learning phasers/flangers

[joninc]

for starters: can anyone recognize or name the flanger in this song - happens a few times throughout the song (1:46.3:00)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8itC_eso-4

[Trick Fall]

Not sure what they are using there, but my favorite Flangers that I've used are the EHX Deluxe Electric Mistress and the Digitech FX-75B. The digitechs pop up really cheap. They can usually be had for 25-50 bucks. I don't own any phaser pedals, but I do have a big honking Maestro Phase that's totally impractical and not flexible, but sounds absolutely delicious.

I'm not really familiar with any of the rack Flangers or Phasers, but I did once insist on using what turned out to be an Eventide Instant Flanger because the FL was worn away so the case read Instant anger and I definitely wanted some of that on the recording.

[blunderfonics]

Can't say with any certainty what was used on that track but it doesn't sound dissimilar to my MXR Flanger Doubler rack. The MXR has a "Manual" knob which sets the delay , which it then modulated the lfo (controlled by the "Width" and "Speed" knobs. If you set the Width to minimum you can then use the "Manual" knob to sweep the effect, uh, manually. This is great if you need to sync the effect with a particular moment in the track or want something wackier than the standard sine wave modulation.

[A.David.MacKinnon]

Can't say with any certainty what was used on that track but it doesn't sound dissimilar to my MXR Flanger Doubler rack. The MXR has a "Manual" knob which sets the delay , which it then modulated the lfo (controlled by the "Width" and "Speed" knobs. If you set the Width to minimum you can then use the "Manual" knob to sweep the effect, uh, manually. This is great if you need to sync the effect with a particular moment in the track or want something wackier than the standard sine wave modulation.

I have an old Tokai flanger that does the same thing. I almost never use it but when I need that thing it does it.

[joninc]

how would you apply it to an entire mix for a few seconds like on the posies song?

seems more extreme than an aux send - sounds in line...

i am trying to replicate it with soundtoys Phase Mistress plug in - sort of halfway there but not quite right....

[floid]

You might try some type of parallel process. Remember flangers are an electrical version of a mechanical tape deck trick.

[blunderfonics]

With the MXR you could ride the mix knob or use the In/Out button if you were in an all analog workflow, however with DAW automation being what it is I would probably throw it on a send or parallel input and automate away.

[Scodiddly]

Flanging *is* a parallel process. You mix in this modulated/delayed out of whack signal with the straight signal to get the actual effect.

So it would be as easy to automate or fly in as adding a cheesy sax solo.

[Scodiddly]

... of course the tricky part might be finding a flanger that lets you set 100% wet output, or any sort of wet/dry mix at all.

[Scodiddly]

But at that point it doesn't have to be a dedicated "flanger" effect. Could just be a vibrato effect, or very short delay with modulation. Dust off that old SPX-90.

[Nick Sevilla]

Phasing: When you slowly rotate the phase of one signal relative ot the other one. Usually you'll use a control signal derived from a slow oscillating crystal or variable voltage device, and use this to vary the phase rotation.

In guitar pedals, the signal is split into two, one side being affected by the phaser, and one not, so you can blend the effect at the output. This sounds as ONE sound though, with no delay.

Some pedals also include a slight delay, some of them variable, some not.

Flanging. This was invented at Abbey Road Studios in the 1960s. It is when you take a piece of tape duplicated from an original, play them both at the same time, and press against the flanges of the reel of one of the tapes, slightly delaying that tape speed, and doing so in a musical fashion, following the original tape, flanging musically.

In a pedal or plug in, you rely again on an oscillator device to regulate the amount that the affected signal is slowed down and sped back up to normal. Also in plug ins, you can change it by using a slight delay, wihch can also sometimes be modulated in speed (slower delay speed, faster delay speed) with either the same of a different oscillator signal. This sounds as TWO sounds blending together.

They can sound similar, but are not. Listen closely:

Classic phaser : Eddie Van Halen in Unchained, from "Fair Warning".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maQjttazW6Q

Classic flanger: David Bowie's voice "The Man Who Sold The World".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSH--SJKVQQ

[Injured Ear]

On this tune the full mix flange sounds like somebody did it with a 2 track reel to reel deck.

I've used this trick with reel to reel decks and even a cassette deck that had varispeed control. It's much quicker to pull off with an MXR flanger or Waves Metaflanger plugin.

In my experience reel to reel decks with varispeed can do this quite effectively.
When you are getting close to finished with the mix, you do a quick bounce to a mixdown deck. Then you sync the two machines together (by manually playing them at the same time and playing with varispeed on the mixdown deck until they are in sync), and recording the output of the mixdown deck back onto a pair of tracks on the multitrack. At the point you want the swoosh to happen you adjust the varispeed on the mixdown deck in one direction, then the other and it makes the most glorious sound.

[GooberNumber9]

Note that true flanging also involves pitch shift in addition to delay because slowing down the tape reel drops the pitch slightly.