Part 7/9:
He notes that out-of-phase microphones can be creatively used for certain effects, but generally, phase alignment ensures clarity and punchiness.
Miking from the Front and Back
Rick explores an alternative miking technique: placing one microphone on the front of the cabinet and another on the back. When properly phase-aligned, this method can produce a bigger, more expansive sound with a low-mid bump around 150Hz.
He shows the waveform diagrams illustrating how reversing the phase of the rear mic causes the sound to become hollow, reinforcing the necessity of phase checks.
Using this approach, the engineer can blend the front and rear mics to achieve desired tonal characteristics, though it requires careful phase management.