MAAT Digital 2BC Multicorr and RSPhaseShifter Plugins: Phase Analysis and Correction ToolsMAAT Digital is a professional audio software and hardware company founded in 2016 by pro audio veterans Friedemann Tischmeyer in Hamburg, Germany. MAAT stands for “Mastering Academy Audio Tools.” Audio engineers and educators established the company to prioritize uncompromising sound quality over flashy graphics. The team focuses on high-fidelity tools for measurement, equalization, and effects. Over 20,000 audio engineers use MAAT products worldwide. MAAT contributes to global broadcast standards through active work with the European Broadcasting Union’s (EBU) Ploud working group.

One of the very first things that student audio engineers learn about is the fundamental importance of both phase alignment and phase difference. MC examined two MAAT plugins concerning audio phase. The 2BC multiCORR plugin is a 31 multi–band correlation meter designed to detect issues in stereo phase. The 2BC multiCORR is a diagnostic tool and does not affect audio. The RSPhaseShifter plugin is a phase alignment tool, or phase rotator, that does affect audio. Note that this plugin is not what it sounds like—this is not a 1970’s style swirly modulation phase shifter effect a la Pink Floyd. 

The two plugins can be used individually or as part of the same workflow. Use 2BC multiCORR to investigate where problematic phase correlation issues are present across the frequency spectrum. If the problem traces back to similar signal paths, for example, the minute delay between a bass amp and bass direct track, the RSPhaseShifter plugin can be used to alter the phase relationship between the two tracks without changing the tracks’ time alignment or EQ.

MAAT developed the 2BC multiCORR plugin because a conventional broadband correlation meter can conceal frequency-specific problems. A mix may show acceptable overall correlation while individual instruments or frequency ranges are producing significant cancellation. The plugin uses MAAT’s trueLinear scale and provides stereo balance and broadband correlation measurements. Five monitoring functions, Left Only, Right Only, Mono, Difference and Flip, allow an engineer to investigate what is happening without leaving the plugin. The 31-band display is particularly useful at the bottom end, where phase problems can have practical consequences. The RSPhaseShifter plugin is a 64-bit digital implementation of the 2016 analog hardware, Phase Shifter W2324, and was developed in partnership with Roger Schult’s German Audio Lab. The design concentrates on the task at hand—manipulating and correcting phase issues without adding the noise and coloration associated with analog circuitry. The plugin changes phase relationships while leaving the signal’s amplitude response intact. That makes it useful when two microphones, layered instruments or parallel signal paths are interacting in ways that produce phase cancellations and tonal changes. RSPhaseShifter provides 13 frequency selections from 16 Hz through 4 kHz. 

A typical application might involve a kick drum recorded with multiple microphones. Instead of moving tracks in time, an engineer can use RSPhaseShifter to alter the phase relationship at selected frequencies while listening for changes in punch and low-frequency consistency. The same approach can apply to bass, acoustic guitars, piano, drum overheads, stereo microphones and subwoofer alignment. This is truly a plugin where listening is key. There are no buttons or lights to tell you when. Ultimately, it’s your ears that will tell the tale.

2BC multiCORR  $49 AAX Native, AU, VST 2, VST 3 or as a standalone application. RSPhaseShifter  $99 AAX Native, AU, VST 2, VST 3

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