Using The Phlngr; About Flanging - Alesis ModFX Phingr Reference Manual

Using the Phlngr

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This section defines flanging, and explains the functions of the
Phlngr's controls in greater detail. A little technical knowledge will
help you get the most out of your gear...it's really pretty simple.

About flanging

In the 1960's, when engineers had learned how to synchronize two
analog reel-to-reel tape recorders, someone discovered that if the
same audio was recorded on both recorders, and you deliberately
slowed one down by dragging your finger on the flange of one of
the tape reels, a deep comb-filtering effect happened as the
waveforms from each recorder drifted back and forth in time,
trying to lock together again. This jet-airplane-like sound became
famous on recordings by Jimi Hendrix, and the Small Faces.
Today, instead of on tape recorders, the audio is recorded in digital
memory. It gets played back a few milliseconds later, at a point
that varies according to the setting of an LFO (Low Frequency
Oscillator). This gives you total control of the flanging effect
(and, it's a lot less hassle).
Flanging is achieved by delaying one part of the signal, then
varying the time delay with an LFO. The delayed signal is then
mixed with the original "straight" or "dry" sound, producing a
complex series of phase additions and subtractions at different
frequencies. By feeding back a part of the output of the delay line
to the input (REGEN), these frequency nodes become more
dramatic as oscillations begin to occur at different frequencies.
DRY
SIGNAL
DRY SIGNAL
L ef t in p ut f eed s FEEDBACK
b ot h si d es i f
n ot hi ng 's pl u gg ed
i nt o th e RIGHT
DELAY
j ack
LFO
DELAY
FEEDBACK
DRY SIGNAL
Flanging vs. Phasing
The se two effec ts s o me tim es
s ou nd a lik e, bu t th e y ar e
a ch ie ve d in d iffe re n t wa y s.
Pha se rs us e s hiftin g filter s;
fla ng er s u se sh iftin g tim e
d elay s. I n b oth ca s es , the
c ha ra cte ristic so un d is
c re ated by p e ak s an d d ip s in
fre qu en c y re s po ns e whe n the
s hifted sign a l is r e co mb ine d
with th e u np r oc es se d s ig n al.
Fla ng in g h as a mu ch mo re
c om plex se rie s of a d ditio ns
a nd c an c ella tio ns ( p ea ks an d
tro ug hs in th e fr eq u en cy
r es po ns e ) th a n ph as ing d o es .
I t also slig h tly ch a ng es th e
p itch o f the so un d, wh ic h
p ha sing do es n 't. Pha sing ' s
fre qu en c y no d es a re
n on ha rm o nic, an d le s s
o btru siv e.
Try o ut th e Ale sis Faz e to
h ea r on e o f the b es t p ha s e
s hifter s a va ila ble tod ay .
LEFT
FLANGED
OUTPUT
RIGHT
FLANGED
OUTPUT
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