What is a Pan Pot?

A pan pot, short for panoramic potentiometer, is a control used in audio mixing to position a sound within the stereo field between the left and right channels.

By adjusting the pan pot, an engineer can move a sound source toward the left speaker, right speaker, or keep it centered. This helps create separation between instruments and gives the mix a sense of width and spatial placement.

Pan pots are commonly found on mixing consoles, digital audio workstations, and channel strips. They are an important tool in mixing because they help organize sounds within the stereo image and prevent different elements from overlapping in the same position.