phase problem..?

[revamp]

Hi I own a SP B1 and record in cooledit pro. i believe i may have a phase problem but im not sure. You know how there's a horizontal line in the middle, well when i record vocals the wave doesn't seem to come out balanced, it "swerves" to the bottom, but when i mic guitar amps, it seems to be fine. the waveforms are not lining up or something please help.

 

[Track Rat]

This is not a phase problem. That could only occur if you're using two or more mics at the same time on a single source. From your description it sounds like DC offset.

 

[acorec]

Hi I own a SP B1 and record in cooledit pro. i believe i may have a phase problem but im not sure. You know how there's a horizontal line in the middle, well when i record vocals the wave doesn't seem to come out balanced, it "swerves" to the bottom, but when i mic guitar amps, it seems to be fine. the waveforms are not lining up or something please help.

As odd as it may seem, vocals produce moisture that gets to the mic diaghram. Guitar cabs do not. You should try a pop screen to see if the problem goes away. The problem you describe is one of the effects of moisture.


Good Luck.

 

[revamp]

ok i think you may have a point there. i bought a popscreen yesterday and should be here tomorrow or the day after and i'll keep you updated. btw what is DC offset..?

 

[acorec]

ok i think you may have a point there. i bought a popscreen yesterday and should be here tomorrow or the day after and i'll keep you updated. btw what is DC offset..?

DC offset is when a capacitor starts to pass DC current. (it is shorting). Moisture shorts condensor elements (a capacitor). Instead of the AC signal going from a positive voltage through ground (0 volts) to a negative voltage, the signal gets "offset" so that the pos and neg voltages become uneven. This is DC offset. You would hear it as "hum" in the signal if it is bad enough.
It is a caps job to block DC currents, and the mic condensor element is a cap.