looking an uneven WAV files

[joninc]

This is maybe a weird/dumb question but I am mixing a project and noticed that on one song the WAV file of the stereo mix looks like it doesn't reach equal distance below the center line as it does above. It's taller than it is deep - does that make sense?

I'm not super technical and am wondering what that means and what causes that? Is it a cause for concern? It doesn't sound weird or bad.

The other mixes from the same project look much more equal and balanced in terms of their shape and reach and the recordings and mix are all
quite similar.

[Drone]

I have a mic like that, it's a phantom mic and it produces an unbalanced waveform.

Some people will say it's a DC offset, in my case it isn't, it's just inequally amplified, but in your case it could be. A lot of programs have a DC Offset remover, you might want to try and use it.

[floid]

Some of my cheaper preamps clip asymetrically - one "side" of the waveform as represented in the daw keeps getting bigger and spikier while the other just gets rounder as I increase the gain. There can be a relatively large visual asymmetry before it's noticeable audibly. I believe certain compressors that use half-wave rectification in the detection circuit produce a similar effect.

[ulriggribbons]

Some sources are asymetric, naturally.

due to relative phase/frequency relationships, in other cases, 'positive air pressure bias' (think vocals, horns, etc.)

Regards

Jon

[Drone]

The weird thing is, this plays into something I've been thinking about recently, everyone says use your ears but your eyes can be more sensitive about spotting differences.

What if there's going to be a whole new generation of recordists who use their eyes? Maybe only listen to it when it looks good?

Sorry, minor deviation

[vvv]

ShinyB: I think ya wanted to say, "Some sources are asymmetric, naturally." Or, "Some sources are not symmetrical, naturally." (You just witnessed my OCD in action.)

Drone: I know a guy, if his mix-downs don't look smashed, he's not done.

[joninc]

thanks for the responses... this is a wav of a MIX though - not a individual track of a recorded instrument or voice.

It's the only song of the 5 i mixed on this project (i didn't record it) that appear this way .... why?

[Nick Sevilla]

thanks for the responses... this is a wav of a MIX though - not a individual track of a recorded instrument or voice.

It's the only song of the 5 i mixed on this project (i didn't record it) that appear this way .... why?

SINCE THIS IS A MIX:

There MUST be a source or sources which are not phase coherent, which are "phasey", in relation to the other instruments, and when mixed in, cause this shit to happen.

They may not sound phasey by themselves, this is a case where you have to either MUTE instrument by instrument until the waveform indicates a better left / right relationship, OR you start with only one instrument on and add another and check, one by one, until you find the offender.

Not easy, but you will find the offending recording, and then change it's phase a bit until the whole mix sounds better.

Now, THAT SAID, if the mix already sounds great, then DO NOTHING.

[ulriggribbons]

ShinyB: I think ya wanted to say, "Some sources are asymmetric, naturally." Or, "Some sources are not symmetrical, naturally." (You just witnessed my OCD in action.)

Hahaha, thanks!

How am I not myself?

Regards

Jon

[Randyman...]

*Edit* - Just realized the waveform that was posted is not the OP's waveform. Does yours look similar to that? *End Edit*

I don't believe inter-track phase issues (across disparate instruments/waveforms that can never technically be phase-locked) would be capable of producing this "one-sided" offset effect. You would see swings on both sides of "0" as the un-phase-locked tones in the tracks slide in and out of harmonic alignment.

Did you use ANYTHING different on the master buss? Non-linear stuff like "Bad Bus Mojo" or similar processing? That's my guess - Master Buss Processing.

RE: Half-Wave Rectification in Detector path: For the detector's half-wave topology to be transformed into the audio path, the Attack/Release would need to be basically instantaneous. The fact they aren't would also not result in a waveform of this state (compression/gain changes way more slowly than a full 360 degree cycle of most tones unless we're talking uber-fast releases on low-frequency content). It would surely affect compression behavior to a small degree (more so on un-symmetrical waveforms to begin with, depending on the + or - bias of the waveform).

I've also seen mics and Processors that do this - not likely by design

Rock on!

[joninc]

My mix is sort of the opposite of that posted photo - taller on the top and shorter on the bottom.

The master buss processing and mix chain was the same as the other songs. Similar instrumentation too.

Sounds fine to my ears!

Very strange...

[vvv]

If you are really curious, you might re-create the master using the same chain with one element removed at a time, or in various combinations, to see if that affects the effect.

Oh, and to continue my OCD, I bet you wanted to title this thread, "looking at uneven WAV files".

[Drone]

Have you checked it's not just a DC offset?

Mine you can see, the wave envelope is square in the middle, but the fringe of the waveform, which are the peaks, are larger on one side.

You could run it thru a DC Offset remover, and it should sound the same, but maybe look different?

[floid]

RE: Half-Wave Rectification in Detector path: For the detector's half-wave topology to be transformed into the audio path, the Attack/Release would need to be basically instantaneous. The fact they aren't would also not result in a waveform of this state (compression/gain changes way more slowly than a full 360 degree cycle of most tones unless we're talking uber-fast releases on low-frequency content). It would surely affect compression behavior to a small degree (more so on un-symmetrical waveforms to begin with, depending on the + or - bias of the waveform).

You're probably right. My thinking is that feeding the "skinny side" polarity of a signal with bias to the detector could tend to exaggerate its asymmetry, since the compressor is essentially blind to it.

[Magnetic Services]

This plagued me for a long time before I figured it out. I was getting it mostly in my drum overheads with heavy bands, but also other stuff, and I couldn't make my masters loud enough because my limiter was reacting to the lopsided wave. I thought it was a DC offset problem, so I started putting DC corrector plugins on all my tracks. Didn't fix it. Turns out uneven waves are naturally occuring with some instruments/mics/voices. I think in my case the cymbals could have been pushing a lot of air in one direction. The solution that worked for me was to use a PHASE ROTATOR on the master bus. 120 degrees was the magic setting when I tried it, but it could be different depending on how bad the problem is. Obviously, setting it to 180 would just give you the same problem reversed, not sure what 90 would do, and 360 would produce no effect. DON'T use the phase rotator on individual tracks unless you really know what you're doing; you'll risk way worse phase problems. It's fine on the master because it's altering the phase of everything, and there's nothing else for it to be out of sync with.

tldr: it's normal and fine, use a phase rotator ONLY on the master if you're still seeing this in your final bounces.