Phaser recommendation for analog synth

[Arcadia]

Man, I was on an endless quest for the Nick Rhodes phaser and tried MXR Phase 90, MXR Phase 100, EH Small Stone, and the BOSS PH-3. None of them had the sound I wanted. The only ones left to try are the Moog and Vermona... a friend has the Vermona and said it's amazing. Let me know how you get on as I'm curious... Nick used the old Roland rackmount phasers back in the day, but these are very hard to come by and ridiculously expensive when they do.

[gilwe]

Check out Small Stone first

[sctt_stone]

+1 on the mooger but the tone is dark. It also seems to boost bass a bit.

Originally Posted by huima

I'm searching for a phaser mainly for analog pads (french house style). I've got Juno 60 and getting DSI tetra soon. Been thinking of Moogerfooger and Vermona...
Stereo out is a must.
Hopefully someone could help me out.

peace.

[clusterchord]

Originally Posted by djpablo

Man, I was on an endless quest for the Nick Rhodes phaser and tried MXR Phase 90, MXR Phase 100, EH Small Stone, and the BOSS PH-3. None of them had the sound I wanted. The only ones left to try are the Moog and Vermona... a friend has the Vermona and said it's amazing. Let me know how you get on as I'm curious... Nick used the old Roland rackmount phasers back in the day, but these are very hard to come by and ridiculously expensive when they do.

if you are thinking of synth lines, this wasn't a phaser at all, and that may be a reason why you can't find one sounding like that. synth lines (like JP4 on careless memories, planet earth intro etc) went thru an old MXR Flanger vertical rack unit. can't find the picture right now. closest in sound to this unit is MXR 2U flanger/doubler:



anyway this is coming direct from Nick Rhodes. i was the opening act for their concert over here in 2001, so we talked for a while, about his jp8, new wave, 80s and among other things, i asked him the very same question: "what gd dmn phaser is that.."

however, he did use phaser on Crumar String Machine. i played a Crumar Multiman, and its enough to put an old Small Stone on it - its dead-on accurate. i also own the moog, and it works fantastic too. i use it on Solina and OBXa very often. slightly darker, deeper. but imho Small Stone is the actual sound of DD strings. theyre quite cheap too.


its true the MXR rack unit commands high prices. i love this flanging sound, so i was thinking of trying the vintage MXR117 pedal, it's from the same era, to see i'd there is any kinship in sound to the larger units.. its a fraction of the cost.

[Arcadia]

Actually, I own the MXR Flanger/Doubler and the newer-generation 117 pedal. And the flanger is dead-on to the Nick Rhodes sound, but it's not that phasing he uses on high string leads. That was the Roland phaser (according to Nick himself). But as for the flanger, I can say that the pedal (which can be had new) sounds just as good as the 2U rack piece I have so you'd be just fine with that.

[Barfunkel]

Ensoniq DP4 has a great french house phaser...

[clusterchord]

Originally Posted by djpablo

Actually, I own the MXR Flanger/Doubler and the newer-generation 117 pedal. And the flanger is dead-on to the Nick Rhodes sound, but it's not that phasing he uses on high string leads. That was the Roland phaser (according to Nick himself). But as for the flanger, I can say that the pedal (which can be had new) sounds just as good as the 2U rack piece I have so you'd be just fine with that.

ah ok, that's interesting.. so youre saying its not worth throwin the cash on the rack version of flanger ? they ask as much as 400 bucks nowadays, i was sorta considering it... but i'd rather save my money..

PS, how is the 117 doing with synth signal levels? any distortion? do you need to turn down the synth?


iirc the Roland SHP323 is capable of 4/8 stage phasing.. you could try the Vermona as it can do that as well. but im not sure about the design. probably different hardware. tho the string sound on the albums sounds to me like 4-stage.. when i use the 12-stage setting on moog, it really swirls and whistles, like harmonica.. its a special sound, not your typical phasing. little overbearing for"classic" use. be it as it may, i'm very happy with the sound of vintage Small Stone, which (i did A/B) is different and deeper than the EHX 90s/00s re-issue.




edit: here's moog on 6-stage setting, on my ex-MKS80: http://www.babic.com/SYN/MKS80-V4/MK...Mod-Phaser.mp3

and moog on 12-stage setting on my Solina: http://www.babic.com/SYN/SOLINA/Soli...3_12-stage.mp3

[13chroma20]

MuTron II

[Arcadia]

[QUOTE=clusterchord;4552363]ah ok, that's interesting.. so youre saying its not worth throwin the cash on the rack version of flanger ? they ask as much as 400 bucks nowadays, i was sorta considering it... but i'd rather save my money..

PS, how is the 117 doing with synth signal levels? any distortion? do you need to turn down the synth?



No, I would not spend the extra $ on the rack unit. To me the pedal sounds as good. But yes, you do have to turn down the synth to avoid distorting with the pedal, whereas the rack can handle the line-level input from a keyboard just fine. I got my Flanger/Doubler for $300 on eBay in pretty good condition FWIW.

[Arcadia]

By the way... the Moog phaser sounds really nice and spacey... definitely like Morder or something, but too harsh/resonant for the Nick Rhodes sound on strings... his is more of a really slow, mellow phase where the depth isn't so pronounced. That's why I didn't like the Small Stone because the slope of the phase really jumps quickly at each end of the spectrum and wasn't a smooth fade between both poles. I have yet to find one i like...

[bkbirge]

Not stereo, but the creamiest most organic bubbly phaser I've ever used is the Maestro (Oberheim) PS-1. Simple to use with 3 presets slow,medium, and fast. And switching from each is not instant, it ramps up to speed, they were trying to imitate a leslie. Serious mojo on any track. I like it much better than the Bi-phase and it is definitely in that league sonically.

Here's a good page on the effect:
Maestro PS-1A Phase Shifter

My other favorite is the Mutronics Phaser (not the II), again very organic.

[bleepbleep]

Originally Posted by Barfunkel

Ensoniq DP4 has a great french house phaser...

second that! - really distinctive and big sounding, and the flanger's great too.

[huima]

Thanks for the recommendations.
Forgot to mention that I tried small stone(nano and normal) some time ago and didn't like it that much.
Ensoniq might be interesting...

[nikseven]

i think the moogerfooger phaser sounds beautiful.

[Beermaster]

The Mooger Fooger version of the 12 stage phaser may sound good but its still not quite the daddy that the original Moog Rack 12 stage Phaser - with optional selection of number of phased stages and number of resonated stages etc etc

Small Stone is Creamy and jean Michel Jarre

So many choices

Beer.

[Fordy]

With a little effort, the Smallstone can be stereo too - YouTube - Stereo Small Stone Phaser for Synthesizers

Personally, I'd go try a few out to see what you prefer before making a decision.

Regards,

-Fordy

[clusterchord]

[QUOTE=djpablo;4552448]

Originally Posted by clusterchord

ah ok, that's interesting.. so youre saying its not worth throwin the cash on the rack version of flanger ? they ask as much as 400 bucks nowadays, i was sorta considering it... but i'd rather save my money..

PS, how is the 117 doing with synth signal levels? any distortion? do you need to turn down the synth?



No, I would not spend the extra $ on the rack unit. To me the pedal sounds as good. But yes, you do have to turn down the synth to avoid distorting with the pedal, whereas the rack can handle the line-level input from a keyboard just fine. I got my Flanger/Doubler for $300 on eBay in pretty good condition FWIW.

well, for flanging duties, i finally decided to go with a clone of original, late70s ADA flanger. bought the original SAD1024 bbd's already. i've found a boutique pedal tech locally who will buid it. it will feature dual mono/stereo operation, synth and guitar level/impedance switch w JFETs, expression pedal inputs. dual or single master controls, in a 1U rack with separate TB switches on floor





which reminds me, if you really want a SHP323, wihtout paying the outrageous going prices, i think your best bet is to download the service manual and schematics, and have someone make you a clone, if all the parts are still available. and for a phaser, i dont see why not. most stuff is still arround. no rare bbd's inside.



also, ive found a few AP-2 Roland Phase II pedals from mid/late 70s. they are 4 stage like one of the settings on 323, which was likely used by NR. probably same or very similar circuits. perhaps you can try that.

ive seen two for sale at Studio1525 - Vintage Music Store for arround 250.

[peglegjoe857]

+2 on the DP4. i just picked one up a few months agoand it is the OBVIOUS french house choice.

I also use old digitech and DOD pedals. They made a lot of really amazing sounding and under used phase, flange, delay etc.

Originally Posted by Barfunkel

Ensoniq DP4 has a great french house phaser...

[chrisrnps]

Originally Posted by peglegjoe857

+2 on the DP4. i just picked one up a few months agoand it is the OBVIOUS french house choice.

+3 on the DP4.

If it's got a phaser algorithm anything like the ASR-10 - and it does - it'd be almost worth buying just for that. Putting any kind of string sound through the ASR-10's phaser instantly evoked vintage Mellotron / String Machine city.

Why, oh why, did I sell my ASR-10?

Oh, right, because once it was in its Anvil-style case, it was damn near 100 pounds, and after lugging it several blockst to the car en route to a gig when I lived downtown and only had street parking, I had a "that's the last straw...F this!" moment, and got a lightweight controller.

But that phaser...

[Space Station]

Someones building the phaser unit out of the Arp Quadra....i'd be all over that if I didnt have a Quadra myself...

[asynchro_nous]

The Boss SE-70 is worth a look, and it's got some nice plate verbs that would work well with analog.

[Feinstrom]

My favorite phaser for blow-up larger-than-life stereo phasing is the Schulte Compact Phasing "A". The best thing about it is the way it starts when you push the "on" foot switch: it sounds a bit like a Leslie starting to spin, but it increases the phasing effect rather than the speed. Hard to describe, but absolutely incredible.
Another great feature is that you can set the frequency range the phasing is happening and leave the rest of the spectrum unprocessed.

These babies have turned quite expensive even in Germany - good look finding one!
I have heard someone is building clones or offering kits or schematics or whatever.

Cheers,
Bert

[steveman]

Originally Posted by Feinstrom

My favorite phaser for blow-up larger-than-life stereo phasing is the Schulte Compact Phasing "A". The best thing about it is the way it starts when you push the "on" foot switch: it sounds a bit like a Leslie starting to spin, but it increases the phasing effect rather than the speed. Hard to describe, but absolutely incredible.
Another great feature is that you can set the frequency range the phasing is happening and leave the rest of the spectrum unprocessed.

These babies have turned quite expensive even in Germany - good look finding one!
I have heard someone is building clones or offering kits or schematics or whatever.

Cheers,
Bert

Look here: JH. Compact Clone if you fancy the DIY route.

[Arcadia]

Has anyone tried the Maxon phasers? How do they sound, compared to Small Stone, Moog, or the MXR Phase 90?

[choice_of_meat]

I have one of these. it is great for phasing strings etc...

From a review I did not write on HC:

"absoulutely awesome phasing effects in glorious stereo, i'd totally recommend it for psychedelic, ambient, film music etc. a secret weapon- few people seem to know about this, and they are to be had cheap-ish.
i make experimental music with some of the finest analogue synthesisers ever produced (roland jupiters / yamaha cs-60, -50, -30 / moog and find the sound qaulity of this unit absolutely outstanding.
please suppot this little known german brand despite their lame website and less-than-sexy advertisment campaigns.
they've got it where it counts: building excellent, musical gear for very reasonable prices."

Uh yeah.. what he said...

[Dave Peck]

You may be interested in this thread, even though it's not a stand-alone device, it's an MOTM format synth module:

Wonderful new phase shifter module

[living sounds]

Originally Posted by choice_of_meat

I have one of these. it is great for phasing strings etc...

From a review I did not write on HC:

"absoulutely awesome phasing effects in glorious stereo, i'd totally recommend it for psychedelic, ambient, film music etc. a secret weapon- few people seem to know about this, and they are to be had cheap-ish.
i make experimental music with some of the finest analogue synthesisers ever produced (roland jupiters / yamaha cs-60, -50, -30 / moog and find the sound qaulity of this unit absolutely outstanding.
please suppot this little known german brand despite their lame website and less-than-sexy advertisment campaigns.
they've got it where it counts: building excellent, musical gear for very reasonable prices."

Uh yeah.. what he said...

Could you do an audio example? I'd love to hear this thing!

[choice_of_meat]

Hey Living sounds... this is the same unit MAM resonator (mines a next one)

mode zero - phase shifter phaser flanger chorus delay vintage effects photos mp3 demos

Already done!

[Bryce]

I have a Moogerfooger and a Phase 90, both of which are pretty well known...but the other one I have that gets a bunch of use is the Electro Harmonix Stereo Poly Phase. Nasty little toy...



dB