan menu and panned the outputs left and right?
I don’t but it looks like I should… my outputs are connected to a mixer with independent channels so if I send a stereo sound to channel 1 and then I’m told that, as a stereo sample, I’d get that sound out of channel 2 too, I assumed that sound would be split as L (1) & R (2)… that’s pretty standard layout in audio. I’ll go ahead and try that and let you know how it goes…. Thank you!
I’d change this thread’s status if you can as it’s not a bug. If you have a stereo sample, you need to make sure that the corresponding outputs that it is on are panned L+R. I normally keep my stereo samples on 1+2, which are panned. 7+8 I like to keep mono for my drums and bass lines. I also do this as a default as soon as I turn my unit on, with two presses of a button, because my input monitor is on 1+2 and I wanna make sure I’m hearing things ‘right’ 
This is the way. Posting video manual at the right time for OP:
Very first thing he goes into is panning stereo samples 
I see… Now is sounding right, thanks everyone! So instead of a bug it should be a feature request I guess. I will look to that
One last question please, as I see people commenting on doing this panning as soon as they turn it on “by default”… I don’t see anything in Default Settings that would allow me to set my panning preferences once and for all so I’m afraid you guys mean that I need to do it each and every time I turn it on… on top of that, each and every time I change a kit, which is very frequent and I have hundreds by now, I need to go ahead and be sure to reset again my panning AND don’t forget to save it for the next time I use it right? I guess that would be another feature request…
Yep, that would be a feature request. Not for nothing, if you own any older machines or even newer ones, like the SP-404 mk II, you still have to manually input the settings that you like on you input signals, channels, outputs, etc. I only say that to point out that the 2400 isn’t exclusive in this way, THOUGH, I would completely get behind that feature request! It’d be amazing to be able to set default panning 
Now I’m confused haha… the OP wrote he has his indiv outs connected to a mixer which has the two channels panned left/right if I understand correctly, the panning menu shouldnt matter in this scenario right?
In my understanding, panning channels inside the s2400 pans them in the stereofield that goes to the main outs, but it shouldnt effect the individual outs right? The only thing which should effect what plays out of the individual outs is the channel setting being either set to stereo or l+r mixed.
So lets say you set a stereosample to channel 3, the sound will play out of channels 3 and 4.
- if set to stereo in the track settings, it will send L to output 3 and R to output 4. If you route both of these to a mixer with the channels panned l/r, it will play stereo.
- if set to l+r mixed, it will send l+r to both outputs 3 and 4, in this case, panning on a mixer will not work.
In my understanding, panning inside the s2400 panning settings only effects the main outs/headphones so if taking the same scenario as above:
- if track 3 is set to stereo in the track settings and 3/4 are panned hard left and right in the panning menu, it will also play stereo from the main outs.
- if either track 3 is set to l+r instead of stereo, or channels 3/4 are not panned l/r in the panning menu, it will play mono from the main outs.
Please correct me if I’m understanding this wrong!
That’s the reason I was confused in the first place… we are assuming things that are pretty standard in any audio device layout but it turns out it’s not like that…
The whole thing is weird at different levels but you won’t notice until you make big use of stereo samplers through individual outputs and of course you need to know how your stereo samplers really sound… I’m guessing that a lot of people here use mono sounds or they simply get their stereo samples out as L+R, if that is the case they are missing the world here…
As I learned here, yes you do have to use the panning menu even if you have your individual outs connected to mixer channels… the S2400 is programmed as this:
A stereo sample is routed let’s say to out 1 so you know that goes to out 2 too but if you think you are getting a split signal (L to 1 - R to 2) you are wrong! (Weird right?) you are getting BOTH L AND R on both outs 1 and 2…
That’s why you need to go to the panning menu…
Now, you would ask yourself why should I bother to set panning on a signal that I have control of in my mixer right? The reason is that the panning menu is NOT really for panning! What it does is balance volume between L and R. So you need to go there and cancel one side of the sound to be sure that is not going to the other by moving the fader all the way to whatever side…
If you are anything like me, you find yourself organizing kits, projects, retouching, adding new sounds… this layout forces you to constantly double-check because you are never sure which is a pain…
The only scenario that Pan menu is useful is when you have a bunch of mono sounds and you only use out L-R… that way you lay your sounds left and right as you please.
Even in that scenario, the moment you introduce a stereo sound, you need to make sure that 1 and 2 are panned all the way left and right. If you don’t do that you will get both L and R on both outputs. Forget about stereo image, you get weird flanging phase issues…
So, not a bug I guess but man I wish we could have it differently…
Hope this settles it
Agree on panning for default settings but you mean the (Roland) SP 404 Mk2?? That thing does not even have individual outs… What does that have to do with what we are discussing here?
No disrespect here but as much fun and inspiring as some devices may be, there are some features that clearly define and divides the market between commercial and profesional. This well may be one of them…
Oh no. I was only pointing out that on the mk II, there are settings that I like to have on the input channel that I have to set every time and that it gets annoying having to reset that each time I turn the machine on. Same with my MPC Live. and similarly, on an older machine, like my 3000. There are always certain settings that I wish that I could program to be default and I completely agree with you that this should be option
On my setup here, I can’t here any difference when using “Center All” or “L/R All pairs” in Pan mode when using individual outs and stereo samples on outs 1&2.
To me, it’s like there is a difference when using the mix out or headphones, not the separate outs.
Anyway, I still agree that it is hard to understand and an official page or more about it in the manual with diagrams and concrete examples would be appreciated.
If you use the individual outputs then you need to pan both channels 1&2, 3&4, 5&6 or 7&8 in your mixer left and right all the way… try that and use a sample where the stereo movement is evident
Of course, as we said, on top of it don’t forget to pan all pairs left and right in Pan Menu