| Impact | Audio phase errors negatively impact the member experience, as intended audio will be obscured as the result of any phase error. If the signal is 90 degrees out of phase, it will result in an unintended hollow or “tinny” quality to the audio. If the signal is 180 degrees out of phase, it will result in complete silence. |
| Severity Assessment Guidance |
| FYI | N/A |
| Issue | Portions of the mix sound hollow, and/or there are drop outs in dialogue/music/effects indicating a possible phase error. The phase error should also be visually represented on an oscilloscope Lissajous display. |
| Blocker | N/A |
| Solutions |
| How to Prevent | When shooting, avoid the overuse of multiple mics in order to prevent the pick up of one sound source in the microphone intended for another source. Be aware of reflective surfaces on set that might cause sound to bounce off and be picked up in an unintended mic. Ensure that mics are properly spaced out following the 3:1 rule. In post production, sources assigned to multiple buses can recombine slightly out of sync to create phase issues. |
| How to Fix | Slip affected stems on the timeline slightly to bring them in phase, or apply a phase alignment plugin to correct the issue. Check bus structure to avoid assigning one source to multiple paths. |