INTERACT FORUM

More => Old Versions => JRiver Media Center 22 for Mac => Topic started by: Daedalus on May 11, 2017, 11:51:55 am

Title: easy to access phase switch
Post by: Daedalus on May 11, 2017, 11:51:55 am
please add this feature!!!
With resolving systems a phase switch at the source is a must! It would be great to have this as a simple button on the screen and the remote app

we use JRiver at shows for our demos software and this would really help.

thanks,
lou

Title: Re: easy to access phase switch
Post by: Matt on May 11, 2017, 11:55:30 am
Well you can add "Reverse polarity" to DSP Studio > Parametric Equalizer.  There's not a keyboard shortcut to turn it on and off, but hopefully a checkbox isn't too bad!
Title: Re: easy to access phase switch
Post by: Daedalus on May 12, 2017, 02:09:12 pm
hi Matt,
tried that and it doesn't seem to work , plus that is too cumbersome for what it should be.
It would be great if you had a reverse phase button just like play and pause.....
thanks,
lou
Title: Re: easy to access phase switch
Post by: mojave on May 12, 2017, 03:25:50 pm
When you use the DSP, you have to check the Parametric Equalizer box on the left and check the particular DSP box in the right column in order for it to be on. You can press Ctrl+D to bring up the DSP and toggle polarity on/off.

 JRiver's DSP has a polarity button, but it doesn't change phase. If you want to change the phase, you need to use the delay.

If you really do want to change polarity, there are three other ways. One is to create a second zone with reversed polarity. Just select that zone for playback when you want the polarity reversed. The second method is to save a DSP without polarity reversal and a DSP with polarity reversal. You can then tag your music in the DSP tag with the name of your saved DSP. JRiver will now automatically apply the polarity reversal to your songs. The third method is to use JRiver's Web Service Interface commands (https://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Web_Service_Interface) to create your own button or shortcut. 
Title: Re: easy to access phase switch
Post by: mojave on May 12, 2017, 03:31:17 pm
You can also use JRiver's "Convert Format" tool to re-encode your files, but with the polarity reversed. If you are using the same playlist for shows, this might be the easiest, most foolproof method. Convert Format is completely lossless if you convert to the same or other lossless file format.
Title: Re: easy to access phase switch
Post by: blgentry on May 12, 2017, 06:43:07 pm
JRiver's DSP has a polarity button, but it doesn't change phase. If you want to change the phase, you need to use the delay.

Are you speaking academically, or about an implementation detail or ...? 

Most audiophiles that are concerned with this are concerned about polarity:  What direction the microphone transducer moved when the high pressure wave front from the incident sound got to the transducer.

This is, for most purposes, the same thing as a 180 degree phase shift at all frequencies.  I.E., you flip the waveform upside down.

Now if you are saying it's not a phase shift because it's not 180 degrees at a specific frequency, and therefor a specific time delay in miliseconds, I guess I follow that.  But I'm not sure it's relevant to the OP's desires.

For the record I sort of blow off absolute polarity as "a thing we can hear" in audio.  But maybe I'm wrong.

Brian.
Title: Re: easy to access phase switch
Post by: mojave on May 15, 2017, 01:58:32 pm
Now if you are saying it's not a phase shift because it's not 180 degrees at a specific frequency, and therefor a specific time delay in miliseconds, I guess I follow that.  But I'm not sure it's relevant to the OP's desires.
Inverting polarity and a phase shift of 180 degrees are two different things. I realize the OP wants a polarity switch and was clarifying that it doesn't change phase.

Phase & Polarity: Causes And Effects, Differences, Consequences (http://www.prosoundweb.com/topics/education/polarity_and_phase_explained/)

Are Are You Confusing Polarity with Phase? (http://www.churchsoundcheck.com/are-you-confusing-polarity-with-phase.html)
Title: Re: easy to access phase switch
Post by: blgentry on May 15, 2017, 04:39:40 pm
Ok, so you were speaking technically correctly to clarify the term.  Just FYI, I have a degree in Electrical Engineering and I've done a decent amount of work with pro sound equipment and have spent time in a recording studio.  I know what phase differences are.  :)

That being said, the "industry term" is "phase reversal" or "180 degrees out of phase".  I've worked in the audio business as well and that's the term that's used all over.  Whether it's right or not.

This might be analogous to a situation I had once.  A guy from a car mechanic (and customization) shop came over and asked us (the place I worked at) for sound deadening material.  He said it couldn't be more than 2 mils thick.  Mils, in measurement, means thousands of an inch.  Two mils is 0.002 inches in thickness.  All of our material was substantially thicker.  After 10 minutes of back and forth and calling someone at his shop, we figured out that he was using the car industry term:  Mils == millimeters!  "Hey hand me that 10 mil socket."  We sold him the material and all was good.

When I hear "out of phase" I know it means polarity.  When I hear 90 degrees out of phase, I know it's a time shift which corresponds to a specific frequency with a 1/4 wavelength.  But really, no one uses that term.  Time delays, in the audio industry are specified in milliseconds or alternatively in feet or meters.

Brian.
Title: Re: easy to access phase switch
Post by: Hendrik on May 15, 2017, 04:48:13 pm
The problem starts when you have an actual 180 degree phase shift, and not "just" a polarity shift - because there is still a distinct difference - other then being an inverse waveform which a polarity switch could fix, there is also a time difference.
So its best to keep those concepts separate at all times. :)

Fun fact, I only recently noticed that one of my speakers had the wrong polarity, I must've snafued the connection when I re-wired my amplifier some weeks ago. The difference can be so subtle if you don't pay close attention.