Phase Experiments in Multi-Microphone Recordings: A Practical Exploration

This article presents an audio-visual exploration of various phenomena observed whilst investigating time domain shifts on individual signals in multi microphone recordings. In particular, it demonstrates aurally for the first time, the effect of the author's: "'Set Phasors to Stun': An algorithm to improve phase coherence on transients in multi microphone recordings," presented at the ICA 2007 in Madrid. In this paper, the author formed a simple algorithm to enhance transients in multi-microphone recordings and developed a Max/MSP patch to implement this. The patch was capable of automatically detecting sample offsets deemed to result in maximum resultant amplitude when comparing two or more signals, thus indicating when sounds were most "in phase" according to which range of the audio was being interrogated. The focus of that paper was an examination of transients, and although not the primary thrust of the investigation, it was noticed that considerable low frequency enhancement was feasible through time domain manipulations. This will now form a considerable part of the investigation herein. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]