"greggery peccary" .@. wrote in message


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?

Time delays can cause two different audible effects at the same time.

One effect is pretty straight-forward. A sound from a given source shows up
in the recording twice or more, with the instances showing up at different
times and with different amplitudes and colorations.

The second effect is a little trickier to understand. When a sound from a
source mixes with a time-delayed version of itself, there can be some pretty
strong frequency domain effects, often in the form of what is commonly
called comb filtering.

The same time delays due to differences in mic position and the like can
create both effects. There is a guide for mic positioning called the 3:1
rule, which tends to help us manage both of these effects.

Just because these effects are different from straight-wire response doesn't
mean that they are a bad thing. I've recently been getting my noise shoved
into the beneficial effects of relatively close reflections, in the 5-25
millisecond range. If they are properly scaled in the amplitude domain and
dispersed correctly in the time domain, they can be both euphonic and also
helpful so that listeners correctly perceive both vocal and instrumental
information in the music.

i know all about the "if it sounds good do it"
philosophy, but i'm wondering to what extent do engineers delve into
phase correction with their software?

Phase correction and time correction are pretty much the same thing as
related to differences in mic distances. Digital consoles and DAW software
generally have tools for managing time differences. For example I've heard
comments that time-correcting the arrivals from multiple close mics can
further "tighten" up the perceived focus of the singing of a well-trained
vocal group that is already pretty tight.