RSPhaseShifter

Name: RSPhaseShifter
Price: 99 USD
Author: MAAT

by MAAT · Utility · Analog phase rotator

Not rated yet

RSPhaseShifter is a phase rotation plugin from MAAT, the official digital version of the Roger Schult Phase Shifter W2324 analog hardware.

It aligns tracks, fixes cancellation and shapes tone with zero latency, and costs $99.

Best for: Drums, Bass, Mix Bus, Mastering, Acoustic Instruments. Genres: all genres.

Keywords: bass, low latency, drums, mastering, minimum-phase, mixing, zero-latency, full mix, tight, snare, beginner-friendly, bus processing, corrective, electric guitar, live performance, mid/side, mix bus, perpetual licence, simple, utility, wide.

What it does

RSPhaseShifter is MAAT's digital version of Roger Schult/German Audio Lab's W2324 analog phase shifter, made with Schult for phase alignment in mixing, mastering and live sound. MAAT calls it an "explicit digital recreation" of the W2324 circuit topology rather than a model.

Phase angle: continuously adjustable from 15 to 180 degrees.
RANGE switch: three positions: bypass, 0-180 degrees, or +180 degrees for the 180-360 degree range.
Frequency: a 13-step control that sets the resonant frequency, from 16, 25, 40 and 63 Hz up through 1, 1.6, 2.5 and 4 kHz.
Gain: plus or minus 5 dB in 41 steps, adjustable in real time along with angle and frequency.
Stereo modes: mono or stereo operation, with MIRROR and FLIP for stereo settings and a DELTA mode that changes stereo spread in an M/S style workflow.
Processing: double-precision 64-bit all-pass filtering with zero latency.

RSPhaseShifter works at 44.1 to 384 kHz. It is a perpetual license, and a demo is available from MAAT's support section.

Source: MAAT product page

When to use it

RSPhaseShifter is a corrective tool: it rotates phase at a chosen frequency to tighten kick and snare mics, bass DI and amp, or doubled parts, and to shape low-end tone in mastering. Unlike Insight 2 or SPAN, which show phase and correlation problems but do not change the audio, it actually fixes them. Compared with MAAT's own 2BC multiCORR, which only measures correlation per band, it is the tool you would reach for after such a meter has found a problem. It has no display of its own, so settings are made by ear.

Best for: phase-aligning multi-mic drums, bass and guitar recordings, and tightening low end with less EQ.
Genres: any.
Look elsewhere if: you want automatic alignment or a visual readout; a dedicated auto-align tool is faster, while RSPhaseShifter is manual.
Tip: start on kick or snare and turn the angle and frequency knobs while listening; Barry Rudolph used the +180 range with a 75 degree shift at 25 Hz to make a bass guitar sound more solid and even.

What producers say

Reviewers rate it highly for sound and value, with a learning curve and a few small interface gripes.

Gearspace user reviews two reviewers gave it 5/5 for sound, features and value (overall 4.5 to 4.75), one calling it a "secret weapon for making my drums sound amazing" that needs much less EQ.
Barry Rudolph called it "a winner and easy to use" for correcting phase problems, and demonstrated it on bass, synth bass doubles and top and bottom snare mics.
Criticisms: a learning curve and calls for more tutorials, no resizable window, a very small RANGE switch, a distracting flashing MIRROR button, and no screen to confirm a setting is right.

Where to buy

Tutorials and reviews

Similar plugins

Little Labs IBP Phase Alignment Tool by Universal Audio · Phase alignment tool · $49
Precision Time Align by Eventide · Sub-sample time alignment · $49
PHA-979 by Voxengo · Phase and time alignment · $51
Align by Apollo View · Phase alignment tool · $66.23
X-Phase by Solid State Logic · All-pass filter phase alignment · $99

All metering & utility