After some reamping of many sound sources, including the click in Cubase (5 and 6, BTW), I learned that the click itself is reverse polarity. Well, some of you here may not see this as being a big deal, and in fact, you may skip using it entirely because something about it seems fubar as you use it - it doesn’t help the music. But it can be a great tool. I have to wonder, too, how many of you here have tried it and had complaints from your performers?
Well, this is a BIG DEAL, and if you play to a metronome regularily, this is not acceptable. If you are inclined to not be concerned about phase issues, and mix your project with the bass player reverse polarity to the guitar player, and run your drum kit with the overheads reverse polarity to each other, …well, you go then. But not at my house.
Also it is worth noting that MANY if not all of the programed drum beats in Cubase contain a hogpog of drum sounds in forward polarity and reverse polarity - within the same loop. Again, this is not a good thing Steinberg.
On the other hand, if Cubase is just for fun and games, sure, go for it. I might be kidding myself, but I see Cubase as something way more important and useful than an XBox or an iphone with 50 apps of amusing software.
…Ah, thinkingcap. I was typing the above when you posted your note… I have a device called a Cricket. It’s two pieces, a sending unit and a receiving unit. Basically you turn the sending unit on and send it’s signal either xlr, TRS, or unbalanced, or use it’s built in speaker. It plays a continual chirp. The receiving unit has xlr, TRS, and a condensor mic built into it.
Anyway, it sends forward polarity and recieves what comes back, indicating forward or reverse polarity. You can put the reciever (using the mic) in your headphones or on your monitor speakers and it will monitor what is coming out.
OK, when I say click, I mean the Metronome built into Cubase 5 and 6 - it’s the same. As it plays, the speakers are moving in reverse polarity. Which is unlike what you are recording if you have a xlr cable built properly and a mic made by a reputable manufacturer - and most things like this are built to a reference standard that says a forward motion on the diaphram produces a forward motion at the speaker source.
Hey man that sucks, I presume you would prefer the click to blow
So when you record a kik you want the first movement to be forward movement which it should be as the mic is on the opposite side from the beater, so what about a snare? you would need to reverse polarity as the mic is on the stick side and sees a downward movement first. I can dig that but does the click movement actually matter?
The human ear cannot determine phase, only phase difference, so what are you comparing the phase of the click with?
The click is never recorded, it’ just there to allow you to play in time, so what issues are you having with the click?
If you have a phase shift between the output of Cubase and your speakers, then the phase shift is occuring within your soundcard/speakers - it’s nothing to do with Cubase.
Maybe you have read something about a stick, that was 180 degrees out of phase when you picked it up.
Yes, I know. But there is the audio click, with built in samples, user defined samples, or MIDI click triggering a VSTi.
And how in your opinion does the cricket know the “phase / polarity” of the Cubase click, when it is created in cubase and not the Cricket itself…? And of course you will have different Phase with for example a drum file measured at a speaker with a microphone, apart from that there´s phase shift in speakers´x-overs, which varies with frequency, you simply need to vary the distance of the microphone, or move between the woofer and the tweeter… If the Cubase click was reversed polarity, I wouldn´t hear anything, when using my own sample as click played with the original file on beat 1 of a bar in Cubase, which isn´t the case…
Sorry, but I don´t think, you really understand what you´re doing there
Are we talking about the phase or polarity here? Those are two different things.
Polarity: Single flow of electricity from a negative to a positive pole.
Phase: Two (or more) flows of electricity from the same frequency, referenced to the same point in time.
thinkingcap - The receiving unit can sense forward or reverse polarity of the sound source (speaker or tweeter in this case) via the small mic built into it. It doesn’t need a cable or the send unit to do the deed. (Er, this is a very small mic, BTW, you have to put it right on the source, 1/4" type thing, with some serious volume for some audio. Trust me, there is no ‘phase’ issue to deal with as you test the source.)
And yes, I realized that I can record my own sounds in the click, and I will do this. But I could have missed this so thanks for pointing it out.
Well, I won’t bother you with my experiences on the subject of trying to make good recordings with monitors or headphones or mics that are wired in reverse polarity, but I assure you I am not alone. There’s a reason why some studios are considered so good, and the least of what they offer is hardware that is wired properly.
I personally think trying to find a groove while playing to a click track that is moving my headphones or monitors in a reverse fashion is like, well skip the analogies, it’s not professional. As far as I’m concerned, those of you who have not used the Cubase click - for whatever reason - you did yourself a favor.
So when the sound wave travels through the air and arrives at the little microphone, it’s a little sucking wave? Maybe turn your monitors around, that will solve the problem? Music that sucks, literally!
I too have noticed this “reverse polarity” on the metronome and for quite some time simply assumed it was on purpose so it can stand out more while you are recording.
I usually turn it off immediately after I record my own time keeping part of the music and simply leave it on for lead in count.
Maybe it is an “undocumented feature” ?? Just my guess
As to whether it is an intended ‘feature’, well, I say not. It is something that was overlooked, I’m pretty sure. I just wonder if they will change it. It is a factory sound bite, Steinberg can change this easy enough. I do wonder how they missed it but I’m moving on, I’m doing the sound bites on my drum kit tomorrow. Depending on how you work, I think knowing that the click is reversed you can at least make a decision about it.
Yes, and how should the receiving unit know the polarity of the click (coming from inside Cubase) without a refernce coming from the send unit…?
And yes, there probably is phase issues involved coming from the speakers…
But not at my house.
