How to Get Your Microphones in PHASE

In this episode we explore how to get your microphones in phase.
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[@theaviary238]

The thumbnail pic is awesome! Love it.

[@bennymountain1]

Weaponised Funk

[@SamuelCape]

Rick I’ve really been getting into your videos I hope it’s not just a phase.

[@smashogre4766]

There's nothing like a chorus of "phase" jokes!

[@marvinshenk]

If you memorize that sound travels at about 1130 feet per second in average temperature/humidity conditions, which covers studios, then you can round off and assume that every foot equals about 1 millisecond. This is rounding of course, and not exact, but the millisecond is usually the lowest division most people work with in music. Yes, you can go to the sample level, but I doubt most do most of the time until you start shifting things on the Pro Tools timeline by samples. If you want to know the wavelength of a frequency, you divide 1130 by the frequency. 100hz has a wavelength of 11.3 feet. 1khz has a wavelength of 1.3 feet. If you want to know the frequency of a wavelength, you divide 1130 by the wavelength. If a wavelength is 11.3 feet long, then the frequency would be 100hz. That's the scientific part. In application, phase between microphones is most important in that 1 foot/1 millisecond area. That's why its so dramatic when you flip the phase on the bottom mic of the snare, or outer mic on the kick. It's also the area that is played with in Phasing pedals/plugins. That's one reason the X/Y stereo mic technique is a safe way to record things in stereo. You don't get as wide of a stereo image, but since the mic capsules are nearly perfectly aligned, the phase issue is not there. I'm not sure why I even went into this. It must be a phase I'm going through.

[@royglennie]

So if I calculate correctly the smallest audible wavelength is roughly around 1.5cm (@20kHz) so as long as your Mic capsules are within less than 0.75cm every audible frequency should have at least the same phase direction even if not perfectly in phase? Does that make sense?

[@marvinshenk]

The best you can hope for is to physically get the capsules as close to one another as possible, but yes. The other thing to consider is that the mic has it's whole physical design to consider as well. Mics are designed to have polar patterns, and thats built into their design. Recording engineers will get the mics as close as possible to one another if they choose to use X/Y approach as well as Mid-Side technique. One thing that is important is that the mics are the same model, and even better if they are a "matched pair" from the factory. As far as being concerned about capturing 20khz perfectly in phase, I wouldn't be. Analyze any professional recording in a spectrum analyzer like Waves PAZ that has been properly mastered , and you will usually see a rolloff of the high frequencies starting around 16khz or so.

[@AntonioKowatsch]

Drummer: _"I don't really play like that"_ Rick: _"Trust me, it sounds better"_

[@EpicStuffMan1000]

Rick: *suspends drummer and kit upside down on ceiling*

[@falconismbot9370]

Man the production quality of your videos has went up since you took this on full time and I love it. Sets you apart for sure. Great content as always, thanks Rick!

[@kennethpayne5758]

GREAT lesson and demonstration on phase. It's the most concise and complete video I've seen and it helped me understand it more clearly. Thanks so much for the time and effort you put into these. Welcome Maxton, can't wait to see more from you.

[@sleggarri]

I appreciate the time and effort you put into each of your videos. Your enthusiasm for all things music is contagious. Thank you for another informative post, Rick.

[@kanesanders6669]

I don’t do a lot of recording and am not even slightly interested in “phase” - or at least I didn’t think I was until I saw this video. I watch all Rick’s videos and never fail to learn something to improve my musical knowledge. Well done.

[@OriginalRaveParty]

I asked for this in a previous video's comment section and you've really delivered the knowledge Rick. Thank you for the excellent examples. This is now my reference anytime I'm not sure if I am in or out of phase, or I'm experiencing phase shift. Superb.

[@AntonioKowatsch]

Rick, your thumbnail-game is on point. :-)

[@TheRealHucasys]

Yeah, cool one.

[@radorado666]

Great video as always, Rick. I really needed an explanation of this, as I wasn't sure what this phase thing was about, but now it's crystal clear.

[@TheMystagicalOne]

Thanks Rick! I shared this with my peers in Music Production class. We love your channel.

[@BluesLicks101]

You have just changed the way I record acoustic. LOVE that out of phase sound on the body & neck mics. Thank you!

[@Nightwinflyer]

After years of recording and mixing I finally found 1 source who explained this a couple of years ago. Rick of course does it much better and in depth and the title is exactly to the point. Thanks so much!

[@b0njov1]

Rick, this video actually taught me so much in such a small time. Thanks for getting me interested in recording!!

[@NathanChristy]

Rick, thank you! This is fantastic! you guys are SO generous! Would love a supplement about room mics and blending.

[@NahreSol]

Invaluable info! And I love the thumbnail 🙌

[@tdubveedub]

Thanks Rick! This is valuable information, and I really appreciate your doing this.

[@guttoxgutto]

Thank you so much for this info Rick, very well explained and exemplified!

[@brocksamson8634]

So informative, you really demonstrated this in a clear way, thank you so much Rick.

[@thomasfucik7527]

Awesome post. Such valuable information. Thank you, Rick!

[@chrisalivandertuuk5110]

Got to admit I know enough about phase where I normally wouldn’t be interested in a video on it, however the thumbnail for the vid was so good i had to open it and give you a 👍. Very clever

[@jimbeaux4988]

Oh this is fun! I love the acoustic out of phase but then I began to appreciate the in phase sound as well. Both have their place.

[@michaelscott1199]

The crash cymbal advise is a good one. I've seen this missed many times.

[@gageamonette5120]

Great explanation so far. Love your videos.

[@wrzkace1]

Thank you rick and crew!!

[@MaddesG1]

Physics lesson nice. I remember when we came to this lesson in school i got to wip out my guitar and talk about some kewl stuff that goes on thats related to the over all lesson and chapter. The teacher who was this awesome materials scientist who developed stuff for NASA taught me about how some materials and some stuff we learned in later chapters really affect sound.

[@blackstar1261]

i love your recoding tips and thanks for the video . you're the best

[@tomsanone]

these vids are amazing. i am actually on the edge of me seat waiting for the break down and explanation of each example.

[@positionthepositron]

Jeeze this is a reeeeallly good video. Everyone needs to buy the Rick Beato book. This is so helpful man...thank you soooo much dude!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱

[@harrywatson5783]

Perfect, as always. And that bass tone- wow!!! We need more Rick bass videos! :D

[@jacobmacbride9727]

Thanks for the knowledge! Definitely appreciated rick

[@enricopersia4290]

Very informative, thanks!

[@thomasnettleton289]

Great vid. Learned more about recording today than I've know previously.

[@Redbunny5000]

Thanks a lot, Rick! That was really a helpful and vivid explanation as always

[@rickdeaguiar-musicreflecti7692]

Excellent tutorial on Phase. Wow! So helpful Rick. Thank you for taking the time on this :)

[@JazzzRockFuzion]

Really appreciate this information, Rick. As a schooled musician/teacher, most of my knowledge gaps are in the technical-scientific side of sound. Thanks for explaining such an important topic in a logical, demonstrative manner. Cheers!

[@gustavo80br]

The best video thumbnail image! Nice info, thanks once more.

[@flavio5046]

Great video, thanks Rick!

[@S00PAMARIO]

I'm only a few minutes in but I'm learning lots already; thanks Rick!

[@thomasmcgill6918]

This is so important and of course no one explains it better than you... Thank you

[@Nothing-rf5sm]

rick, i love you. thank you for your knowledge.

[@janired85]

This clarified many things. Thanks man!

[@fasteddievh2072]

So educational! Been playing guitar for 33 years and had no idea. Thanks! 🤘

[@RC32Smiths01]

Ahh thank you for the video! And more prominently, thank you for an awesome summer of content, really high quality and detail without a doubt! I won't lie, I really did only discover you by watching your Guitar Players You Need to Know from 1929-69, but ever since, I have been watching all of your videos because of how much I love your format and information that you bring to the table! Really grateful for all you do, and don't stop the great work man!

[@hansy1305]

This is massively helpful Rick, thank you :)

[@mishakabanchuk8887]

That was great! I'd love to see more videos about sound engineering!

[@MBdrummer3288]

That is one beautiful drum kit.

[@splashesin8]

Thanks Rick & Rhett! Good to know what happens if you try to bring the out of phase stuff to mono.

[@julietp.5877]

What happened to the earlier version that you took down? Was it out of phase? :D

[@laddieervin]

If memory serves, it looked like the original was intended to be edited down and was, perhaps, posted before it was finished.

[@powdermnky007]

it was just a phase he was going through.

[@adarkimpurity]

Yea, I remember there was issues with missing editing near the beginning and the bass drum was clipping like mad!

[@TheRealHucasys]

It was only phase 1...

[@stevefleth]

Blasted with a phaser

[@AlbertoMartinezDelRio]

The definitive video about the phase ... Thanks for this.

[@ivonsmith3095]

This is technically very interesting to watch & listen Rick! Technically I KNOW some of this but didnt have in my mind when it comes to miking up instruments! Amazingly eye opening! Thanks again!

[@LordHar]

Very insightful video as usual. One thing I heard about those phase-tricks for stereo widening effects etc. is that they don't work so well on vinyl because it makes the needle jump out of the groove. Haven't looked further into that myself.

[@willmen08]

Good stuff Rick, thanks for sharing.

[@DadRockAndGuitars]

A fun phase trick - mic a guitar cab with two mics of the same kind. Start with them in phase and as you track, pull one away from the cab. Great video Rick! Good explanation and examples.

[@abhishekraj8055]

Amazing information Just like your other videos

[@niniomigrania_]

What a lovely gear Rick ♥

[@stonail665]

Rick, more content like this please.

[@DamiensRegicide]

we need more of this

[@BruceBalensiefer]

Thank you for making the phase video we asked for!

[@klaymeister]

Set phasers to fun!

[@billb825]

You're right. Greatest thumbnail ever!

[@lenypapas]

This is gold.

[@atomicmoon]

Some good information here. Phase issues make me nervous about recording with more than one microphone, so most everything I do is either direct or with a room mic. I know there are certain live applications for phase cancellation (like if you have a horn player that's playing to loudly for a small room, you can flip the phase in the house and try to get rid of some of the volume)

[@DavidLC11]

It is interesting listening to the “out of speakers” parts on my 7.1 speaker system using Dolby Surround to decode the stereo signal. It sends it to the rears and the surround speakers.

[@ohstirfry]

What was not mentioned is that the amplitude is the movement of the speaker. So when you have phase out of Alignment it makes the audio quieter be cause the to sound waves are canceling out each other’s amplitude.

[@MorganReidguitar]

Very informative for someone who always works inside of a digital vacuum :)

[@ScottfromBaltimore]

I would like to see a video dealing with latency when overdubbing; how it's handled with tape, pro tools, and in general. It was just not I just discovered this issue while recording at home. I had to manually move one track over because it was about 150ms later than the other.

[@dev--null]

Ha, loved the thumbnail image - and the video of course! :) Coooool! Just wanted to add that the wavelength for 6KHz wave is about 2 inches. So to avoid phase issues, the distance between two mics should be less than 1/3 inches.

[@MurnerJoel]

Great 👍 thanks a lot

[@chipprugh1584]

Wow, thats impressive. The acoustic guitar part was great

[@NirMehlmanGuitar]

What about phase issues when recording acoustic guitar and vocal at the same time? (The singer at the guitarist are the same person). Thanks for the video!!!

[@sburfordmusic996]

This is a great video. I'd love to go into more depth, I multitrack guitars, I assume that I should be checking the phase between takes as well if I'm playing the same part? Also when comping I'm guessing if you literally cut one bit from one place and paste it to another place in the track then the phase might change for that period if you cut where the wave form is peaking and paste it into a position where the wave form is troughing? There's so much you have to think about when mixing and recording!

[@benfrancemusic]

Good info Rick! I'd love to hear some input on creative ways of using phase when recording, ie: not having things perfectly in or out to give different tonality, etc. :)

[@The_Musical_Cartograph]

very instructive ! by the way : Best thumbnail ever x)

[@Henrique_Henriques]

I Just actually Leaned something!!!freaking great vid!

[@user-oy6zm3cv5u]

best example I've seen and heard

[@kassemir]

16:54 - Can't help but hope that was a teaser for a What Makes This Song Great - Kansas :D

[@jockojohn3294]

I must be going through a phase watching more of your vids during the day :)

[@AnimusInvidious]

For everyone looking for examples of deliberate usage of phase offsets in music, Broken by Nine Inch Nails is a great album to check out. It even includes the disclaimer "caution: not for use with mono devices".

[@santosluevano]

Thank you Rick. I’ve been waiting for a vid like this for a long time. You fuckin rock!

[@osso2]

That acoustic sounds sooo good. What kind of guitar is it?

[@DEKILL_official]

I like this. Thank.

[@drdead2006]

I thought this got blocked. And after Toto I was extra peeved! Glad its here to see!!!!!

[@Rene_Christensen]

The phase associated with that phase button is 180 degrees at all frequencies. The phase difference between two microphones placed at different distances will be a linear phase, so a different phase shift for each frequency, which is how a time delay is described via phase. Two different situations and that is why the tonality changes when you push the button.

[@DavidRFIT]

That's a pretty good sounding drum!

[@monkeydonkey6246]

RIck beato is the coolest dude in youtube man !!!!

[@michaelbarash3565]

Thumbnail is great!

[@dreikaesehochkant]

Great video! And fantastic thumbnail 😎

[@ryangatling2973]

Rick - on the electric and acoustic guitar examples, could you get the same jump out of the speaker effect with an electric guitar by changing the EQ on the mics? For example set Mic (A) to low freqs and Mic (B) to High freqs then set them out of phase?

[@Stretch213]

This is why my being a drummer and having a tin ear. Also being the sound engineer was a bad idea. I need you 15 years ago. I was the one who bought the recording equipment

[@mememem]

Hey Rick do you know of any records where the phase on some instruments like guitar or backing vox are inverted purposely to get the wide stereo effect?

[@lealand707]

Piano on sympathy for the devil

[@TheSicstring]

Hi, bit late to game. I work in live events. Would it be possible to do a follow up video about how phase can be affected in a live environment.

[@icenic_wolf]

Is it a reasonable endeavor to try to set up your mics so that the thing that they're trying to capture (e.g. snare) is in-phase, but cymbals are out-of-phase, to de-emphasize cymbal bleed? Or would that be so difficult that it's not really worth it, with other better options available to help with cymbal or snare bleed?

[@gustavo80br]

All the examples show a phase difference of 180o. When out of phase 180o the sound waves subtract each other completely, leaving only the difference between them. This difference is more in the case of acoustic guitar example. However, when the phasing difference is less than 180o, the interference between the audio waves will generate a third sound, that can give an interesting sound in some cases. Great video

[@YourBuddyRob]

I was going to comment on the same thing on this but found your post. So---THIS!

[@Metalbass10000]

Started watching your videos recently, enjoy the content, but I am learning a few things too... and I’ve been playing bass and guitar for 30 years. Quick question: if I am sending a line out signal (technically I am running two lines out, balanced, from the back of my Ampeg SVT4 Pro into my interface, and then I mic up each cab (bi-amp signal) into the interface, will this be more in-0hasr than the example you gave using a DI box before the signal even gets to the amp? Thanks!

[@laddieervin]

When can we buy the official Beato Nation black t-shirts? Thanks for sharing your knowledge, Rick. Much obliged.

[@Cguy7]

I appreciate that "Them Bones" riff. 🙌🏾

[@zippy-zappa-zeppo-zorba-etc]

I had an idea for creating a phase shifting stompbox that just has one knob, shifting the phase from 0° to 360, but apparently protools let's you do that.

[@kentmains7763]

Wow that is an amazing difference! I figured it would be one of those things that people like Rick could hear and people like me had to pretend they heard.