Engineer and Hobbyist Diagrammer Steve Albini discusses how to ensure proper phase coherence when recording multiple signals from a single sound source. www.electricalaudio.com Shot and Edited by Jeff Perlman.
@@ElectricalAudioOfficial If you did a comprehensive and accredited course inside the Electrical Audio studios that earned me a degree or an industry-recognized apprenticeship that prepared me to earn a career in audio engineering, I would register in a heartbeat. Of course, I would first need to get my current student loans paid or wiped out. The former method will likely take roughly 30 years. America! Fuck YEAH! So..... taking apprentices?
the casual mention of "I had this dual delay adjustable in microseconds made for me by Eventide" is the most massive flex i've ever seen in a recording techniques video.
Steve: Hello Eventide, the most renowned digital effects manufacturer, with the most pristine sounding units ever? Eventide: Yes? Steve: I need you to make a me a delay, adjustable in microseconds. Eventide: Uh...who the fuck is this? Steve: Steve Albini Eventide: Right away, sir.
That's because he's a massive personality. To him, it's probably not even a flex, more like an easily-attainable win-win from someone who's so much of an insider, that he's programmed half of your brain, and tries not to take credit for it. (Because he's so humble.)
I met Steve in Manchester at a Big Black/Head Of David gig at the Archway Club (right across from the Hacienda, kids!) in '86. He was standing in the crowd waiting for Head Of David to come on, so I told him we'd travelled down from Glasgow just for this gig, and would it be okay if I recorded his group on the Sony Professional Walkman I just happened to have with me. Not only did he say it was fine with him, he introduced Head Of David on my little microphone, just as they were coming on stage! Then during Big Black's set he told the crowd about us hitchhiking from Scotland just for them!! How cool is that!
Ah the Hacienda in the 80’s. I was living in Manchester then I FEEL SO LUCKY to have lived that. There is nothing much like that now. So bland. Mind you, its not like my memory is that.....er...intact. Big Black, their record sleves were art objects.
I was stood next to him at the back of the tent throughout the '94 Phoenix festival. We have similar music tastes i.e. Raincoats and Cale. Weirdly, one of my best muckers from Mexborough Comprehensive's Computer Studies int'early-80s, Shaun McClure (you've probably played some of the computer games he wrote when you were a kid), just did an extensive interview with Steve (and some reaaaally obscure cult/reclusive figures) for a great book coming out soon (I've just proof read it and it's excellent). He's worked with my buddy, Liam Hayes, a few times too... 'More You Becomes You' and 'Fed' being two of my fave lps. :)
@@willb3698 Me too. My girlfriend began uni in 87, and as we turned into Oxford Road we heard it on the radio that The Smiths were splitting... the next week we saw Happy Mondays in the Solem Bar for £2. I watched the Roses rehearse in the International one Sunday afternoon, our paths crossing again and again. When the girlfriend finished her degree in 90 - and declared she was 'moving to Derby' - I finished it and enrolled in Salford Tech on their 'HND Media Performance' (Drama). Couldn't bear to leave, but I eventually did, back to Doncaster, after a stint living with a couple of well known actors in Shaw (one of whom was the one who recognised Mr Albini). My kid did her degree at BIMM, and now lives at the end of Deansgate, but I have to say, the city is unrecognisable from the time I lived there... so many of the venues, pubs, theatres and clubs I loved, gone. Even the Press Club, where I spent sooo many drunken post-drink-till-dawn seshes.
@terrypussypower Big Black with Head of David sounds like a great show. Do you know if Justin Broadrick was in Head of David at that point? I’m pretty sure he quit HoD in either ‘87 or ‘88 to form Godflesh. I grew up in New York City, underground music in the mid to late 80’s was a whole separate world that existed alongside but in the shadows of the mainstream. Those were great days.
Steve is one of the few people that I can absorb information from instantly. Like i`m actually being taught from an actual professor instead of some armchair expert with an obvious lack of experience. I could never afford an audio engineering education, so these videos are worth their weight in gold to some of us. Even the basics such as this. You`re doing the lords work.
Agreed. He's a talented and practiced teacher, not just in these prepared videos but when he speaks extemporaneously. Even when he explains highly technical or abstract points, he neither talks down to his audience nor burdens them with unnecessary detail. He never shows off.
I've subscribed as of now. This stuff is SOOO helpful. Gotta agree with the other people in the replies here. Steve is one of those people who knows his trade inside-out, but explains it in a really clear and accessible way.
It's a real blessing to have people like Mr. Albini giving these real hard factual instructionals because there's far too much people just say you don't need to know theory you do not need to know this that to write a song which is true but that doesn't mean the song will get finished it doesn't mean song will actually be good and that's a big problem music should be respected enough to only be put out what is good and not just one your proud of something that you've created because That unfortunate breeds nothing but mediocre and mediocre is far away what I believe as human beings should be from anything.. That's not to say that I don't think that artist shouldnt released their music or unfinished pieces to be shared. But if you are going to endeavor the most fantastic chance to create short of childbirth, give it the respect your music deserves.
The second part of the video where Steve was adjusting the distance between the two mics should have gone on for like an hour longer with incrementally worse and worse results until he finally went completely insane because that's what happens when I try to do it.
Well people attempt to do this without a trained ear and it's like tasting wine all night long looking for the best when you've only had Boones Farm. Bout an hour in you're gonna be pretty well tuned.
I know this is a year old, but there's a way of getting the phase as close as possible by first flipping the phase of one of the mics, or in this case not flipping, then align the mics to a point where the signal is the quietest (it's a lot easier to hear than this) and after that flip the phase. At this point you're maximizing the signal strength which means the bottom end is in phase.
5/10/24: Goodbye Sir. I have watched and learned so very much from you and your team! Condolences to everyone who is feeling your loss today and going forward. Namaste
02:25 For anyone interested in his explanation. Great, genius man! "It has to make its way through a pretty elaborate system before it finally gets to this microphone. It has to go through the input circuitry of this amplifier, which has time constant, and the preamplifier has to get the signal to the power amplifier section, which it then has to modulate the power supply through the out port, output transformer, which then needs to couple the primary and secondary windings to the output cable, which goes to the loudspeaker, which then gets it voice coil energized, then the voice coil drives the speaker cone inside its magnetic gap and the compliance of the cone needs to move the air that's in front of it, that air pressurizes and the pressure wave travels through the physical distance between the loudspeaker and the microphone, than the microphone diaphragm needs to move and make its way through another transformer and down the cable, that it has some capacitance, then into the microphone preamplifier...It's a wonder it works at all" ps: i managed to slow it down using reaper, so its pretty accurate.
I never knew if Steve studied engineering or if this was all self taught. Believe he studied Journalism at Northwestern University. He's obviously a genius. Can anyone let me know if he had formal education on engineering? RIP Brother. You are a legend and will never be forgotten.
Finally, a true Engineer demonstrates on an oscilloscope reality. Everyone else is just guessing ultimately saying "my ears are as sensitive as an oscilloscope". No wonder there's so many bad mixes.
"America's most top liked guy, He's got a FUCKED UP KNEE so he can't leave...." Aside from being an extremely educational video...it made me fall off my chair and laugh my ass off. BRAVO!!!!
You may not take these YT vids that seriously, but you offer proper audio engineering tips, insight and information, and that's such a breath of fresh air, compared to all those clickbait, subs-gathering channels that just push audio gear and rehash audio tricks. Brilliant - thanks
@@ElectricalAudioOfficial I agree with Andrew tho. There's millions of channels explaining the fundamentals but the beauty is in the details. That's just expressing a desire and not a destructive criticism. What you guys are doing is great ;)
@@pimpum24 nah he was being a cock. If he can "fast forward himself, thank you very much" then he can "slow playback speed himself, thank you very much"
This episode Rocks. Thank you for addressing important details that can make a sonic difference in recording guitars. This channel is a gift to all recording musicians.
You guys are great and every video I've seen is pure gold - so much info and never a chore to watch I feel like I've found a free university course any time I find a channel this good - thanks for sharing so generously!
This is one of my fav vid of ALL TIME. I show it to everyone that's slick enough to understand it (like dad) whether they are into recording or not, it still interests them. As slick as I thought I was, I am enthralled by the old timers that really know the minutia of what they're doing. IE recording, Land Surveying, Engineering, Motocross, writing etc....
Always happy to see Steve still working on and in music. At any level. Legendary. Sorry I was late to the party Just found this channel. It’s taken me 20 years to get into the production side but hey. Better late than never..
ive decided to learn everything i can about sound from this guy. understanding sound signals and stuff. this will help me use my DAW and help me create music!
0:48 an acoustic delay: physical distance between mic and speaker 1:26 a direct signal delay: an imperceptible delay, a fraction of the speed of light 1:40 phase difference causes phase cancellation - the canceling of frequencies between signals => thin bass; comb filtering 3:25 oscilloscope - visualize the difference of direct vs acoustic delays 3:30 ^ solution: insert, within single-microsecond range, a delay with either into signal path using analog delay or digitally, use an all-pass filter 6:25 a proper phase coherence => low freq: better response; high freq: less comb-filtered effect 7:40 microphone polarities; "pin 2 hot" convention 8:30 Lissajous display on oscilloscope to visualize alignments differences between two separate mics' arrival times 8:50 ^ mics w/ completely opposite polarities 9:10 ^ small adjustments by ear between the mic distances and their resulting Lissajous curves
@8:24 , He has a fucked up knee, so he can't leave... I'm dead. Albini would kill it at stand up comedy. This has got to be one of the best vids around. Thanks for all your efforts to share your wealth of info Steve.
And now...I know some things that I did not know before I watched this. Bravo : ) The "ear-pulling / mic placement" tip is worth its weight in gold alone. Thank you!
I loved the gradual fast forwarding of Steve explaining the entire route the signal takes through the amplifier and speaker. And then the cut to "It's any wonder that it works at all" made me laugh out loud. And on top of that I learned way more about audio recording than from any other video I've seen before.
I hated that part. It's insulting to the viewer's intelligence. Just let him speak. I'm sure it wasn't Steve's idea to do that. So to the editor of this channel: Stop insulting our intelligence with crap like that!
@@Hyxtryx I didn't find it insulting at all. What I took from it was that the sped up explaination is additional but not essential. Since most people won't tamper with the inner workings of there amps, it would have been enough to say, "There will be a slight delay as the signal goes through your amp or stack." However the detail is there, if you want it.
Great, Steve, a bit of genuine engineering, well explained, and a welcome break from all the click-bait channels hawking endless new plugins for the preset generation. Nice
Wow, this video was way better than expected. I'll be combing through some prior vids now. Great job fella, killer sense of humor too. 😂 Immediate sub.
I always adjust the mic-track visually in protools, slide it back until the waves of the DI-track and mic-track are perfectly aligned. Perfect results every time.
I've already learned a bunch of practical advice on this channel that's based on theory that I know about, but would have never used that way. Using the Haas effect to pinpoint the arrival order of two very closely timed sound sources is so obvious, but it never occurred to me.
I was driving my car at an hour per 60 miles, then had to stop, and listen to that again, and with that perfect description of audio path through a common tube amp.. :)
I'm on the other end of the audio thing as I build amplifier for guitar and a scope can be a very critical tool. A guitar amplifier is very simple as an audio device once you fully understand what's going on, as compared to more sophisticated circuitry and devices as I come from a TV background. When you get into TV and radio devices, you need the scopes to do alignments and adjustments. SO I can say, that I am very impressed of the use of a scope in a recording studio situation. I have never noticed this in all my observations relative to recording studios, and now will have to call it out. But it should be pointed out that a modern studio situation with multiple source possibilities is rather different than a vintage studio situation in the infancy of recording when there was ONE microphone being utilized
Most people in real life would just walk away instead of trying to understand this sort of stuff. I see it all the time. They want to record with a phone and expect it to be printed. Like... Okay go somewhere else with your half ass lifestyle.
Hate to admit it, but the best resolution for time alignment for any of the recordings I've done were only in the millisecond range and by ear. Obviously not good enough. Awesome video Steve!
I’ve been doing this all my life, but I like Steve so much I’m here just to enjoy his bone dry humor. Sending fond wishes to his loved ones who must miss him terribly.
It's ALWAYS great to get a knowledge download from you Steve! But, I would like to respectfully point out that the "delay" from an all-pass network is really just a phase shift and does not directly equate to a signal delay. The delay you appear to get from an all-pass network (phase shifter) will be different at different frequencies where the delay from signal delay is consistent regardless of frequency.
This is so excellently explained. Steve really cuts through decades of bullshit in a way that shows the beauty of the intersection of science and art. The oscilloscope analysis around 11m is fantastic.
Steve associates high frequency information with clarity and definition a lot in this video. As a guy who did fucked up math once, I would recommend anyone who is unsure on why this is look up the Fourier transformation and see how summed sinusoidal frequencies define a square wave. It's a good visual that assists comprehension.
That was a very cool way to look at phase. I was pretty surprised when ya'll busted out the o-scope! I use a little labs IBP and absolutely love it. but i learned a bit about old/odd mics and how to read an oscilliscope. so yay! Also that eventide stereo delay is super neat. i looked it up and i guess they modded two of their 500 series DDL-500's for you. very cool. listening to Steve say he can hear which mic is ahead or behind was pretty gnarly. can't wait until my ear is that good!
Genius level. wish this guy would come to my house and help me record in my home studio. I’m not smart enough nor do i have the required patience to get this technical.
Billy Gibbons explained this same thing once in a guitar magazine interview. He was wondering why there was a delay from left & right ear pieces in his headphones. They mixed the left from the cabinet & the right via line. They also explained humidity & temperature. Great topic.
I like this guy Also, I love the nerd level mic setup and the expertise to pick out the imbalance of the mics by ear. It's Fantastic. You could use a ruler as well.
That MANN head of yours, those things are great. I do almost all my pickup demos, thru a MANN head, but its two 6L6's, with reverb and vibrato into a Greenback. No gain channel, no master volume, pure tone!
I recorded my friends ep right before the pandemic hit (first time being in charge of all things recording) and Im pretty sure what you've describe is part of the reason why so much of our "live" recordings ended up being out of time by very different amounts. We were also using 3 pc laptops, and 3 focusrites haha. it was on a 0$ budget, but i really wish i new some of this stuff before recording. 4 live tracks, 3 takes each, 10 mics for all the instruments of varying cheap qualities.
Steve Albini. The pens on his boiler suit pocket indicate his very high rank. This man is living proof that knowing your shit really does make a huge difference in the quality of your output as a human being.
