{"id":863,"date":"2019-10-09T07:59:48","date_gmt":"2019-10-09T07:59:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rebootrecording.com\/?p=863"},"modified":"2019-10-09T08:00:07","modified_gmt":"2019-10-09T08:00:07","slug":"flanger","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rebootrecording.com\/flanger\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is A Flanger? Explained!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"What<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Are you one of those guys who are arguing with other musicians about what that effect on guitar, vocals or on drums (Ian Paice, Deep Purple’s drummer loves to start his drum solo with a snare roll and a flanger effect on his entire drum kit) is? It’s sometimes even applied to the entire mix. Is it phaser…or flanger? We know, usually, it could lead to an eternal debate. Because of that, we are going to demystify this phenomenon called flanging. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

First\nof all, the flanger is an effect which is most commonly correlated\nwith the 60s, 70s, and 80s, although is still popular and it found\nits way in modern music of any genre. And by any genre we mean from\nfunk, rock, disco to heavy metal music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Is Flanging?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In\nsimple words, it is an effect which is created when the same two\naudio signals are blended while one of the signals is delayed. To\nproperly achieve the flanging effect, the delayed signal should be in\nshort but constantly changing amount which shouldn’t pass more than\n20 milliseconds. This kind of mixing two identical signals will\nproduce a sweep filter effect while varying the delay time force it\ngoes up and down in the frequency spectrum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\noriginal tape flanger sounds a bit different from software plugins,\neffect units, and pedal recreations. It can be explained as a\ncombination of flanging and phasing since not only is flange signal\ndelayed, but the reaction of the tape and tape head have injected\nphase changes at different frequencies in the signal also.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According\nto the “traveling direction” of the sound wave, flanging\ncan be divided into positive, negative and through-zero flanging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

History Of Flanging<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

What\nis known about this effect is that it was discovered, of course, by\naccident, in the early 1950s while Les Paul was playing with and\nstudying phasing. With the help of his old variable-speed record\nplayers (turntables, gramophones), the very first variation of phase\nshifting is born.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nadditional improvement of the flanger effect can be associated with\nKen Townsend, the Abbey Road Studio’s audio engineer. Ken devised the\nvery first automatic (artificial) double-tracking (ADT) system which\ntakes the original signal from playback while making the other (same)\naudio with a slight offset in it. With this process, there are two\nidentical sounds and if you are changing the speed (delay, offset) or\nfrequency of the second signal you’ll be able to create flanger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\ncan be said that John Lennon was credited with ADT also, because he\nwas too lazy to record his vocals twice so Ken had to do something\nabout it. Historian Mark Levisohn claims that John Lennon is the\nfirst who described this technique “flanging” and the term\nis still in use today, for more than 50 years. In\n1968, Warren Kendrick invented a system to accurately manage flanging\nwith two stereo Ampex tape recorders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This\nprocess is performed by recording the completed music track\nsimultaneously on two tape recorders and after that, replayed with\nboth decks at the same time. This playback (from these two recorders)\nis recorded with the third tape recorder while the recording engineer\nslows down one of the playbacks by pressing lightly on the “play\nreel”. The playback of that tape continues very short behind the\nother tape. By pressing the play reel at the other deck the effect\nsweeps back and the decks are proceeding synchronized again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Does It Work?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This\nawesome effect can be created with delaying the original’s signal\ncopy consistently with all of its frequencies. When you have this\nsignal duplicated and short delayed, usually from 1 ms to 20 ms, you\nneed to make this delay moveable if you don’t want static flange. LFO\n(Low Frequency Oscillator) can help you greatly with this since the\nkey to the classic flanging effect is having LFO set to annually\nmanage the delay time. While the delay time is sweeping back &\nforth, the notches are annually moving, and the filter tone simply\nshifts with the changing jagged frequencies, creating the Flanging\neffect. You, as a listener, will be able to hear a swish, swoosh or\njet plane like sweep sound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nflanger is an effects unit that creates a flanging effect. It can be\nfound in the form of a pedal (most commonly used for guitar) or a\nsimple rack mount effect unit. The character of the output signal is\nregularly returned to the input with changing offset time, creating a\nresonance effect that further enhances the intensity of the notches.\nThe feedback phase is sometimes inverted, creating a different\nvariation of the flange.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Either\nanalog devices are more popular and loved among musicians and audio\nengineers most software plug-ins provide much more user control.\nFirst of all, many of VST flanger’s sweeps can easily be synced with\nthe session tempo which is a great advantage. Not only VST flanger\nplugins have options like initial frequency of sweep, resonance, but\nthere are also much more features and parameters with which you have\nmore creative potentialities to explore the whole new world of the\ndigital sound processing. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Does A Flanger Pedal Do And How To Use It?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Most\nflangers work in a somewhat simple way – copies the original signal\nwith a slight delay. Many of them offer just managing of sweep rate\nbut usually, have controls for delay time, feedback, and mix also.\nWith mix knob you can balance levels of input and copied (flanged)\nsignal. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\nsuppose you want to use flanger pedal with an electric guitar. Not\nnecessarily, you can use it with vocals, synth, bass, with any\ninstrument you like. But lets, for example, explain using with the\nguitar since is most commonly used for that purpose. First, make sure\nall of your equipment is turned off od muted. You don’t want any\nunnecessary noise or loud pops. It can also harm your equipment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If\nyou are using only flanger pedal, you’ll need 2 audio cables. One\nfrom guitar to pedal, and other from pedal to amplifier or mixer\n(depending on what you are going to use). If you are planning to use\nmore than one pedal you will need more cables. No worries, it is not\nexpensive, these are short cables with which you connect one pedal to\nanother forming what is called chain. These cables are also called\npatch cables. Now let’s back to work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All\nyou need is to plug the one side of the instrument cable to your\nguitar, and the other side of the cable to the input jack of the\npedal. Since most of the guitar pedals have input and output jacks\nonly there shouldn’t be much confusion. Connect another cable from\noutput of your pedal to input on your amp or mixer and you can turn\nit on. Now when you are connected, you are ready to step on your\nstompbox and play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where To Put Flanger Pedal In The Effect Chain? <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

One\nof the many concerns of almost every guitarist, especially a novice,\nis where to put a pedal on his pedalboard. If you’ve been in the\nmusic world for a while as a guitar player, chances are high that you\nhave a few different stompboxes. The question is how to hook them?\nMaybe you already did and you’ve got noise, hum, or bad feedback…\nEverything in effect chain should have its own place and the same\nrule is for a flanger. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According\nto many guitarists, the best place to insert modulation effect (which\ninclude Flanger) in the chain is after distortion and\/or\ncompressor and before reverbs and delays<\/strong>. On the other hand, this\nis not necessarily, you can distort flanger, yet you should be very\naccurate with setting parameters since you could get very strange\nsound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep\nin mind that this is a matter of taste. Some guitar players favor the\nmore initial sound quality of flanger effect patched into an effect\nchain, especially because the flanger after distortion can help\ndecrease overall noise.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If\nyou plan to use more than one mod effect at you effect setup there\nare no worries if you place flanger before phaser or chorus after\nflanger or like…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep\nin mind that you should think about placing gate after flanger.\nFlanger pedal can produce constant “whoosh” sound even if\nyou don’t play guitar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don’t\ntake our word for it, like everything else in music and art in\ngeneral, no rule has to be followed 100%, so … experiment!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Flanger Pedal Control Knobs <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

All\nthe flanger pedals regularly come with two to four parameter knobs.\nSince, as for any other devices, there are many manufacturers of\nflanger pedals and because of that, you can find different parameter\nnames. Don’t let this confuse you. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For\nexample, on one pedal there will be parameter named “RATE”,<\/strong>\non the second pedal the same parameter will be labeled as “SPEED”<\/strong>\nor even maybe “FREQUENCY”. <\/strong>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  • With this\n\tparameter, you will be able to coordinate the frequency of\n\toscillations or waves which you can hear as they “move”\n\twithin your signal. \n\t\n<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    The\nsame thing applies with a “WIDTH”<\/strong> which is also\nlabeled as “RANGE”,<\/strong> “DEPTH”<\/strong> or\n“DEPTH INTENSITY”<\/strong>. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    • This parameter\n\tregulates how much of dry or wet signal you want to be sent to the\n\toutput.\n<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      “DELAY”<\/strong>\nparameter can be found as “MANUAL”, “DELAY TIME”,\n“FLANGING EFFECT”<\/strong> etc. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      • With this\n\tparameter, you will be able to control the delay of the copied\n\tsignal.\n<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

        And\nthere is also additional parameter knob “RESOLUTION<\/strong>”\nwhich means the same as “RES<\/strong>“, “COLOR<\/strong>“,\n“REGEN<\/strong>“, “REGENERATION<\/strong>“,\n“FEEDBACK<\/strong>“…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        • With this parameter, you will be able to take some of the wet signals and make it run through the LFO<\/strong> whit which you can considerably enhance and color your sound. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

          On\nsome pedals, you can find switches for whether the feedback will be +\npositive or – negative, and LFO filter types log, lin, thru.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          When\nyou get in front of the flanger, you should be already familiarized\nwith these terms so you can handle the stompbox more easily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          What Flanger Pedal Is Right For You?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

          We\nknow that choosing a proper piece of gear that suits your needs is\nalmost always a headache. What if this, what if that…This pedal has\nthis, that is better because of that and so on. Because of these\nconcerns, we decided to help you a little with your decisions. It\ndoesn’t have to mean that the most commonly used pedal will fill your\ndesires and needs. Maybe you want to stand out, maybe you are seeking\nfor something totally different. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Some\nof the most popular pedals are Boss BF-3 (and older version BF-2), TC\nElectronic Vortex, Electro-Harmonix Electric Mistress, Donner Jet\nConvolution, MXR’s flanger stompboxes and so on…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Boss BF-3<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

          Without\nfurther discussion, the violet BOSS BF-3<\/strong> pedal and its\npredecessor BF-2<\/strong> are perhaps the most commonly seen flanger\npedals in the pedalboard of any guitarist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Without\na doubt, these are heavy-duty pedals that will last you many years.\nThey can be powered by a 9V battery or AC adapter (which is always,\nat least in our opinion, a much smarter choice). It has two inputs,\nguitar, and bass IN. We should point out that if you are using guitar\ninput jack, the bass input jack will be disabled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          There\nare four standard parameters with which you can manage depth, rate,\nmanual, resolution and one additional parameter labeled as “mode”.\nThere are the standard and ultra mode. They only differ in that ultra\nmode enhances the flanging effect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          With\nthese powerful pedals, Boss proved that they have sturdily adaptable\nequipment which combines old, warm sound with new impressive\nfeatures. No matter if you are a beginner or a professional, these\npedals are always a great choice and will not let you down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          TC Electronic Vortex<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

          At\nthe first look, the TC Electronic Vortex pedal may look rather usual.\nThere are standard 4 parameter knobs for controling, speed, depth,\nfeedback and delay time. It has stereo and mono inputs and outputs\nthat make great double amplifier adjustment possibilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          This\nstompbox can without any question be part of every guitarist\npedalboard and satisfy his needs for flanging effect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          This\nflanger pedal supports a powerful feature with which you can download\npedal presets from many World famous guitar players. This feature is\ncalled TC Electronic’s TonePrints which makes this pedal simply\nincredible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Another\nadvantage of this pedal and also brand TC Electronics, in general, is\nthat they take good care with their “True Bypass”. They\nbelieve that pedal, when bypassed, shouldn’t affect the last signal.\nWe totally agree with this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Electro-Harmonix Electric Mistress<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

          \nMike Matthews founded Electro-Harmonix back in 68′ which produces the\nvery first stompboxes. This one is quite simple 2 in 1 pedal and we\ndidn’t just mention it for no reason. First, it looks exceptional, we\nlove it! Second, the Electro-Harmonix Electric Mistress offers you to\nmix the flanger and chorus effect at the same time. With this\nfeature, you’ll be able to make some awesome sounds with your guitar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          \nIt can be powered, same as most pedals, with 9V batteries or AC\nadaptor and has stereo output. We won’t discuss more this pedal we’ll\njust mention that David Gilmour (Pink Floyd) used this stompbox and\nthat should be sufficient proof of its superiority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Donner Jet Convolution<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

          \nThis pedal is definitely the cutest and the best value for money\nflanger pedal on the market. It is compact, well built, light but\nequipped with a lot of features. First thing you notice at this\nlittle stompbox is that big rate knob. It is really oversized\ncomparing to other knobs. That huge rate knob allows you an easy\ntuning. The color parameter on this pedal will supply reg or feedback\nwhile the range knob can provide you with more warm, natural sound\neither metallic, psychedelic sound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          \nSwitch on this pedal is used for automatic LFO or “normal”\nmode. On most flanger pedals the LFO is set to produce an automatic\nsweep sound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          MXR<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

          \nWhat to say about this brand. Any flanger pedal model to choose from\nEVH117SE, M117R, M152, EVH117 you won’t regret. Apparently, Jim\nDunlop and his associates knew what they were doing. The MXR\nproducts, with their cool design attracts attention. MXR\u2019s\nrelationship with Eddie Van Halen is legendary, and Van Helen’s\ninfluence into these flanger pedals is impressive. If you\u2019re\nlooking for flanger pedal that is one of the big names in the\nindustry, one of these pedals could be the right for you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          Are you one of those guys who are arguing with other musicians about what that effect on guitar, vocals or on drums (Ian Paice, Deep Purple’s drummer loves to start his drum solo with a snare roll and a flanger effect on his entire drum kit) is? It’s sometimes even […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":865,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/rebootrecording.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/flanger.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rebootrecording.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/863"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rebootrecording.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rebootrecording.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rebootrecording.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rebootrecording.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=863"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/rebootrecording.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/863\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":867,"href":"https:\/\/rebootrecording.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/863\/revisions\/867"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rebootrecording.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/865"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rebootrecording.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=863"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rebootrecording.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=863"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rebootrecording.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=863"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}