Flangers

Flanging is a time-domain based audio effect that occurs when two identical signals are mixed together, but with one signal time-delayed by a small and gradually changing amount, usually smaller than 20 ms (milliseconds). more...

Home
Brass
DJ Gear & Lighting
Electronic
Equipment
Guitar
Acoustic
Acoustic Beginner Packs
Acoustic Electric
Amplifiers
Bass
Builder, Luthier Kits
Electric
Electric Beginner Packs
Memorabilia
Other Guitar
Parts, Accessories
Bodies
Bridges
Cables
Capos
Cases
Hardshell
Soft, Gig Bags
Effects Pedals
Bass
Boards, Cases
Chorus
Compressors, Sustainers
Delay, Echo, Reverb
Distortion Boss
Distortion Ibanez
Distortion Other Brands
Distortion, Overdrive
Filter, Modulation
Flangers
Fuzz
Loopers, Samplers
Multi-Effects
Other
Phasers, Shifters
Power Supplies
Processors
Wah, Volume
Knobs, Jacks, Switches
Necks
Nuts
Other Accessories
Pickguards
Picks
Dunlop
Fender
Other
Pickups
Dimarzio
EMG
Fender
Gibson
Other
Seymour Duncan
Plates
Polishes, Cleaners
Saddles
Slides
Stands, Hangers
Straps
Cloth, Nylon
Leather
Other
Strings
Acoustic
Acoustic D'Addario
Acoustic Elixir
Acoustic Martin
Acoustic Other
Bass
Electric
Electric D'Addario
Electric DR
Electric Ernie Ball
Electric Fender
Electric Other
Tuners
Korg
Other
Qwik Tune
Tuning Pegs
Vintage, Pre-1980
Harmonica
Instruction Books, CDs,...
Keyboard, Piano
Other Instruments
Percussion
Pro Audio
Sheet Music, Song Books
String
Wholesale Lots
Woodwind

This produces a swept 'comb filter' effect: peaks and notches are produced in the resultant frequency spectrum, related to each other in a linear harmonic series. Varying the time delay causes these to sweep up and down the frequency spectrum.

Part of the output signal is usually fed back to the input (a 're-circulating delay line'), producing a resonance effect which further enhances the intensity of the peaks and troughs. The phase of the fed-back signal is sometimes inverted, producing another variation on the flanging sound.

A flanger is a device dedicated to creating this sound effect.

Listen a short sample followed by two flanging versions.

Comparison with phasing

Flanging is actually one specific type of phasing. In phasing, a signal is passed through one or more allpass filters which have non-linear frequency phase response. This results in phase differences in the output signal that depend on the input signal frequency. When used with multi-frequency signals like music, various frequencies in the original signal are delayed by different amounts, causing peaks and troughs in the output signal which are not in a linear harmonic series.

By contrast, flanging relies on an overall uniform time delay to the entire signal, which is equivalent to phasing as described above but with a filter that has a linear phase response across the frequency spectrum. The result is an output signal with peaks and troughs which are in a linear harmonic series. Extending the comb analogy, flanging uses a comb filter with regularly-spaced teeth, whereas phasing uses a comb filter with irregularly-spaced teeth.

To the ear, flanging and phasing sound similar, yet they are recognizable as distinct colorations.

Origin

The name flanging comes from the original method of creation. You start with two 3-headed tape recorders - 3 heads means one for recording, one for playback and one for erase - put into record mode. You record the same signal into both machines. The playback head is located after the recording head so you can hear the actual recording. You then take the playback-head output from these two recorders and mix them together, recording them onto a 3rd recorder. Obviously, these tape recorders will be slightly out of sync already and create a phasing effect when you mix in the second machine. In fact, the best effect is created by deliberately making the second machine run a fraction faster than the first. The effect can then be accentuated by putting a finger on the flange (that is to say, the rim) of one of the tape reels so that machine is slowed down, slipping out of sync by tiny degrees. A listener will hear the familiar "drainpipe" swooping effect as shifting sum-and-difference harmonics are created. When the operator removes his/her finger the tape speeds up again, making the effect move back in the other direction.

Read more at Wikipedia.org