Do YOU Understand FLANGERS? | Too Afraid To Ask

[@ScienceofLoud]

Flangers are better choruses, that is a fact, but their controls can be a little confusing. What does Manual even mean? With the help of Walrus Audio's Polychrome Flanger we get to the bottom of how the controls affect the circuit. Get your own Polychrome: Thomann - www.thomann.de/gb/walrus_audio_polychrome.htm?offid=1&affid=367 Sweetwater - imp.i114863.net/YgVWPq Reverb - reverb.grsm.io/polychrome How Chorus Works - kzbin.info/www/bejne/b16rk3yqgJxlnas The Big Hurt - kzbin.info/www/bejne/baeVdqtrrNadY6M This video contain paid product promotion from Walrus Audio #flanger #walrusaudio #sponsor More from CSGuitars: Gain access to exclusive content at: www.patreon.com/csguitars Join CSGuitars Discord - discord.gg/d7b6MY8 Buy CSGuitars Merchandise - www.csguitars.co.uk/store Website - www.csguitars.co.uk Contact - [e-mail]

[@ALLMETAL1970]

Too afraid to ask idea: why did you cut your hair.

[@joshuachaffey1453]

"fan of the flange" lmao

[@Mikey__R]

My first effects pedal was a flanger. I tried all the pedals in the cabinet at the shop, and picked out my favourite.

[@raglanroadworks]

The section on what the controls do is incredibly good. It did in two minutes what other videos couldn't accomplish in 20. Much appreciated!

[@RollandMatthewWeber]

Heart? Rush? My poor little heart is havin' a bit of a fit. Been a Flanger fan for longer than I care to admit. Love it, Thank You Colin!

[@JorgeRodriguez-iz2hq]

TATA idea: Locking tuners, how do they help with tuning stability

[@JDODify]

I'm pretty sure they don't really... and I have locking tuners

[@nitrobw1]

@@JDODify They can, actually. They minimize winding, which can cause the strings to slide against themselves and make tuning less precise. It’s not THAT big a deal, at most a few cents up or down, but it’s enough to be noticeable.

[@madeinuk01]

I have them fitted to my main 4 guitars, I can't say for 100% that they fulfil all the hype but they do make string changes very quick

[@skaman125]

The main point of locking tuners is to make the string swaps a much faster process. The fact that there only needs to be a bend at the tuning post instead of winds has kind of the same idea as a locking nut. It's just one point where the string could get caught or loosened when playing hard on the strings or whammy-ing the wiggle stick. Definitely needs to be paired with a properly lubed and cut nut and you'll have reliable tuning. Also: stretch the strings. Lube the bridge saddles where the strings ride on. And know that 6 screw tremolos, in my short history with them, will not be the most reliable system. Even Yngwie has to keep swapping with his techs between songs to keep the show going.

[@scguitars]

As you play, especially with bending, the winds on the post of standard tuners can come loose slightly and take you off pitch slightly With locking tuners there is no winding and they just hold the strings so help keep the pitch true as you play

[@EytschPi42]

Best video EVER

[@crackedspyglass]

I’ve had the old Boss BF-2 for over ten years and it’s one of my all time favorite effects

[@BoltBrethren]

Same, it was my first modulation pedal, and I can’t find any other modulation to replace it.

[@BeTheAeroplane]

These videos would've been a godsend to 13 year old me in 2005. The names of controls and their lack of documentation in pedals was a nightmare to understand and led to me shying away from most pedals as I didn't understand what they actually did. For a long time I thought delay pedals just delayed your playing without mixing it in with the original source and would think "Why would anybody want that?".

[@castleanthrax1833]

You're fortunate to have KZbin to find this stuff out. When I was breaking my "pedal virginity" back in the 80s, all I had was Guitar Player magazine and the like to decifer the world of effects. Happy guitar playing mate. Effects pedal addiction is a wonderful thing. ✌️🇦🇺

[@scottgreathouse2607]

Finally, a flanger explanation that is understandable! Thanks. :)

[@Ellis_Dee25]

“Stupid sexy flangers”. Classic! Scottish wit never fails to amaze me.

[@MaartenFranken]

I love a heavy duty jet flanger! At the end of Crossroads, with the duel, when Vai turns on the volume of his guitar and the huge flanger comes in before he starts playing... Been trying for ages to create such a big flange sound :P

[@markpickardlife]

Your technical explanations are always well done. Thank you.

[@chrislaing1395]

"Am a big fan a' the flange" The man kens. Quality line and awesome video. Very underrated effect by a lot of non-pro players. Cheers bud!

[@markhammer643]

Chorus and flanger effects are largely identical with respect to what they *do* , electronically. However, by simply shifting the delay time over a few milliseconds, something important happens with respect to what we *notice* or attend to; i.e., the *perceptual* differences created by the two effects. In the case of chorus, what we notice most is the subtle pitch shifting, whereas in the case of flanging our attention is directed to the comb-filtering effects. The difference between what we hear in each case is really only about 3 or 4 milliseconds. There IS, of course, an intermediate zone where choruses sound vaguely flanger-like, and flangers sound vaguely chorus-like, depending on how they are set, and the delay-time range the particular pedals is capable of. The old EHX Electric Mistress is well known for being able to hit that spot - one of the reasons why so many always thought Andy Summers was using a chorus for some tunes by the Police, rather than a flanger. Where the pitch-wobble has to be VERY pronounced in order to be audible at slow speeds, the comb-filtering produced by flangers can still be quite noticeable (especially with a little feedback) at very slow sweeps. This is why a chorus will *never* have speeds/rates as slow as a flanger will. The recorded flanger effects that impress us most, and spur many to buy a flanger, generally involve signals that have lots of bandwidth. Mixed-down drum kits are a prime example, but fuzzed guitars are another. The basic principle is that the many notches that the short time delay flanging creates can *ONLY* be heard if there is audio content where the notches are - a perfect illustration of if-a-tree-falls-and-no-one-hears-it-did-it-make-a-sound. So busy, wide-bandwidth mixes, make flangers sound good, and humble single instruments still yield an audible flanging effect but not NEARLY as dramatic. Among the best analog flangers are those using the Reticon SAD1024 delay chip. The secret to dramatic flanging is being able to achieve VERY short delay times; under half a millisecond, which is something the Reticon chips handle with ease. Such short delay times makes the sweep seem to start so high up that no notches are audible. Then, as the sweep moves downward, the signal seems to get progressively "infected" with notches, rather than simply having the audible notches move around, as they do in a chorus or phaser. Many - though not all - of the flangers using Panasonic/Matsushita chips tend to not achieve delay times less than 1msec. They CAN, to be fair, but require additional circuitry to do so. The legendary A/DA Flanger used Matsushita chips plus that additional circuitry, giving it the capability to sweep to ultra-short delay times. You can read more about this here, in an article I wrote for Premier Guitar a few years ago: www.premierguitar.com/gear/behind-the-bucket-brigade I have more flangers than is probably healthy for a person, and acquired my first - a 5-knob PAiA Phlanger - in 1978, back when Colin was barely a bubble in the Irn Bru. One of the neat things I've been able to do uses the pair of Boss BF-1 flangers I have. The BF-1 includes a Manual delay control. I disabled the dry signal on each of them, such that I could introduce a fixed delay on one, using the Manual control, that the other could sweep "past". This lets me get "through-zero" flanging. By adjusting the Manual delay this way and that, I can vary how long the swept delay spends "on the other side of zero" before returning. And if I let both units sweep independently, the "through zero" point will occur randomly. It's a neat effect. One of the things that interests me is something called "theta processing". This was first used well over 45 years ago in the Eventide Instant Flanger. It introduces some fixed phase shift for the low frequencies, leaving the rest of the signal to be variably delayed as per usual. The result is that the notches created as the flanger sweeps to its lowest point (i.e., longest delay time) are spread out a little differently, and not in an obvious harmonically-related way. Purportedly, this makes the effect sound less boxey or "garbage-can" at the lowest point in the sweep cycle, especially when the feedback is turned up; something that BF-2 owners likely find annoying about their pedal. Finally, much like we see with Vibe-type pedals, the *shape* of the modulation waveform is important. Many flangers just use a plain vanilla triangle waveform to sweep. At fast speeds, that's fine, but at slower speeds the optimal is what some call a "hypertriangular" waveform that progressively decellerates as it sweeps down, and accelerates again as it sweeps upward. This gets it up into and down from the stratosphere quickly, but lets it take its time at the longest delays where small differences in the location of the notches are more noticeable. Several commercially available flangers do this. The earliest EHX Small Stone implemented a neat trick to change the sweep waveform via the Color switch, and also adjust the waveform as the speed was turned up. There. Brain full yet? I'll put in a plug for the EQD Pyramids, Chase Bliss Spectre, Alexander F-13, Alesis Phlngr, and Line 6 Liqui-Flange, all of which provide some really interesting modulation options. (BTW, that Alex Lifeson riff you heroically tried to nail and stumbled on, *sounds* like he used a Tau Pipe phaser, rather than a flanger. But that's just a guess on my part.)

[@erikvincent5846]

Hey Mark, I'll ask you the same question, as I bet you'd reply sooner. So, on the whole "weird naming of knobs", using the Electric Mistress as our guide, how about the "Color", "Rate", and "Range"? Rate is definitely part of the LFO, but the Range is after the LFO and still is in play when the LFO is disabled (filter switch on Electric Mistress's kill the LFO from oscillating). So, is the "Range" the "Manual"? And the "Color" knob, is that the "Feedback" knob?

[@markhammer643]

@@erikvincent5846 Yes, "Color" is the Feedback control. "Range" is a kind of dual-function control, which is probably why they didn't call it "Manual" or "Depth/Width". In a number of issues of the EM, the "Range" control is essentially a gain control for an op-amp stage after the LFO. When it's in flanger mode, "Range" increases the amplitude of the basic attenuated LFO output. When it's in filter matrix mode, that op-amp stage gets fed a basic DC voltage, and the op-amp stage raises it to move the delay time around. Does that make sense?

[@erikvincent5846]

@@markhammer643 perfect, as always. Thanks again.

[@markhammer643]

@@erikvincent5846 My pleasure, Erik.

[@quickdrawmcgraw3567]

I have Dimebag to thank for getting me into flangers (even though he only used the doubler function), I love using very subtle flanging in my heavy distorted riffs now, it sounds much thicker than before.

[@hball6695]

just bought my first flanger, a TC Electronic Thunderstorm. I had no idea one pedal could teach me so much about modulation! Excellent video, Colin, and always great to hear Alex Lifeson getting some love 👍

[@charlesycoker]

I just got the Polychrome flanger.. LOVE IT.. very subtle and warm analog flanging to the big over the top . I am SUPER picky and loving the ability to dial in the sound in my head.

[@smegulate9826]

the graphics in this vid are so helpful and concise

[@ryanmurphyart]

Excellent explanation of Flanging! Enjoyed your playing as well, and really dig that pedal.

[@BoltBrethren]

This this the best video ever on understanding how to use a flanger. I’ve owned a BF2 for over a decade and have found usable sounds, but now I actually know what the knobs are doing!

[@chainyrabbit]

My old guitarists used a flange and he knew what he was doing with it. Changed my views on them completely

[@MT_800]

I've been thinking a lot about the flanger recently, and here's a video about flanger stuff... thanks Colin! :)

[@butterknight37]

Hey! My question made it in! 0:42 also Discord Squad!!!

[@AimingWanderously]

I've always struggled understanding the difference in phaser and flanger. One time I asked someone which one was used as the effect in Live's Lightning Crashes and was told neither, it's a Univibe/Rotovibe and my mind was blown.

[@alansolocinski5172]

As soon as I heard you playing RUSH you had me. Subscribed! Damn fine playing, by the way!

[@philippelegault8398]

Man, I just got to tell you that your videos are the best. You're really good at explaining and the examples, images and graphics you use to help us understand are always so spot on an appropriate. Thanks and keep up the good work. We nerdy gearhead need you. Cheers from Québec!

[@robbieyates1685]

Really great, simple and clear explanation of a flanger.

[@RobertMurphy-wm3ge]

@ 5:00 ...nice job dude Well played

[@antonyfaulkner8649]

Manual or Sweep control changes the "Delay Offset". This is the centre-point (default) delay time that is modulated by the LFO. Typically, Manual at minimum gives the longest delay time, maximum the shortest. This in effect changes the character of the comb filter. At minimum, bass frequencies are more resonant and vice-versa. With Manual at minimum, the Flanger behaves closer to a Chorus. At maximum, the Flanger experiences some phasing (phase-cancellations), making it useful as a faux phaser with Depth set low. With Depth and Rate set at minimum, the Manual control can be used to sweep through static combfilters... this is helpful if you want to "tune" your flanger to a particular frequency resonance range.

[@miahconnell23]

I required the Lifeson bit to fully understand. Thank you Colin, you’re the best 🙏

[@saschaschneider6355]

Now I finally understand why I can use a Flanger toneprint on my TC Electronics Corona Chorus+ Tri-Chorus. Fascinating. Thanks for the great explanation

[@GenXtra65]

This is the best explanation of flanger I have found on You Tube! Thanks!

[@wizardito7741]

Any flanger (with 4 knobs) can sound as chorus, vibrato, flanger, phaser, sitar,etc. Its one of those effects very underrated cause they are complicated to understand, but when you know how to use it, oh boy. Nice video btw.

[@jdmarino]

Cover art has passed away, but some pedals are really beautiful. Walrus Audio's Polychrome Flanger is one of them. Much colors. Wow.

[@Ishkybibble]

Just here to say how much I love Laphroaig

[@eyeprod3101]

Excellent description and use of graphics to explain the controls.

[@DanielinLaTuna]

Nice demonstration. Thanks for sharing

[@Prefesuersheen]

this is the best video on flanger vs phaser explanations i've seen, down to the succinct script and the simple and clear visuals- thank you!

[@estriquininacomdoce]

your channel is so underrated

[@johnfrenette]

This is insanely informative. And the fish thing killed me. LOL

[@use0fweapons]

love the HM2 knob on your flanger

[@grene1955]

Once again, I can't watch your vids without learning tons... Keep up the great work!

[@palukens]

Nailed the foundation mate, good on ya!

[@timmotel5804]

Good explanation and delightful playing examples at the end. Really enjoyed this. Thanks

[@allengoodwin7043]

As usual, awesomely useful and informative video! 😊😊

[@D64S]

I love flangers, especially on drums. The hunt for the most insane breakpoint and clipping is so satisfying. Your examples were a bit too carefull for my taste.

[@themetalgamer9864]

0:36 Have you been spying on me? That's exactly when I started guitar and had a multi-fx pedal. 🤣 But I actually liked the sound of a jet taking off. I used it for ambient notes.

[@valuedhumanoid6574]

The flanger is used on many iconic recordings. When I was learning Barracuda I had the riff down, but it just didn't sound right. A phasor got it close, but not right. Then I found out he used a flanger to get that effect, so I went and got one. Perfect. Also, the intro to Have A Cigar by Pink Floyd is a flanger (I was told, maybe a phasor?) and many other songs. EVH used one on many albums

[@woodchucksquirrel]

Great video, Colin! Flangers are kind of confusing but this video really cleared up some questions I had.

[@Neil.Swinnerton]

That was very informative - thank you!

[@edgeofsanity9111]

That 1st lick on that Les Paul really reminds me of Koolaid by Accept

[@Ishkybibble]

Love the foot cam, homie

[@vjmacintyre]

AWESOME video. I'll be checking out more of these... Slàinte mhath from Cape Breton Island!

[@madeinuk01]

Hi Colin, thank you so much, I have a Chorus, a Phaser and a flanger and I was having difficulty working out the differences with them, at their most extreme you can hear the difference but when you dial them down they suddenly become almost indistinguishable, so I kinda gave up using them, now armed with this knowledge I will experiment with them again 🙂

[@escondidoguitar]

Thanks for that Rush bit!

[@lucasduque8289]

Oi, you just got me in the mood to listen to some Rush right now. Thanks! By be way, I always figured that was a phaser on that song, but the flanger really seems to get the effect just right.

[@tanker1960]

Got my own Polychrome. Had to go thru three of them until I received a good one. Will not leave my board. Was considering one for the main board, but do not want to go thru that again. Thanks for the review, and education!

[@joehoppard814]

This was excellent. Thank you.

[@damnfreakingsien]

It’s a sponsored video, but this is highly informative! I didn’t really understand the knobs on a flanger beforehand

[@juanvaldez4043]

Yay! Colin could read stereo instructions, and make it sound interesting.

[@Gary-zq3pz]

Phaser,flanger,and chorus. The three amigos, Musketeers, and stooges of the pedalboard.

[@Lieutenant_Dude]

I love the chorus tone, but if you want a modulation pedal you have to get a flanger with as many controls as possible. Once you know how it works, even in a simplified manner, one flanger pedal basically gives you ANY modulation type at your fingertips. Chorus, Phase, Vibrato/Univibe, and the classic flanger.

[@jonnylawless6797]

The flange on my spider valve is really nice, I use it for my clean preset.

[@johnhowardnardine6815]

Really well explained!!!

[@bradlawrenceofficial]

I never liked flange until I switched from guitar to bass six years ago, and picked up an EHX Epitome, mainly for the POG, but I figured I'd try out the Mistress on there. Now it's one of my main effects. I've since upgraded to the Ibanez Paul Gilbert Airplane signature flanger, which I will stand by as the best flanger ever made.

[@TheAlfaproyect]

Thank you Colin!!! These videos are always so in depth and insightful

[@TheKey304]

When I was about 14, I used to have the old black plastic Ibanez flanger from the 90s. My first effect pedal. Wish I hadn't gotten rid of it.

[@samuelxavier2473]

My all time favourite effect, and as you rightly said, much misunderstood and often misused. I have four of the things on my board. :D

[@shadowofcallisto1560]

Always love your videos Colin. You go into the nitty gritty details of how these effects pedals work. The electronics geek in me is greatly pleased by these videos 😊

[@sarniaguitarguy9405]

Very informative. I had always thought the flanger effect just created the ping-pong kind of delay from left to right.

[@aryinc]

awesome stuff. i really prefer flange in front myself. like they used to do. it's more in the face that way or something, out of control. But both applications offcourse work.

[@bronsonjohnson9019]

I think my favourite part was discount life in the fast lane.

[@guitarsimon1]

Ooo Coverdale/Page, nice!

[@edwinboone1247]

So, long story short. You push the button and turn the knobs till it sounds the way you like it. got it!

[@brettkeller8168]

“You just hate that one over the top unusable jet flange setting that was on your multi effects unit you had when you were 14” 😂 This is 110% accurate. It was a Zoom 707.

[@gilmouring]

Great video. Really like this flanger...got to try it now!

[@jonwild7209]

I'm a proud flange fan and always will be 🤌🏻🤌🏻

[@mikesmith8187]

These are perfect for arpeggios.

[@kevinbarr7991]

I had an Ibanez fl 305. That thing was a beast

[@thechannelforeverything2170]

Bro you just played Nobody's Fault But Mine. Epic.

[@ZetaFuzzMachine]

9:19 just yesterday I tried out my old BOSS ME-50 and fired up that flanger! The first thing I played was, and I kid you not, that same heavenly riff. Cheers Colin!!!

[@We-all-watched-the-video]

It’s a great unit isn’t it

[@garrettboomerbender]

The bass tracks on Them Bones by Alice In Chains actually have a flange effect

[@sajisguitar]

Colin, I would like to see a TATA video about Cab Sim and Impulse Response, if you can. Thank you!!!

[@ieblack37]

Colin was living life in the fast lane on this one.

[@mickers1000]

Whelp, ya got me. I own a Polychrome now. Pedal addiction is real.

[@gurnenthar]

Holy carp, my first pedal was an FL-9 my Mom bought used for my 16th birthday! Still have it, and still love it! Have you ever had it switched on, then connect the power? It makes the coolest sound!

[@Matt-eg8wr]

Tiny TATA. What is “Through-Zero Flanging”? Asking since I picked up an EHX Flanger Hoax and I’ve been reading it’s a through zero flanger, picked it up since it was killer, but now I’m curious

[@famitory]

my assumption would be that the delay time is allowed to go to 0ms, or exactly synced with the dry signal. for a digital pedal you could also simulate "negative" delay times by delaying both signals and varying the time on just one.

[@george.kollaros]

You can put the Manual control for 0 Hz center frequency, so the sweep would be from, let's say -2 Hz to +2 Hz, so it goes "through zero" where the effect cancels out. It has a unique sound and most manufacturers avoid to provide this setting. I think there's a video of TC Electronic Vortex flanger that demonstrates the through zero setting sound. EDIT: Found it. Listen at the 0:27 kzbin.info/www/bejne/pKm8poyQect0eZY

[@calebriley7466]

That Ibanez pedal woohoo babyyy!

[@ThunderBassistJay]

This man knows what he's talking about! 👍

[@KYCDK]

imo almost anyone who says they don't like flanger just don't know how to use it, cause with most other pedals you can just put controls wherever and play, but flanger has a sweet spot, if someone says "flanger isn't musical" or "i hate flanger" either you got a terrible flanger or you don't know how to use one, plus saying "i don't like flanger" is like saying "i don't like fruit" because you had a banana and it didn't do it for you, and I'm guessing that banana they tried was their shitty multieffects/amp flanger

[@erikvincent5846]

Great video, as always. So, on the whole "weird naming of knobs", using the Electric Mistress as your guide, how about the "Color", "Rate", and "Range"? Rate is definitely part of the LFO, but the Range is after the LFO and still is in play when the LFO is disabled (filter switch on Electric Mistress's kill the LFO from oscillating). So, is the "Range" the "Manual"? And the "Color" knob, is that the "Feedback" knob?

[@hpoz222]

range is depth when the LFO is turned on and delay time when the LFO is turned off (the “filter matrix” switch)

[@NoPlaceForTheDead]

This is the correct way to do sponsored content.

[@SyrusRayne]

Y'know what, I never really "got" relic'd finishes until I saw that Ibanez. That old thing makes me want to take a grinder to my pedals.

[@antonyfaulkner8649]

Main difference between Flangers and Chorus.... Flangers modulate a much shorter delay time (1-15ms) vs Chorus (10ms-25ms). This shorter delay creates a "Comb Filter" on the Flanger, not present on a Chorus. Actual delay times are dependent on the model.

[@alanredversangel]

I think I'm finally used to your hair now. Cool video by the way.

[@A.Fred_Davies]

First, thank you! I knew how to dial a good chorus tone but not how it actually works. Second, stupid sexy flangers 🤣🤣

[@CiaranJordanmusic]

Hey Colin, not really a tata but could you do an episode looking at the wiring of pickups tone volume and switches of a stratocaster style guitar, I'm restoring an 80s fender but the wiring is completely well fucked and there isn't a great video about it, cheers man would great appreciate it, sorry for the paragraph

[@ZetaFuzzMachine]

C'mon guys! Let's make a meme out of those last 3 seconds!!!

[@icaroonofre]

the Color knob on the Electric Mistress is similar to which control on this pedal ?

[@exerminator2000]

I would like a TATA video about different kinds of frets, the different sizes, heights, etc.

[@vaughanmacegan4012]

I really like the sounds you are getting from the pedal when you hold down the left button you really are nailing the EVH sound. It's just a pity that you actually have to place you foot on the pedal to get that sound, it would be better if you could get that sound as a setting within the pedal itself.