In article .@. writes:

hey out there, i'm in an audio production class and the instructor avoids a
direct answer to this question: is there something in the nature of a
slightly out of phase recording (such as that created by a difference in mic
distance) that can make something sound "warmer" like analog?

I can understand why he avoids a direct answer because "warmer" and
"like analog" are pretty ambiguous, and for that matter, so is "a
slightly out of phase recording."

When something is picked up by mics at a different distance which are
combined in a mix, certain frequencies are attenuated. This is called
"comb filtering" because there are multiple frequencies, and in the
perfect case, the null is complete, making the frequency response plot
look a bit like the teeth of a comb.

However, unless you're just lucky enough to reduce frequencies with
comb filtering that make the recording sound harsh (if that's the
opposite of "warm") there's no way that this would warm up a
recording. Analog tape recording does have some group delay that tends
to alter the relationship between the fundamental and overtones, but
that isn't really what gives what we know as "the warm analog sound."
It's just a defect that we've had to live with.


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