Sudden Phase Shift

Started by nickmckerrell-splice

nickmckerrell-splice

Hey guys,

A bit of context first: I'm using Logic version 10.7.4 which I somewhat recently updated to and I'm using the latest version of Serum. Other than these two updates, I have not noticed an issue so perhaps they are tied to the updates but I really hope there's a better explanation than that!

When sound designing kick drums for example… in the past, I'd use plugins like a Channel EQ, the vintage EQs, stock Logic compressors, Trash 2, etc. and I would not experience noticable phase shift and the waveform would start exactly where I set it in Serum which is at a zero-crossing.

All of the sudden, using the same same methods and plugins as before, when I bounce my midi to audio it's shifting the phase position to a random position in the waveform which is producing a loud click for reasons we all know.

Serum settings aren't the issue, I've got the phase set to the very left of the waveform and the randomness of the phase start position all the way down. Additionally, I've never had any issues with the attack being 0.0ms as long as the waveform phase position is set to a zero-crossing.

I'm doing nothing different, that I can think of, but all of the sudden I can't seem to sound design kicks without this issue cropping up.

I've found some ways around it by running the sound through a vintage EQ and setting low latency mode on so the sound is just running through the drive module of the EQ (same issue arises when I don't set low latency mode on so at first I thought maybe latency was the issue but it's never been one); this shifts the entire waveform to the right and the waveform does start from a zero-crossing for a short period before the sound starts which is interesting that it doesn't start right away like it did before. Essentially, this shifts it in a way that doesn't produce an abrupt start of the waveform which can actually sound quite nice so that's a happy accident.

Again though, before this abrupt change, my waveforms would start where I intended (at a zero crossing) and then immediately produce my kick drum waveform.

I'm just at a loss how this suddenly changed the entire behavior of my DAW to something so undesirable.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

steve_xfer

I would suggest to use another source such as Logic's Sampler, and rule out Serum if the issue persists.

Vice-versa you can make a new project and load the Serum preset in to that. Then you can rule out the other plug-ins (or suspect them or the project settings as a fault, if the problem is gone in a new project).