What is DC Offset?

What is DC offset? It's easy to confuse a lopsided or asymmetrical waveform with DC offset. But a lopsided waveform doesn't necessarily mean that we're experiencing DC offset. DC offset and lopsided waveforms are two different things. In this video I explain DC offset and I show you the cause of my lopsided waveform.
CONTENTS:
00:00 - Intro
00:19 - My lopsided waveform
01:10 - Is a lopsided waveform DC offset?
01:20 - What DC offset looks like
01:35 - DC offset explained
02:06 - How to identify DC offset
02:19 - Asymmetrical waveforms
02:38 - The causes of my lopsided waveform
03:58 - Outro
Hardware I used in this video (NOTE: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying Amazon purchases).
- Audio-Technica AT2040 Hypercardioid Dynamic Podcast Microphone amzn.to/3OcoWlC
- DBX 286s Microphone Pre-Amp Processor amzn.to/3CMt4EV
- StarTech.com 4U 19" Desktop Open Frame Rack amzn.to/3fWrE1E
- ZOOM H6 Portable Studio amzn.to/3rIpfdl
- 2022 MacBook Pro with an M1 Pro processor and 32 GB memory
Software I Used:
- Audacity Version 3.2.1 www.audacityteam.org/
- Camtasia 2022 www.techsmith.com/video-edito...
- Auphonic Desktop App auphonic.com/leveler
Other places you'll find me:
- Learn Audacity: learnaudacity.com
- Audacity Bootcamp: Beginner to Advanced: learnaudacity.com/audacity-bo...
- ACX Audiobook Production Using Audacity: www.audacitybootcamp.com/p/ac...
- Zoom H6 Audio Recording Essentials: learnaudacity.com/zoom-h6-aud...
- Facebook: / learnaudacity
- TikTok: / learnaudacity
- Instagram: / learn_audacity

[@xxoozzcici13]

You're an excellent teacher, Mike. Thanks for what you do.

[@LearnAudacity]

Thank you Pete

[@chandannarayan497]

Great vid!

[@cubdukat]

I'm glad I found this. I was seeing something like this in my vinyl rips. I'm going to try turning off the rumble filter on the preamp and see if that might be causing it. One other thing I've noticed about it is that each channel is asymentric in a different direction. I noticed it the most at the end of the record when it goes into the groove at the end. The spikes on the left channel go upwards while the right channel points downward.

[@MyStutteringLife]

I've learned much from you!!!! It's helping me with my podcast and for my voice overs!!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

[@LearnAudacity]

Thank you!

[@xyzct]

Mike, you're audio sounds much better than in some previous episodes. Good job!

[@LearnAudacity]

Thanks

[@TerrellThinksThrowBack]

I'm learning a lot

[@JoshuaMNielsen]

The proposed solution seems very specific to your individual case. Wave amplitude has nothing inherently to do with the frequency it is at, so in a different situation you could very well have said you needed to activate a Low Pass filter because the top end of your higher frequencies were being amplified. But what if it was your mids? You can't sacrifice half your frequencies just to solve a problem like this by using pass filters. It seems detrimental to have to activate any kind of pass filter at the hardware level in order to get a good wave form. Wouldn't that indicate more of an electrical issue? Lastly, with the high pass filter you are letting all frequencies above 80 Hz stay in your recording, so you are losing those low end frequencies that you say your microphone naturally boosts by connecting it to that equipment. So you lose some bass in your voice immediately. Brightness and treble wouldn't be affected. So if you were boosting anything in post wouldn't you be trying to boost whatever of your low end is left at 80 Hz and above to compensate for the loss of say 20Hz-79Hz (not that you can truly compensate for that substantial cut)? Maybe I've missed something in your explanation though?

[@kev01506]

is this the same as phase rotation?

[@LearnAudacity]

This is a DC component.

[@kev01506]

​@@LearnAudacityyeah you talk about 2 things in the video, lopsided wave forms and dc offset. The lopsided wave is called phase rotation.