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Gear / Technical Help => Playback Forum => Topic started by: Nick's Picks on July 14, 2003, 07:54:46 AM
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I've been noticing certing recordings, or individual tracks that are recorded out of phase, thus giving a floating affect to the music. No source direction, just a "hovering" affect.
examples:
The DEADs XM broadcast of 7-4.
most all of disc one is mixed out of phase
Bob Wiers vocals on the studio take of "WRS part I"
I just wanted to say that "i love it".
especialy the 7-4 mix. they called that a mistake, and there is a fix going around.
I think the mistake sounds better than the fix. Its a holographic affect that can make you dizzy (if you are sitting on my couch any way). All of the proper stereo information seems to be there, its just the point of origin that really flys around the room.
anyone else know of other out of phase recordings?
I wonder what would happen if I were to mix a two channel master AUD recording of mine out of phase. I might have to try it.
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Do it!
I know damn near nothing about phasing- but I'm always down to see some experimentation. :)
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If you want to know what it sounds like - just switch the +/- on ONE set of your speaker cables. If you are in a proper listening position it cannot sound good. The bass from each speaker cancels out and the location information is screwed. Make me feel like my head is being twisted ::)
You can also use Cool Edit Pro (and probably others) to listen to the effect. Transform, amplitude, channel mixer. Set a normal mix (left gets 100% left and no right, opposite for right channel) and then check off one of the invert check boxes while listening. Go back and forth.
Cool it is not!
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Replying to my own post - I just read that you've got a pair of Magneplanars. They will be even less forgiving of phase problems than an ordinary speaker...in the sweet spot (which is very sweet with Maggies). Otherwise, they're so phasy that you might mask the problem if you're off center.
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Nick, switch both termainals on the speakers & see if it matters.
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wow... I just listened to a jam from my tapes of Phish at Deer Creek and then reversed the wiring on one of the B&W's... my head is still spinning! that prettys awful!
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Oh yeah - the other thing about having left / right out of phase. If you sit in the middle and play with the balance control, you'll find it has more bass when you are only listening to one channel. The least when it's in the middle.
Again, you should be in the centre for these listening tests.
If you're going to try the speaker cable switching, don't change both of them (or even both ends of one cable for that matter). The absolute phase will change but this isn't the effect we're talking about...