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Gear / Technical Help => Post-Processing, Computer / Streaming / Internet Devices & Related Activity => Topic started by: Xpanding Man on February 24, 2012, 05:20:08 PM

Title: Checking (possibly inverted) phase in Audacity?
Post by: Xpanding Man on February 24, 2012, 05:20:08 PM
Tonedeaf kindly pointed out that the first recording I made with the new Busmans (and the first thing I've posted to the archive in YEARS) is out of phase  :( 

Did some searching and couldn't find anything that would indicate I could use Audacity to check and reverse if this is happening in other recordings...I've used the TLs > V3 many times now and never noticed any of the "tinnyness" that I hear on the suspect recording, plus the v3 has been to Grace for the polarity fix so I highly doubt it's the V3 that's out of phase between channels, but would like to confirm before I send anything back to Busman by also analyzing some my TL > V3 recordings

If Audacity doesn't do this, is there a cheap (read: free) alternative for either Mac or Windows?  I am quite possibly in the market for a standard PC that will never see the internet, for exclusive use as a rendering / editing maching.  My Mac is like Danny Glover - it's getting too old for this shit :)

Thanks
Title: Re: Checking (possibly inverted) phase in Audacity?
Post by: page on February 24, 2012, 05:26:27 PM
The easiest way I found when I was using audacity was to find a lone snare or kickdrum thump and look at the wave form. If they go the same way, then it's not polarity, if they go opposite directions then you have an issue. Now I've heard it enough I can generally listen for to get an idea of when I should flip a channel to test it.

While rare, it's not unheard of for a pair of mics to be out of polarity to each other. It's happened before here.

Now, if it's not a 180 degree phase issue, then I'd be curious how Steve picked it out (I haven't heard samples of said recording, so maybe it's audible).
Title: Re: Checking (possibly inverted) phase in Audacity?
Post by: rjp on February 24, 2012, 07:25:37 PM
There's an "Invert" effect available in the Effects menu. If you need to invert one channel, you'll need to split the stereo track first, then select the entire track to reverse, and use Effects->Invert.
Title: Re: Checking (possibly inverted) phase in Audacity?
Post by: Xpanding Man on February 25, 2012, 12:55:52 PM
The easiest way I found when I was using audacity was to find a lone snare or kickdrum thump and look at the wave form. If they go the same way, then it's not polarity, if they go opposite directions then you have an issue. Now I've heard it enough I can generally listen for to get an idea of when I should flip a channel to test it.

While rare, it's not unheard of for a pair of mics to be out of polarity to each other. It's happened before here.

Now, if it's not a 180 degree phase issue, then I'd be curious how Steve picked it out (I haven't heard samples of said recording, so maybe it's audible).

thanks, that worked!  compared to my TL's recent pulls and those are in phase using the same analysis...time to talk to Chris!