Swishing/Phasing Sounds on Reissues of Mono Recordings

[Teasing the Korean]

Do these occur:

Because there were phasing issues on the original mono recordings (assuming more than one mic was used);

or

Because full-track mono tapes were later remastered on stereo tape decks?

I noticed this most recently on a CD reissue of Art Blakey's "A Night at Birdland" but I've heard it on other albums, the titles of which escape me at the moment.

Inquiring minds want to know.

[WD45]

Azimuth problems?

[Chuck Nessa]

Probably.

[Kalo]

Inquiring minds still need a little more explication...

[Jim Alfredson]

I've noticed it on stereo BN recordings too, specifically when Elvin is involved. Sounds like poor mic placement on the cymbals.

[Chuck Nessa]

Azimuth.

[Kalo]

Az in what?

[Shawn]

Azimuth refers to the angle between the tape head(s) and the tape medium.

[chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez]

i have noticed the slight phasing effect of cymbals of blue note recordings, i dont believe elvin was what caught my ear to it, but I LIKE IT it reminds me of phil collins- now if only they could of done a jazz album with the trademarked phil collins/hugh padgham reverberated snare drum sound, THAT WOULD BE THE BEST-- you know, like when it goes BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM I can feel it, comming in the air tonighhhhht, oh lord, oh looooorrrrd

[mikeweil]

I've noticed it on stereo BN recordings too, specifically when Elvin is involved. Sounds like poor mic placement on the cymbals.

That's what I think - if you place the mic very close to the cymbal, which RVG tried to do, you can get phasing-like effects when the cymbal is suspended rather loosely and moves a lot while played.

Tina Brooks' first LP Minor Move is a good example, or the Sam Rivers session with Donald Byrd, Julian Priester, and James Spaulding (forgot the title). And he recorded rather "hot", too.

But tape azimuth plays a role as well, as Chuck said. You never get the exact same azimuth when playing back an old tape, and it's fractions of inches we're talking about!

[Shawn]

Mic placement for cymbals can be a major pain in the ass. I personally go for a near-coincident pattern for the overheads to reduce phasing across the stereo spread.

[Teasing the Korean]

But tape azimuth plays a role as well, as Chuck said. You never get the exact same azimuth when playing back an old tape, and it's fractions of inches we're talking about!

What if it's played years later on the same machine, or say a restored similar model?

[clifford_thornton]

This is all very interesting.

And I didn't even have to break out a joke about Kenny Wheeler and Norma Winstone!

[sidewinder]

And I didn't even have to break out a joke about Kenny Wheeler and Norma Winstone!

Or the Brazilian boys..

[mikeweil]

But tape azimuth plays a role as well, as Chuck said. You never get the exact same azimuth when playing back an old tape, and it's fractions of inches we're talking about!

What if it's played years later on the same machine, or say a restored similar model?

Sometimes it works fine, somtimes the tape lead rolls and/or the playback heads need to be readjusted.

[Chuck Nessa]

Sometimes it works fine, somtimes the tape lead rolls and/or the playback heads need to be readjusted.

Or the tape warps, curls, shrinks, etc. All kinds of stuff can happen in really small increments.