phaser pedals
The phaser is among the earliest effects invented. It was actually invented as a way to emulate the sound of a rotating organ speakers and the phase shifting that comes along with that rotation.
Black Arts Toneworks
ILOVEDUST Phase 90
Phaser pedals can transport your listeners into another realm where magic still exists and frequencies slide back and forth in a psychedelically musical fashion. If you play rock guitar and don’t have one of these effects pedals in your pedalboard, you’re missing out on a classic way of captivating your listener’s and holding their attention
The sound you hear when engaging one of these pedals is that of peaks and troughs being swept up and down the frequency spectrum, much like a flanger but subtly different.
Ripple Bass 2-Stage Phaser
TC Helicon BLOOD MOON PHASER
It can be hardly noticeable, calm, and pleasing effect or a completely otherworldly experience for your listener. These pedals offer so many options today that the variations are nearly endless, so much so that you’ll hear it in many genres such as metal, rock, reggae, and even country music.
Often times, if you want to add a touch of spice to an otherwise vanilla sounding performance, a phaser is a great go-to to take it from boring to interesting, skipping all the in-between.
Aguilar Grape Phaser
Zvex Vertical Vibrophase
The phaser effect creates a slow sweeping sound up and down the frequency spectrum, very similar to the flanger effect, that resembles a swooshing sound within the original audio. This is achieved by duplicating the original audio and shifting its phase to create unevenly spaced notches in the frequency spectrum when recombined again.
The notches are uneven because the amount of phase shifting is dependent on the frequency being played. In a flanger the notches are evenly distributed because they’re created by a time delay instead of a phase shift
Old Blood Noise Visitor
Grand Orbiter Phaser
This effect gained popularity for the electric guitar and keyboard in the 1960’s when it became a staple of the psychedelic rock genre.
Analog phasers have three stages of all-pass filters to generate the effect, but digital phasers can have far more stages simulated (you’ll see up to 12 and custom configurations too).
Lillian Multi-Stage Analog Phaser
Matthews Effects The Chemist
These ‘extras’ can get pretty crazy, but that’s why we’re looking for a phaser in the first place, so keep an eye out if you think you want to have more choices to toy with.
If you’d rather trust the manufacturer, you can find current analog pedals (that don’t necessarily sound vintage) that give you few options. Some, like the MXR Phase 90, only offer you a speed knob to change the rate of the phase shifting, while others add an intensity knob or tons more.
Many Worlds 8 Stage Phaser
Fender Lost Highway Phaser
You can stay away from depth and resonance knobs if you want, especially if you know you’ll stick to the classic sounding settings and not experiment too much. Some have a tap tempo that you may be interested in.
Phasers can be used alone or in combination with other effects. Mix it with a long delay and a volume pedal and you can swell out some really cool synth sounds.
Zelzah Multidimensional Phaser
Bubble Tron Dynamic Flanger Phaser
Oddly enough they sound amazing with distortion. Extremely slow phasing can even sound like an auto-wah. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Here’s a look at this effect in isolation.
UNDERSTANDING THE KNOB SETTINGS
Electro-Harmonix Battalion Bass Grand Orbiter Phaser
Depending on the pedal, you’ll find various knobs. They will all feature a Rate or Speed knob, which affects how fast the phaser cycles. Some may offer a Depth setting to let you choose the intensity (amplitude of the notches).
Even more rare is the Form options that give you choices of what type of waveform you want to use. Other common knobs are Volume and Mix, giving control over the overall gain and the amount of effect to include with your original signal, respectively.
Aguilar Grape Bass Phaser
Recommended Phaser Pedals
Take a trip in the way back machine with this luscious, watery phaser that’s based on the original Mojo Hand FX 2-stage Nebula circuit. It’s a very classic sound, and it pairs exceptionally with other Mojo Hand FX like the Iron Bell.Mojo Hand FX are handbuilt in the USA using nothing but the finest components available.
8-stage Analog Phaser Effects Pedal
Rich Analog Phasing for Guitars and Synths
The MXR custom Shop script phase 90 brings back the headroom and clarity of the original, along with its ultra warm and smooth phasing and reduced midrange swell. And it comes dressed in the original smooth orange paint job and script logo with an LED, direct from the MXR custom Shop.
Phaser Effect Pedal ;Pure analog phaser effect, warm and plump sound.; 2 working modes: Vintage-perfect reproduction of the classic psychedelic phase-shifting effect of 1974. Modern-a deeper, modern full-scale effect. True bypass provides transparent tone. L
It doesn’t matter whether the genre is rock, metal, alternative, jazz, world-beat, or if the instrument is guitar, bass, keys, vocals, or strings: the Phase 90 has been there through it all to add its distinctly lush voice to a musician’s tone palette.
1. Chorus – a classic lustrous shimmering chorus effect.
2. Flanger – a sweeping modulation – from subtle to ‘jet plane’.
3. Phaser – a rich deep swirling modulation sound.
4. Doubler – Create a classic doubling effect for the fattest riffs imaginable.
5. Vibrato – From a soft warble to a throaty throb.
6. Tremolo – From a gentle pulsating throb to a helicopter chop.
7. Pitch – Add a range of multiple overtones to your sound.
Moon Pool is an analog phase shifter and tremolo with independent speed controls featuring the ability to change the rate of one or both of the effects in either direction, corresponding to how hard you play
