Topic: Another Noob mistake! Accidentally flipped my L/R mics, would like to fix

[MPemulis]

Ah, yet another noob mistake "how to fix" question! I searched and couldn't find an answer, hoping someone can help.

I recorded a show stealth in A/B mode, and accidentally had the mics on the wrong side (it was dark when I was setting up, wanted to go quickly and messed up). So left side mic on the right side of my head, right side mic on the left, you get the idea.

Is there any way to flip the channels and/or rebalance/repan and fix the panning to solve the problem in Izotope? Or am I best off just kind of leaving as is? What should I try?

Any help greatly appreciated.

[aaronji]

Well, if you weren't there you. wouldn't really know the difference. That being said, it is easy to swap the channels. I don't use Izotope, but most DAWs have a dedicated "switch left/right" option. Worst case scenario, add a third track, copy one of the tracks to that, and delete the extra one.

[al w.]

https://manual.audacityteam.org/man/splitting_and_joining_stereo_tracks.html

[MPemulis]

Yep, figured out the fix in Izotope (there is a swap channels in the drop-down).

I wasn't sure if doing this would mess with the stereo imaging as the left mic would be theoretically pulling from further right than normal (as the right mic would be pulling from further left).

[aaronji]

No, it's the mirror image. The right mic is capturing the right side, even if it is plugged into the left channel on the recorder and vice versa.

[MPemulis]

I think that would be the case if I flipped the cables at the recorder, but I flipped the mic placement, so it's not quite the mirror image. (at least that is what I am thinking, let me know if I am wrong!)

[morst]

I think that would be the case if I flipped the cables at the recorder, but I flipped the mic placement, so it's not quite the mirror image. (at least that is what I am thinking, let me know if I am wrong!)

Was the setup asymmetrical?
Is there a difference between the left and right mics?


Why would swapping the channels in post be any different than swapping cables on the recorder?

[MPemulis]

maybe I am just overthinking, but this is the mistake I made:

right mic | head | left mic

when it should be:

left mic | head | right mic

[papabliss]

You are over thinking it. The mic on the left side you your head was recorded to the right track and the mic on the right side of your head was recorded to the left track. Swap them in post production and they are now in the same position you had intended if you had not crossed the cables.

[MPemulis]

Ok, feel like maybe it was breaking my brain a bit! thanks for the help all, appreciate it.

[Gutbucket]

No one else is likely to notice the difference, but you.  Maybe someone who was present at the performance, maybe.

By experiencing the live performance in person I tend to internalize the "correct" L/R channel assignment. Then when listening back later its interesting to flip L/R back and forth. Often one way sounds correct and the other often sounds somehow wrong, and that's sometimes not subtle.  Other times it really doesn't seem to matter.  I think this is because I'm really listening critically and comparing against the memory of what I heard live.  I doubt casual listeners who were at the event will notice, unless there was something rather obvious differentiating left from right.  Folks who weren't there and have no a priori idea of how the stage was set up or what occurred during the performance won't notice.

You can flip Left/Right at any point in the signal chain- at the mics, cables, recorder, in the DAW, by splitting and recombining the stereo WAV, anywhere in the playback signal chain, and the end result is the same.  With headphones its super easy, and makes for a good check of balance. When mixing more than two channels it more complicated since each individual pair then needs to have the correct assignment relative to the others.  Need to make sure all Lefts are routed left and all Rights routed right, but after that can flip the mix back and forth as you like as before.

[morst]

Drummers might prefer it "reversed" so they can play air drums and have the drum kit arranged the direction the drummer played it.


Like this guy

The Nick Raskulinecz Interview: Crafting The Sounds Of Deftones, Foo Fighters, AIC and Rush
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQognzPVOIo

[Gutbucket]

I've recorded from behind the drumkit a number of times, and few times while hanging out with the band afterward discussed which perspective they preferred - either as heard by the band or as heard by the audience.  General consensus seemed to be, "huh, yeah, never thought thought about that before", and not really having much preference.  One of those times I later put headphones on the bandleader and had him flip them back and forth.  Sure enough he preferred the band's perspective, as that felt more natural to him.

IMO, listeners tend to notice most often when the drummer is set up over to one side instead of center stage.  Sometimes when there was a horn section over to one side.  If the arrangement on stage is pretty much symmetrical with the drum kit centered, one indicator of the recording setup providing good imaging is being able to clearly hear the snare-drum placement being slightly over toward the "correct" side of the kit.