Big problem with my audio files

[MetalHepple]

Im in need of a little help here. I have a problem with a guitar track of mine. There are two guitar tracks, both the same performance but with two different microphones.

Please take a listen to 'Microphone 1' first then 'Microphone 2' then listen to 'The Mix'.

For some reason the guitar tone changes dramatically halfway through the riff when the two microphones are mixed together, but there is no change if you listen to the microphone tracks seperatly. Where it changes tone is where it changes from one take to another. It changes like this on every take throughout the song.

I have recorded a few songs the same way with no problem like this. What ya think?

[Danny Danzi]

Metal, from what I hear, it sounds like another take of mic one is included somewhere to where it's 2 mic 1's vs one mic 2. If you listen close, when that tone changes, it sounds like the mic 1 sound with both guitars. Something got blended somehow or something isn't muted that needs to be muted. Did you punch in other tracks and possiby forget to mute them and you hid them out of your track view? It's definitely mic 1 coming through with another guitar somewhere. Check your project closely and see if you can think back on what you may have done. There has to be a hidden punch or a track or something that is bleeding through somewhere. I don't know what else it could be other than that. When you solo'd up the tracks and exported them to let us hear them, just those tracks were playing which is why they sound ok.

When you did the mix of them, there is probably a stray track somewhere that is adding to the mayhem here. That is the only thing I can think of that could be happening.

[MetalHepple]

Thanks for your reply Danny Danzi.

There isn't any other tracks or any hidden files from punching in. As you mentioned yourself the single tracks sound ok by themselves, but if you download them to your workstation and mix them together in your favorite DAW software you will see that it causes the same issue.

Download 'Microphone 1' here
Download 'Microphone 2' here

If it doesn't please let me know. Thanks.

[Danny Danzi]

Ok Metal, I got another engineer with me right now. We're both gonna investigate this. I'll get back to ya in a bit...we'll sort this out!

[Danny Danzi]

Ok Metal, I figured it out for ya man. I'm going to fix the track for you to show you how I fixed it and what I learned. Let me do that and upload the tracks and then explain. I gotta say, I never heard this before....but I know how to fix it. Get back to ya in about 10 mins.

[Danny Danzi]

Ok here's the deal. You have a definite phase issue going on. If I split mic one clip and automate a change in phase, the tone remains the same but there is something weird in the wideness of the file. That I could not alter even with automated panning. But it's a definite phase issue as you will hear in this file. The tone is as close to the original throughout as it can be. The change you hear is wideness that can't be controlled on my end. How this is happening to you, I have no idea.

My buddy here asked me to ask if you are using a copy of some software that is a demo? Maybe it puts in some sort of artifact or something? What are you using as DAW software? Something isn't right somewhere, but all I can come up with is a phasing issue. Sorry I can't be more helpful.

[MetalHepple]

Thanks again for your help Danny.

The DAW software I am using is Adobe Audition. I do own this so it's not trial software or anything. I just don't understand why this is happening?

This recording is a few months old. We recorded this song plus 6 more songs in the same period, in the same way. Non of the other songs did this, and back then, neither did this one.

I actually made a mix down when it was first completed a few months back and that still sounds ok. But if I mix down again (nothing changed) it has this weird tonal change at every take change.

So if I can supply you with a mixdown of both these tracks that sounds perfectly fine would that baffle you? It does me!

I'll post it as soon as possible. Thanks again.

[MetalHepple]

I have worked it out.

I forgot to mention before that we had to rebuild the session with the WAV files because of a session error (Session file was corrupt and would not load). So the reason that the sound changed so dramatically like it does is because when we rebuilt the session, we did not place the files from the 'Microphone 2' track, in the EXACT same position as the 'Microphone 1' track above.

The difference between the two tracks was about 500th's of a second.

Because of this, every time it changed from one take to another it would change the sound like some kind of phase effect. But when you listen to each individual microphone track it would sound ok.

Thanks for your help Danny

[Danny Danzi]

Ah, I'm glad you worked it out Metal. Sorry I couldn't be more helpful. You know we messed with sliding the clips a few increments but it didnt do much good. I tried each a few ms up and a few ms back...I seemed to get the best results with the phase thing I posted for you which is why I was thinking that may have been the issue. At least you found out what it was....happy for ya man, good luck with your recording!