What’s the Difference Between a Flanger and a Phaser?

Phaser and Flanger sound like they belong in a Marvel comic book.

And you could call them superheroes if you understand what they are and how to utilize them.

These effects may totally destroy your mixes if you don’t know what you’re doing.

However, if you’re acquainted with them, they may help you enhance your recordings significantly. It doesn’t matter whether you work from home.

So, in this article, we’ll go through what they are and how to use them effectively.

What Does a Flanger and a Phaser Have in Common?

A flanger and a phaser both add a little delay to your audio. However, phasing is often more subtle.

Both flangers and phasers produce a swooshy or swirly sound.

(In a moment, I’ll show you some instances.)

The delay is just a few milliseconds in both cases, and it is subsequently mixed in with the original signal.

A comb filter is the result of both of these effects. It occurs when two sounds from the same source arrive at separate times in your ears.

The audio signal in your DAW appears like a comb, therefore it’s called comb filtering.

Comb filtering is usually something you want to avoid. You can use it to produce a nice delay effect if you know what you’re doing.

What is a Flanger, exactly?

The word “flanger” was coined in the 1960s. Back in the days when audio engineers used tape recorders.

To slow down the tape, they would push a button called the supply reel flange. Tape flanging was the term for it.

The initial signal is taken by a flanger, which adds it back on itself endlessly. This ensures that the audio item has an identical number of notches throughout.

These repeats may theoretically continue on indefinitely.

Flanging is more akin to a chorus effect than a straightforward delay effect.

The pause is brief (roughly 0.1 ms to 10 ms). It then uses a low-frequency oscillator to add it back to the original signal (LFO).

You might create a chorus effect by extending the delay with a flanger.

However, if you use a flanger too much, you may get some unpleasant feedback.

What is a Phaser, exactly?

A phaser is similar to a flanger in that it produces a delay effect on your audio.

Instead of delay, a phaser employs all-pass filters.

This works similarly to a flanger in that it creates notches across the audio item and then blends them back in using an LFO.

A phaser, on the other hand, employs fewer notches and positions them at very precise points throughout the spectrum.

The number of notches and where they go are determined by the phaser and its settings. The impact will grow more powerful as you add additional notches.

How to Make Music with a Flanger

The most important thing to keep in mind while using the flanger effect is not to overdo it. Start slowly and gradually put it in until it sounds nice to you.

Downloading a flanger plugin is the easiest method to get started flanging.

There are a plethora of free plugins available to try out the effect. Then, if you’re serious, you may look into purchasing one.

How to Make Music with a Phaser

You don’t want to overuse the phaser, just as you don’t want to overuse a flanger. It may be great for certain sections or for a whole song on just one instrument.

If you use too much, the entire sound will be ruined. You’ll need a combination of natural and manipulated sounds.