Is it impossible to cut out-of-phase bass?
• If the right-channel signal is the mirror-image of the left-channel signal, it is phase-reversed by 180°. In this case the stylus cuts vertically, with no lateral movement whatever. The stylus must remain in the coating – which is just 0.175 mm thick – but not cut through it to the metal. Vertical movement increases where higher volume levels and lower frequencies are combined with stronger phase shifts. Even if the original material is already phase-shifted (possibly as intended), we don’t recommend trying to correct this in the pre-mastering stage. Only test-cutting will reveal exactly which corrections are necessary, and we have the appropriate equipment to perform these with maximum sensitivity.
