Among the plethora of weird and wonderful effects pedals that are available nowadays, few have such humble DIY roots as the beloved Flanger.
This simple effect has the ability to change your tone in ways you can't imagine, with more options on the market than ever before!
Widely considered to have been discovered by the one and only Les Paul way back in the 1940s, the flanger effect has been replicated countless times over the years by mix engineers, audio manufacturers and experimentalists.
A flanger achieves its unique sound by copying your signal and delaying its playback by varying amounts. This variation is created with an LFO, and the speed, depth and amount of altered signal can be adjusted to taste.
Despite the countless options of flanger effects available today, the principle largely remains the same. It’s instantly recognisable jet-engine quality can be heard across numerous genres, from early Beatles recordings to modern metal riffage. In this guide, we’ll explore the flange effect’s unique qualities, the big names in the category, and how you can incorporate it into your sound, taking you one step closer to finding the pedal that’s right for you!
Wanna hear a flanger in action? Here’s ‘Barracuda’ by Heart:
Listen carefully for the shimmering oscillation of the galloping guitar riff that runs throughout the track. Although this iconic tone summarises the effect rather nicely, flange can be tweaked to attain many weird and wonderful sounds.
What does a flanger pedal do? Good question, reader. The flange sound is achieved by mixing two identical signals together, with one of the signals delayed by small and varying periods determined by an LFO (low frequency oscillator). This creates a swirling harmonic effect, like a moving comb filter.
The varying spaces between the two signals weave in and out of eachother causing these harmonics to sweep up and down the frequency spectrum. This is what creates the famed ‘jet engine’ sound associated with flangers.
In some cases, the output can also be partially fed back into the input, generating feedback that adds another dimension to the sound. Here's a nice diagram that'll do a way better job of explaining:
These three modulation effects work in very similar ways. They all mix your dry signal with a filtered/detuned signal to create an abstract sound. Because of this, it can be easy to get them mixed up! Each one creates a modulated effect using an LFO, but tweaked slightly differently - so what is the difference between flanger, phaser and chorus? Here's a quick breakdown:
The dry signal is mixed with a delayed signal swaying between 5-25ms The delayed signal is then fed back into the chain creating harmonic feedback.
the phase of your signal's waveform is adjusted by an LFO, then mixed with the dry signal. The frequencies that are out of phase cancel eachother out, causing a warped, wavy sound.
Your dry signal is mixed with a slightly detuned and delayed signal. The LFO controls the pitch of the delayed signal, and the further you push the pitch, the more wobbly the effect.
IN SUMMARY: A flanger uses an LFO the adjust the delay of the signal, a phaser uses an LFO to adjust the phase of your waveform, and chorus uses an LFO to adjust the pitch!
There are several things to consider when using a flanger. It isn't the most subtle effect; it'll alter your tone in a big, obvious, and actually rather fun way. But in order to make the most of its boldness, you'll need a little bit of extra knowhow!
There are three main controls that you’ll most often see on a flanger. Let’s take a closer look at what they do:
As with most modulation effects, flanger will sit most comfortably towards the back end of your pedal chain. You'll be best off putting it after everything except ambient effects like reverb and delay.
This means the effect will apply to everything in your chain so far, including distortion, EQ, filters and more. You can play around with this order to create more abstract sounds; if you're feeling adventurous, put a flanger before a distortion or fuzz pedal for a truly bonkers lead tone!
The use of effects is entirely subjective. Although the controls on your average flanger unit are straightforward, they can be manipulated to create many distinct sounds. Here are a few notable examples of great flanger settings:
All flanger and nothing but the flanger! This small selection is made up of just a few of our bestselling flanger pedals, containing both vintage and abstract sounds and will fit neatly onto your board. Let's take a look:
There are options across the board. If you're looking for the best affordable flanger pedal, check out TC Electronic's selection. If you want full-tilt stereo action with all the bells and whistles, check out Strymon & Earthquaker Devices' flanger options. If you're after some boutique alternatives, brands like Alexander Pedals, Mr Black and Old Blood Noise Endeavours make great flangers with freaky flavours.
Many multi-fx pedals feature a wide range of sounds to cover all basses, while some specialise particularly in modulation. Either way, you can be fairly certain that most multi-fx pedals will include some sort of flanger. Above, you'll see some of our most popular multi-fx options that include flanger effects.
For an affordable multi-fx choice, consider brands like Mooer and Hotone - compact, easy to use, inexpensive. At the other end of the spectrum, brands like Strymon, Line 6 and Boss produce premium workhorse effects with studio-quality sound.
You may have heard weird, modulated guitar sounds on your favourite albums and wondered 'what effect is that?' In theory, you'll now be able to tell the difference!
The idea of a flanger pedal in your setup should now seem like more of a reality - ask yourself: is it vintage psychedelia you're after, or warped abstract tones to hypnotise your audience? Each of the pedals we've discussed has its own character and special feature - which one would sit best in your sound? If you get a chance, spend some time trying some effects out, and experiment with some of the example settings above to find the right tone for you!
Happy flanging, folks!
P.S. Have you checked out our other buyer's guides? You might just find something you like!
