MAutoAlign
by MeldaProduction · Utility · Automatic multi-mic phase alignment
Not rated yet
MAutoAlign is MeldaProduction's automatic phase alignment tool for multi-microphone recordings.
It finds the right delays and polarity flips with one click, and can also compensate phase per frequency. It costs $55.
Best for: Drums, Acoustic Instruments, Guitars, Bass. Genres: all genres.
Keywords: utility, drums, bass, electric guitar, piano, mid/side, mixing, simple, spectral, transparent.
What it does
MAutoAlign is MeldaProduction's automatic phase alignment tool for anything recorded with more than one microphone. You put an instance on each track, and the instances find each other and work out the ideal delays and polarity flips, with no side-chain routing.
- One-click analysis: press a button and it detects the timing offsets and polarity inversions between the tracks, then applies them.
- Transparent basic mode: it only delays tracks and flips polarity; the developer stresses that no filtering is done that would alter the signal.
- Spectral phase compensation: added in version 11.02, it rotates phase per frequency across all tracks to reduce cancellations caused by mic and instrument differences or earlier processing.
- Many tracks at once: instances on a whole multi-mic kit or set of cabinet mics are analysed together rather than in pairs.
- Channel modes: stereo, M/S and surround processing, with 64-bit processing at any sample rate.
- Help built in: an integrated help system explains each control inside the plugin.
The current version listed on KVR is 17.10. A free trial is available from MeldaProduction.
Source: MeldaProduction product page
When to use it
MAutoAlign is the cheap, automatic option for fixing phase across a whole multi-mic recording. Compared with Little Labs IBP and Waves InPhase, which have you turn a phase or delay control by ear, it does the analysis for you on every track at once. It does the same job as Sound Radix Auto-Align, its closest rival, though one KVR user found Auto-Align more reliable on real-world material. Unlike the metering tools in the utility section, such as Insight 2 or SPAN, it changes the audio rather than just showing you a problem.
- Best for: multi-mic drum kits, bass DI plus amp, guitar cabinets with several mics, and acoustic instruments or pianos recorded in stereo.
- Genres: any genre with live-recorded instruments, especially rock, metal, jazz and acoustic music.
- Look elsewhere if: you only use samples and virtual instruments, or you want to shape phase by ear; Little Labs IBP or InPhase suit that better.
- Tip: run the trial on your own sessions first, as KVR users report results that vary by source and DAW.
What producers say
Users who get it working call it a big time saver, but reports on reliability are mixed.
- KVR users rate it 4 out of 5 from 3 reviews. A 2021 reviewer (version 15) called it "dead-simple to use and a real time saver" on drums, vocals, pianos and cabinets, with 21 instances running without trouble.
- Praise: a 2017 reviewer called it "magic on drums or multi-mic'd cabs".
- Criticisms: a 2018 reviewer (version 12) found the delay it picked sometimes jumped between multiples of the real offset, and that spectral compensation added a "phasey character".
Where to buy
- Plugin Boutique: $22 (regular $54)
- Best Service: $49
- AudioDeluxe: $49
- MeldaProduction: $55
- PluginFox: $59
Tutorials and reviews
- MMTV: MeldaProduction - Fixing Alignment with MAutoAlign
- MAutoAlign, the automatic audio phase alignment solution
- MAutoalign walkthrough
- Easily & Automatic Phase Alignment - MAutoAlign Tutorial [English Subtitles]
- MeldaProduction MAutoAlign teaser
Similar plugins
- Auto-Align 2 by Sound Radix · Multi-mic time and phase alignment · $199
- Aligner by NUGEN Audio · Automatic phase and polarity alignment · $49
- InPhase by Waves · Phase alignment and correction · $32.93
- Align by Apollo View · Phase alignment tool · $66.23
- Precision Time Align by Eventide · Sub-sample time alignment · $49
- Little Labs IBP Phase Alignment Tool by Universal Audio · Phase alignment tool · $49
- X-Phase by Solid State Logic · All-pass filter phase alignment · $99
- PHA-979 by Voxengo · Phase and time alignment · $51
- Pi by Sound Radix · Multi-track phase optimizer · $249
- InPhase LT by Waves · Phase alignment · $27.28
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