Technical question about modern phasers

[Leopold]

So, as I understand it, a phaser simply adds a delayed signal to your original input. Then the delay time speeds up and slows down between, for example 0 and 10 milliseconds. The earliest phasers, like the MXR Phase 90, has just one knob, a rate knob, which controlled how long it took to sweep from it's longest delay to its shortest delay. The first Boss PH-1 added a depth knob, which allowed the user to select a wider or narrower range of delay times.

After that we started seeing pedals with a resonance knob. This is where I get confused. What exactly does a resonance knob do?
Thanks in advance,
Leo

[DavidRavenMoon]

Re: Technical question about modern phasers

Actually a chorus or flanger adds a delayed signal. A phaser uses an all-pass filter to change the phase relationship among various frequencies. So there's no time delay involved.


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[Leopold]

Re: Technical question about modern phasers

Oh, right. I guess I'm going to have to go back start from square one with understanding phasers, then. Thanks for enlightening me on this.

[Leopold]

Re: Technical question about modern phasers

Flangers also have resonance knobs, so I guess now is as good a time as any to ask, what does the Res knob on a flanger do?

[Boppy]

Re: Technical question about modern phasers

REGEN adds a feedback circuit to the signal and increases the intensity of the flange sweep--more jet plane, in other words.
You can turn REGEN down and get a really nice chorus effect on most flanger pedals too...

[PFDarkside]

Re: Technical question about modern phasers

Yes, by turning regent down and delay time up, you essentially have a variation on a chorus.

[Leopold]

Re: Technical question about modern phasers

And the manual knob on a Boss/MXR Flanger sets the delay time?

[MrTondo]

Re: Technical question about modern phasers

That Pedal Show has an episode on Phasers and Flangers I believe. I gues they explain the difference quite well there.

[PFDarkside]

Re: Technical question about modern phasers

And the manual knob on a Boss/MXR Flanger sets the delay time?

Yes. The longest delay time on a Flanger may be shorter than the shortest delay time on a chorus, and the chorus delay time might not be directly accessible on a 2-knob chorus. Since they are both doing similar things, you'll see some companies sell a combined Flanger/Chorus (Ibanez, TC). Also, once you remove the dry signal from a Chorus, you get Vibrato. (Not to be confused with Vibe, Uni-Vibe, etc. which is actually a phaser)

[Leopold]

Re: Technical question about modern phasers

Also, once you remove the dry signal from a Chorus, you get Vibrato. (Not to be confused with Vibe, Uni-Vibe, etc. which is actually a phaser)

That is something I actually do, with my Boss CEB stereo chorus. It's a fun sound.