PHIXER for Choir: multi-mic ensemble phase that survives stream and phone mono
Choir and small ensemble captures stack risk: spot mics on sections or soloists, a main pair or tree, room/ambient mics, sometimes a balcony or livestream feed. In headphones the blend feels huge. On stream mono, phone playback, or archival fold, vowel body thins and ensemble width cancels. Polarity and timing come first. Free phase-repair helps after residual L/R fights remain on a stereo print you must keep stereo. It is not a choir tuner, and it does not replace a true mono listen on the program bus.
Download PHIXER free YouTube tutorial
PHIXER is free stereo phase-repair (VST3/CLAP/AU · Win/Mac/Linux) from Riverflux Audio. Frequency-aware phase rotation for leftover L/R fights on stereo material. It is not a pitch corrector, not a reverb, not a widener, and not a substitute for mic placement. Use it after hygiene, when residual spectral cancellation remains on a stereo bed you must keep stereo.
Three choir / ensemble failure modes this page covers
- Spots vs mains multi-mic phase. Fine in cans; thin on stream or phone fold. Full checklist: Choir & ensemble multi-mic phase.
- Field / outdoor cousin. Dual-path outdoor captures that cancel on doc or podcast mono. Cousin guide: PHIXER for Field Recording.
- Live FOH / livestream cousin. Open mics and dual-path kits that cancel on matrix mono. Cousin guide: PHIXER for Live FOH.
Fast choir mono audition (about 60 seconds)
- Sum L+R on the program / stream / archival bus (or monitor controller mono). Listen to vowel body, bass section, and room tails.
- A/B stereo vs mono. Note what disappears: mid-voice chest, soloist presence, stereo width that was actually cancellation.
- Mute spots or mains briefly. Note which path thins the fold. Mute room vs tree after polarity checks.
- Confirm on a phone speaker or single earbud path, then again after any bus FX / limiter pass, not only before cleanup.
Honest order of fixes (before spectral phase rotation)
1. True mono listen on the program / stream bus
Hard L+R sum or monitor mono. Habit: choir ensemble checklist and mono check workflow.
2. Mic placement and hero path before plugins
Prefer one clear main pair for body. Spots for diction and balance, not as a second stereo width layer that fights the mains.
3. Polarity if a path flips
Inverted spot, reversed room channel, mid-side decode mistakes. Flip Ø when body returns. Guide: polarity vs phase.
4. Timing / delay-align before spectral tools
Spots farther than mains need a few ms, not a widener. Prefer aligning to the main pair for critical lows.
5. Only then audition residual L/R spectral fights
If a stereo choir bed or printed dual-path stem must stay stereo and fold still hollows a band after the steps above, gentle frequency-aware phase rotation can help. Prove it with mono A/B. Watch the YouTube tutorial and the mono demo.
Choir / ensemble path types
| Setup | Common mono failure | First fix |
|---|---|---|
| Spots + mains / tree | Vowel body dips when both open | Polarity; align spots to mains; prefer hero pair |
| Soloist spot + section bed | Solo thins on stream fold | Align; check polarity; mute test |
| Room / balcony + mains | Width hollows on phone | Mono listen; see choir checklist |
| Livestream dump of FOH mix | Fine in cans, thin on phone | Phone check before go-live; Live FOH guide |
| Outdoor / field choir cousin | Dual recorder / open dual path cancel | Field Recording guide |
| Worship / church cousin | Open mics + stream matrix | Polarity/timing; livestream mono check |
Field Recording cousin (short version)
- Dual recorders and lav+boom outdoors create the same mono-fold shape as spots vs mains on a choir bed.
- Sync and polarity still come first. Spectral tools after residual L/R fights only.
- Full write-up: PHIXER for Field Recording.
When not to reach for PHIXER
- Wrong polarity on a spot or room mic (flip Ø first).
- Spots late vs mains by several ms (align timing first).
- You only need a true mono print from one hero pair (print mono; do not fake stereo width).
- Pitch or blend issues that are not L/R cancellation.
- Honesty list: When not to use PHIXER.