Quote:
Originally Posted by kategra84  Absolute polarity = phase ?
"Two oscillators that have the same frequency and different phases have a phase difference, and the oscillators are said to be out of phase with each other. The amount by which such oscillators are out of step with each other can be expressed in degrees from 0° to 360°, or in radians from 0 to 2π. If the phase difference is 180 degrees (π radians), then the two oscillators are said to be in antiphase. If two interacting waves meet at a point where they are in antiphase, then destructive interference will occur. It is common for waves of electromagnetic (light, RF), acoustic (sound) or other energy to become superposed in their transmission medium. When that happens, the phase difference determines whether they reinforce or weaken each other. Complete cancellation is possible for waves with equal amplitudes." wikipedia - phase |
I like that Wikipedia article because it clearly says "antiphase" rather than "polarity". Polarity inversion happens when you switch two wires (or the equivalent in the digital domain). Many analogue (and digital) consoles have
polarity switches on every channel. Those are not phase switches because the timing is not affected.
Phase is a time thing. If you slide one waveform on a time line by half an oscilation cycle, you have rotated the phase by 180°. You have not changed the absolute polarity.
Alistair