Foot controlled flanger?

[nexekho]

I've been playing around with the POD flanger for a while (using Vyzex which exposes a lot of settings) and I love some of the soaring noises that can be had with it, but find being stuck to a LFO restrictive.  As far as I can tell from the little bit of research I've done, a basic flanger is a mix of your signal and an echo that repeatedly catches up and then lags behind, the motion controlled by the LFO.  Has anyone ever tried controlling the amount of lag using a wah-style foot potentiometer?  It'd be awesome to be able to control the exact sweep of the whoosh.  Is this possible using the standard echo ICs like the PT2399?  As most look like they use a LED+LDR combo to control the sweep, it might just be a case of swapping the LDR for the potentiometer.

[Scruffie]

Check out the A/DA Flanger, it has an Expression output for the Manual control which is what you are suggesting... infact any Flanger with a Manual control could be modded to allow expression input.

A PT2399 cannot get in to short enough delays for proper flange, it only just manages chorus.

[oskar]

No schematic, but I've got a weak spot for anything tycobrahe...
http://www.effectsdatabase.com/model/tycobrahe/pedalflanger

[nexekho]

A PT2399 cannot get in to short enough delays for proper flange, it only just manages chorus.

If you ran the dry through its own PT2399 set to minimum delay, you'd get an overall latency but a flange range of zero->limit of PT2399 right?

Thanks for that link, I'll look into it.

[oskar]

If you ran the dry through its own PT2399 set to minimum delay, you'd get an overall latency but a flange range of zero->limit of PT2399 right?

That could work.

[oskar]

... But a flanger is using feedback of the delayed signal and the signal fed back would only be within 'flange' delaytime the first time.
The subsequent delays would show up with too long delaytime but it would do something flangy at least.

Edit: I don't know. This got me as confused as timetravel does on sci-fi channel.

[oskar]

If I understood you right it would look something like this:

I can't make a flanger out of it (unless I had a whole bunch of 2399 and different delaytimes and... ) but it looks like a way to build a chorus out of the pt2399.
From the Little Angel thread: http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=86297.msg722942#msg722942

Those delaytimes are too much latency to play with. At least for me. A clever idea anyway.

[Mark Hammer]

Anderton beat you to the punch about 30 years ago: http://hammer.ampage.org/files/Anderflange1.PDF

[Govmnt_Lacky]

No schematic, but I've got a weak spot for anything tycobrahe...
http://www.effectsdatabase.com/model/tycobrahe/pedalflanger

Ooooooooohhhhhhhhhh!!!!!   

I like this!

Please tell me that there is a PCB layout floating around for this...... 

[Mark Hammer]

You REALLY want to embark on an MN3001-based flanger?

[nexekho]

Ok, so I had another random idea: I was flicking through the Falstad examples when I saw a LC ladder and noticed it resembled a spring, kinda like a reverb tank and designed a basic reverb around a ladder made of some slightly easier to find parts.  I have no idea what it would sound like or if it would even work, but I couldn't find any inductor reverbs in my searches.  Includes a buffer/preamp, a feedback, and the ability to separate it into dry/wet channels for use with stereo equipment.  Seems to produce some kind of feedback in the simulator, no idea if it's reverb-like or not.  Any thoughts or more amazing articles?    Thanks for that, by the way, it's a great read.


Larger: http://i.imgur.com/Xeolw.png

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[Govmnt_Lacky]

You REALLY want to embark on an MN3001-based flanger?

Sure! Why not. But, it does not HAVE TO BE 3001 based....

There may be the capability to retrofit for a 3007, 3207, SAD1024, or even 2x 3002s.

All of these are available. Some more than others but, the true question would be whether or not it is worth the undertaking  

EDIT: Sorry... I'm a modulation junky 

[Mark Hammer]

Fair enough.  Then take a look at the Anderton offerings.

[Govmnt_Lacky]

Fair enough.  Then take a look at the Anderton offerings.

I already checked those out Mark. Unfortunately, I am TERRIBLE at doing layouts from schematics 

Yes, I know I should focus and practice this more. I have been working on simplified circuits BUT, my obsession for modulation circuits needs to be fed.... ya' know? 

[Puguglybonehead]

A foot controlled flanger! Definitely on my to-do list. (after a few more beginner pedals) You should have a look at the Ultra FLanger by John Hollis.
http://www.geofex.com/pcb_layouts/layouts/ultrafln.pdf 
Samples I've heard sound good. It has a manual sweep option which should adapt to pedal use. I've read about problems with the LFO, but I was going to build mine without one, myself. Just foot control! Mutron made a pedal-operated flanger way back-in-the-day that sounded really nice. Never saw a schematic for it, though.

[noelgrassy]

The best example I ever heard a production pedal perform was the Pluto Pedal made in the San Francisco-Bay Area in
the mid-seventies. It's treadle controlled the Flanging/Phasing effect as well as panning from side-to-side if you ran more
than one amp in those days. My friend in Seattle got weird looks when other bands saw him setting up two Bandmasters
& the hospital White Pluto Pedal. But those same guys $hit a Kosher Dill when plugged in his triple neck built by a former
Alembic luthier, Brian. That axe had three Arp Avitar P-to-V converters in it too. My compadre over-compensated for a
deemed lack of attention sometimes. But his sound was other worldly compared to anything other guitarists were doing!

He literally existed on a diet of Grapefruit to save all the coin his rig eventually cost him. Suffering for his art was his
chosen path. As was performing the spaciest music this side of Sun Ra &.Gong I'd be willing to trade my Left Nut to
get my mitts on a functioning Pluto Pedal now a days! I've never seen one come up on E-bay in twelve years of looking.

Joe Gore a writer for Guitar Player magazine who also gigs with local heavies confided to me he had one he wasn't
willing to part with at any price. He contributes to FSBoxes so I'll hope and pray he traces the circuit out one day and
shares his findings. You TZF cats will dig it I'm fairly certain.

Noel Grassy.

[Puguglybonehead]

OK, I've been thinking about this some more. I was looking at the schematic for the Ultra Flanger on Geofex. Would simply leaving out the LFO section and using the Manual pot (R 23) in a wah-style pedal actually work? Is it really that simple or does the value of the pot need to be changed in order to get the full sweep? I'm guessing that I'm missing something..

[sewage666]

Morley made one...



My guitarist had one of these. It sounded great on auto or foot control. Unfortunately, no schematic available on their website. Probably quite a difficult build with optical sensors.

I have the Morley PFA Phaser. It's the best sounding phaser I have, not to mention the prettiest in bright chrome. Playing with the foot control option is gosh darn fun.

[wavley]

Morley made one...


My guitarist had one of these. It sounded great on auto or foot control. Unfortunately, no schematic available on their website. Probably quite a difficult build with optical sensors.

I have the Morley PFA Phaser. It's the best sounding phaser I have, not to mention the prettiest in bright chrome. Playing with the foot control option is gosh darn fun.

A big +1 on that good buddy, here's a pic of mine.



edit: by the way, it's the most awesome flanger I've ever played

[oldschoolanalog]

I have a PFL in my stash also. Good pedal. However...
This A/DA "PFL workalike(better)" smokes it. No comparison. The Morley doesn't even come close to this sound wise.
Of course you have to DIY it... Not a difficult build. Just a bit fussy-picky getting the LDR's set up "just right".