Phase And Recording

Summing two audio signals isn’t as straightforward as you might think – especially when phase issues are involved. Mark Cousins takes sides...

In the realms of audio recording and mixing, there are few words that appear more frequently than ‘phase’. In short, the implications of phase impact on almost every decision and action we take as a sound engineer. Whether it’s determining the placement of microphones, our perception of stereo, the application of EQ or the sweep of a synthesizer’s filter, all of these processes have some effect on phase. Yet phase can also be an area of great confusion: what exactly is it? Do phase problems necessarily produce a bad recording? And how and when does phase occur? One thing is for sure, though: ignoring phase can have catastrophic results on the integrity of your audio!

This feature first appeared in Music Tech Magazine issue 37
Filed under Ten Minute Masters

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