Flipping phase...

[wesley.wittich]

Question: If I have, let's say, a single vocal track. It's the only thing I have recorded. There is nothing to cancel, etc. If I flip the phase, will it change the sound of the individual track? I understand that phase flipping can affect the way a track cancels/interacts with other signals, but what about itself? Does phase flipping alter the tone of the thing that is flipped? If so, how exactly does this work?

[dfuruta]

The audibility/importance of absolute phase is a pretty big can of worms, and if you look on google you'll find a few studies and a lot of invective. The easiest answer: can you hear a change if you flip the polarity? If so, does it sound better one way than the other?

For me the answer is no, I don't notice a significant loss in quality if I flip polarity on a track in isolation. And so I don't worry about it.

If there is an audible effect, it'll be most pronounced on highly asymmetrical waveforms, e.g. trumpet, violin, some synthesized sounds.

[vvv]

Oh that flippin' phase ...

:English accent off:

(Waits for someone to argue track inversion is not phase.)

[JGriffin]

If there is an audible effect, it'll be most pronounced on highly asymmetrical waveforms, e.g. trumpet, violin, some synthesized sounds.

Or, for example, if you flip the bass guitar and not the kick drum, and the two tracks are trying to provide the same frequencies within the mix at the same time. Now instead of them both making the speaker go the same way, they're working against one another.

[MoreSpaceEcho]

although that presumes that the bass and kick are hitting at EXACTLY the same time, which is unlikely in real (non-gridded) life.

not disagreeing, just sayin'.

[farview]

IN the OP's scenario of just vocal by itself, No it won't make any difference.

[@?,*???&?]

Question: If I have, let's say, a single vocal track. It's the only thing I have recorded. There is nothing to cancel, etc. If I flip the phase, will it change the sound of the individual track? I understand that phase flipping can affect the way a track cancels/interacts with other signals, but what about itself? Does phase flipping alter the tone of the thing that is flipped? If so, how exactly does this work?

All this is going to do is make the first motion of the speaker you play back on correspond to the 270 degree position of the waveform instead of the 90 degree position. Everything is offset 180 degrees which shouldn't sound noticeably different.

I say that because it was Joe Chiccarelli once, who asked that I flip the phase of the leads on the speakers he was monitoring with. The reason was that some speakers sound slightly different with phase reversed because of how the driver has to move. It's worth listening to- for you, but not worth doing to work. See if YOU hear a difference.

[Nick Sevilla]

Question: If I have, let's say, a single vocal track. It's the only thing I have recorded. There is nothing to cancel, etc. If I flip the phase, will it change the sound of the individual track? I understand that phase flipping can affect the way a track cancels/interacts with other signals, but what about itself? Does phase flipping alter the tone of the thing that is flipped? If so, how exactly does this work?

No.

[JGriffin]

although that presumes that the bass and kick are hitting at EXACTLY the same time, which is unlikely in real (non-gridded) life.

not disagreeing, just sayin'.

I suppose that depends on your rhythm section!

[Waltz Mastering]

Question: If I have, let's say, a single vocal track. It's the only thing I have recorded. There is nothing to cancel, etc. If I flip the phase, will it change the sound of the individual track? I understand that phase flipping can affect the way a track cancels/interacts with other signals, but what about itself? Does phase flipping alter the tone of the thing that is flipped? If so, how exactly does this work?

What you are talking about it's not really known as flipping phase. It's called reversing polarity. There is absolute polarity and reversed polarity.

I like how John Dent explains it:

"Correct absolute polarity is fundamental to the listening experience, I have no problem in my studio determining which is correct. For those that think it doesn't matter or have no idea what its about, here's a very simple explanation.

recording a bass drum..microphone infront of drum.....drummer strikes drumskin....1st motion of skin it moves forward.....microphone diaphragm moves back into
microphone....this produces a positve peak on pin 2 of the XLR .... if this was then connected to your loudspeaker....the bass cone 1st pulse should move forwards towards you., ... and that's it

it does matter.....

summary
Very few sounds are equal in both polarities, primarily electronic keyboards.. if you can't hear polarity differences either your source has been ruined, by over compressing , confused multitrack recording or general lack of resolution...
or your monitoring system is hopeless at resolving what's really there...

my summary may sound harsh, but the reality is there are a lot of people out there both recording and listening that don't actually understand recorded sound.

Best Wishes JohnD"

[ott0bot]

nice quote!

I'd say in OP's case, if the vocal is already tracked, and it's accapella, then no.

It can make a huge difference it you flip the polarity switch on a preamp while tracking. Throwing the mic out of phase by reversing the polarity can sound either wonderful or terrible. Flip and decide which one.

[dfuruta]

nice quote!

I'd say in OP's case, if the vocal is already tracked, and it's accapella, then no.

It can make a huge difference it you flip the polarity switch on a preamp while tracking. Throwing the mic out of phase by reversing the polarity can sound either wonderful or terrible. Flip and decide which one.

If one is recording a vocal with a single mic, flipping the polarity is not going to change the wonderfulness or terribleness of the track, unless the preamp is broken...

[Snarl 12/8]

If the guy or gal is shouting into a mic, driving that mic diaphragm into the mic it might sound, or at least feel, different. Instead of the transient pushing out towards you, applying pressure to your eardrum, it'll suck the speaker back, creating a vacuum. Vacuum and pressure are polar opposite conditions in the atmosphere, how can that not be perceived differently.

I've started never reversing my kick mic. I leave that be and check all the other phases against that. Hopefully I get to flip my snare top mic.

The OP still hasn't answered the question of whether they hear a difference.

[ott0bot]

nice quote!

I'd say in OP's case, if the vocal is already tracked, and it's accapella, then no.

It can make a huge difference it you flip the polarity switch on a preamp while tracking. Throwing the mic out of phase by reversing the polarity can sound either wonderful or terrible. Flip and decide which one.

If one is recording a vocal with a single mic, flipping the polarity is not going to change the wonderfulness or terribleness of the track, unless the preamp is broken...

um..yeah it do.

[timh]

nice quote!

I'd say in OP's case, if the vocal is already tracked, and it's accapella, then no.

It can make a huge difference it you flip the polarity switch on a preamp while tracking. Throwing the mic out of phase by reversing the polarity can sound either wonderful or terrible. Flip and decide which one.

If one is recording a vocal with a single mic, flipping the polarity is not going to change the wonderfulness or terribleness of the track, unless the preamp is broken...

um..yeah it do.

<pulls up chair, pops corn>