I picked up on a tip from someone, if you like to try something different for your mix, is to print a waveform of the mix on a new stereo audio track, invert the phase and invert the polarity of L/R of the new audio track, and play back and blend the original mix with the new audio mix until you find a sweet spot. I don't know what this method is called but it accentuates reverb a hair, not much, and adds something I'm not sure what to call it. But it sounds good.
blending out of phase mix with opposite panning
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miroslav
Cosmic Cowboy
You're basically negating the inverted phase if you then also invert the L/R polarity...if I understood your actions correctly.
IOW...you're back where you started from , and you're just doubling the track when combining the old and new tracks.
Most DAWs use the terms phase and polarity interchangeably...because the phase inversion if done with a single button push is usually 180 degrees.
Flipping polarity on the L/R is also doing a 180 degree change. So - 180 plus +180 = 0...no change.
Though maybe you mean something else...?
You know what - I found out that isn't what he was talking about.. it's just blending in an out of phase mix with the regular mix, and not changing any pan settings. Anyway, I know it's cancelling out the wave forms, but it's an interesting effect.
bouldersoundguy
Well-known member
I'm curious how one might do this, inverting the phase and inverting the polarity. What happens if you just invert the phase? And at what frequency are you inverting the phase (since phase is frequency dependent while polarity is not)?
You can call it "reducing the sum to difference ratio" if you want, or any of several other descriptions. Well, that's what it would be if you swapped left and right and inverted polarity. If you just invert polarity and mix it in you're just reducing the volume.
ashcat_lt
Well-known member
A link might help, but I’m reasonably sure the idea is to invert the copy and then swap the panning to get some hyperstereo false widening. It’s a good way to clear the wax out of your ears on headphones, and makes it sound completely different at any given spot in a room with speakers. It’s one of those things where you just have to decide how much you want to compromise mono compatibility and general translation for a special stereo experience. If you go too far with any kind of phase based positioning tricks, you start to limit or dictate to your audience. Like you can put a label on the thing that says “headphones only” or market directly to audiophiles who sit alone in the spot in the room that it sounds right...
Edit - BTW there ain’t a damn thing wrong with that. Music for film and gaming almost demands that kind of thing.
Edit - BTW there ain’t a damn thing wrong with that. Music for film and gaming almost demands that kind of thing.
gecko zzed
Grumpy Mod
I read "invert the polarity of L/R" to mean reverse the panning.
If you will mix this inverted and re-panned signal A LITTLE BIT - there can be interesting tonal effects, especially at side panned signals, but there will be some summing problems with centre panned signals, they will be reduced, so be careful with such mixing. And check how it will sound in mono.