Panning in Channel Rack Doesn't Translate to Master Output

[zerocontrast]

I'm sure this has been asked before, but after several different searches, I still couldn't find the answer.

Why is it that if I pan an instrument in the Channel Rack, even completely to one side, the output still sounds more centered? If I have the instrument routed to a mixer channel, I can see in the meter that there is volume only on one side, but the meters in the Master channel are much closer to balanced. I know FX added to the mixer channel have a centering effect (something I never quite understood either), but this happens even with no FX present at all.

I did read something on the difference between how channel rack panning is balance (controlling levels of the L & R channels), and how mixer channel panning is actually panning (pushing all sound to L or R), but this doesn't explain the issue, because clearly rack panning can cut all gain on either L or R channel, so why does some sound still go to the other channel in the Master mix?

Also I know I could pan using the mixer channel, but sometimes if I have a pair of instruments, each panned to a different side, I want to be able to send them both to a single mixer channel to reduce instances of FX plug-ins.

Thanks in advance for any enlightenment.

[jzero]

That doesn't make sense to me. Post an example...

[zerocontrast]

@jzero Thanks for the reply. I started to make...

[nucleon]

Channel pan is pre-effects both inside the plug...