> It indicates the phase of what relative to what?
Hang a zero-center meter across (unbalanced) Left and Right channels. A Mono signal will read dead-center. Stereo all in one side, near max level, will throw the needle to that side. Typical panpot stereo will show large deflections, both sides, depending on mix balance.
A variation uses two rectifiers, average or peak, to give a slightly different view of the same thing.
An X-Y o'scope (turned 45 degrees) fed L-R gives a more detailed view of "Phase" matters. Generally too detailed, and sticks too far out the back of the console.
"Phase" is perhaps the wrong name. It indicates the amount of out-of-phase or difference level between two stereo channels. Since good mastering engineers are not always picky tech-persons like me, the name is not too important. In operation on a stereo signal, you come to understand what various "Phase" wiggles mean.
100uA-0-100uA seems a good match to 200uA VU meters. 0VU is more like 140uA, and you don't usually want the difference level to be as high as the channel level. (In wax-cutting, you sure don't want huge difference {vertical} signal; that's unimportant in tape or CD but you do want a "nice" amount of difference for good image spread.)
Unless there is a multiplier in there, it will always read near-zero for low levels. That may not matter if you are mastering always-loud material.
Hang a zero-center meter across (unbalanced) Left and Right channels. A Mono signal will read dead-center. Stereo all in one side, near max level, will throw the needle to that side. Typical panpot stereo will show large deflections, both sides, depending on mix balance.
A variation uses two rectifiers, average or peak, to give a slightly different view of the same thing.
An X-Y o'scope (turned 45 degrees) fed L-R gives a more detailed view of "Phase" matters. Generally too detailed, and sticks too far out the back of the console.
"Phase" is perhaps the wrong name. It indicates the amount of out-of-phase or difference level between two stereo channels. Since good mastering engineers are not always picky tech-persons like me, the name is not too important. In operation on a stereo signal, you come to understand what various "Phase" wiggles mean.
100uA-0-100uA seems a good match to 200uA VU meters. 0VU is more like 140uA, and you don't usually want the difference level to be as high as the channel level. (In wax-cutting, you sure don't want huge difference {vertical} signal; that's unimportant in tape or CD but you do want a "nice" amount of difference for good image spread.)
Unless there is a multiplier in there, it will always read near-zero for low levels. That may not matter if you are mastering always-loud material.