Fishman Blender - Manual (Page 8)

FISHMAN PREFIX™ ONBOARD BLENDER
8
WHAT IS PHASE?
Phase is the relationship between two signals or soundwaves originating from
the same instrument.
For our purposes, phase relationships are expressed as being either "in phase"
or "out of phase".
In phase tends to enhance, while out of phase tends to sup-
press the natural characteristics and acoustic tendencies of an instrument. A
simple way to determine the quality of phase (in or out) of two sounds is to com-
pare phase switch settings at low volumes.
IN PHASE
In phase is when the wave-
forms of two sounds originat-
ing from the same instrument
are similarly aligned in time.
Similar phase is like looking at
yourself in a mirror: your
reflection directly follows your
movement.
OUT OF PHASE
Out of phase is when the
waveforms of two sounds orig-
inating from the same instru-
ment are aligned such that the
upper peak of one wave
occurs at the same moment in
time as the lower peak of the
other.
Out of phase is like
looking at yourself in a live
video monitor; the image you
see is similar, but the per-
spective is shifted. When you move to the right, the image appears to move to
your left.
UPPER PEAK
LOWER PEAK