Chorus vs. Flanger, and what's good?

[SplinteredSkull]

I'm still not actually sure what exactly a flanger pedal does, but i have heard chorus and flanger pedals make sounds fairly similar to each other. Can someone clarify the difference between the two? And what are some fairly inexpensive chorus and flanger pedals? I've heard that Boss and Tech 21 are both good.

 

[jamminology101]

Both modulate the frequency..but the flanger does it alot and differently. My opinion is u need neither but if ya have to have one grab a chorus, it can really add some depth to ur solos and even on some bass heavy main riffs if done with taste and a little goes a long way approach. Flangers r kinda weird...unless ur playin some old van halen...lmao. The way I see it is I have so much work to do to get where I wanna b playing wise that I sure dont have time to be seeing how I can use a flanger to not sound like a weird ufo movie...

 

[jmattbassplaya]

They're both quite different. I don't think either is insanely useful for the majority of band situations, but they do have their place (Two pedals I'll never sell are my chorus and flanger. Go figure ).

Without getting technical, choruses make your notes sound kind of like a liquid. It's a softer effect that's great for more melodic lines, solos, or any playing that's done higher on the neck. I personally can't hear the effect too much in the extreme low end, either. It can be a tasty addition to a bassline, but it often requires the rest of the band to ease up on the distortion effects and heavy riffs.

Flangers are the opposite. They aren't soft sounding, and they can dominate a whole mix if you're not careful. They don't really effect your notes directly, but rather add a sort of whooshing sound to the whole thing. People compare them to jet taking off again and again(getting louder and louder and then getting softer and softer, and then repeating the process over and over).

Personally, I love both of those effects, as well as delays, on bass.

 

[SplinteredSkull]

I am doing some solos here and there in a few songs i'm playing, and wanted to make them more dynamic. Or to just add that layered voice sound to some soft riffs. However, i won't be using them constantly so that's why i didn't want to dump a whole lot into one. I'm pretty sure i'm wanting to go for a chorus, but the flangers i was able to listen to sounded similar just slightly different. Of course i've only listened to a couple so far. So what are some good pedals?

 

[Major Softie]

I'm still not actually sure what exactly a flanger pedal does, but i have heard chorus and flanger pedals make sounds fairly similar to each other. Can someone clarify the difference between the two?

Chorus is an effect that replicates the sound of more than one of you playing the same thing: the difference between the sound of a violin, and a violin section playing in unison. A twelve-string guitar has a natural chorus effect.

Flanging is taking two versions of the same signal and playing them at the same time but slightly out of time sync. Although there's a little dispute about it, most agree that the name comes from the idea of playing two identical tapes of an instrument (or voice) and dragging your finger on one reel flange or the other, constantly changing the diffference in the time sync between the two. You end up with more than just a difference in time as the signals kind of interfere with each other to create some strange sounds.

Both can be very subtle or fairly extreme. Flanging can get pretty weird when there's a lot of effect.

 

[Sir Sly Ry]

Splintered Skull: I bet I know of a person or two who will tell you to go with Source Audio's Orbital Modulator. It has a bunch of effects, all based on modulation, including both chorus and flanger effects (as well as a couple others). It's a highly tweakable pedal. It looks pretty excellent. I myself am on the fence between the Orbital Modulator and the Tech 21 Bass Boost Chorus (which is only a chorus pedal). I'm going to get one or the other soon but I just can't make up my mind.

Look into the Orbital Modulator, I've heard 99% positive, glowing things about it.

 

[Sam Evans]

I'm still not actually sure what exactly a flanger pedal does, but i have heard chorus and flanger pedals make sounds fairly similar to each other. Can someone clarify the difference between the two? And what are some fairly inexpensive chorus and flanger pedals? I've heard that Boss and Tech 21 are both good.

For the price of a single Boss or Tech 21 chorus or flanger, you could get a cheap but decent mutlifx pedal that would give you the opportunity to experiment with both chorus and flanger and figure out what you're looking for.

 

[SplinteredSkull]

Splintered Skull: I bet I know of a person or two who will tell you to go with Source Audio's Orbital Modulator. It has a bunch of effects, all based on modulation, including both chorus and flanger effects (as well as a couple others). It's a highly tweakable pedal. It looks pretty excellent. I myself am on the fence between the Orbital Modulator and the Tech 21 Bass Boost Chorus (which is only a chorus pedal). I'm going to get one or the other soon but I just can't make up my mind.

Look into the Orbital Modulator, I've heard 99% positive, glowing things about it.

Thanks for the recommendation: i'll look into it . And i really dig everything i've seen and heard from the Tech 21. Pretty flexible chorus pedal too

 

[SplinteredSkull]

For the price of a single Boss or Tech 21 chorus or flanger, you could get a cheap but decent mutlifx pedal that would give you the opportunity to experiment with both chorus and flanger and figure out what you're looking for.

A Boss Chorus pedal is only $99 new. And the only multifx pedal at an equal or lower price that i'm aware of is a Digitech or a Vox. I've never been a fan of digital multifx pedals though: they just never seemed to sound organic enough for me. And i know i want a chorus. I wasn't sure if i would want a flanger (because i wasn't exactly sure what it was). I know what a chorus pedal does

 

[bassbrad]

Zoom MS-60T has several chorus, flangers and a lot more to choose from for 100 bucks.

 

[Sam Evans]

A Boss Chorus pedal is only $99 new.

Yep.

And the only multifx pedal at an equal or lower price that i'm aware of is a Digitech or a Vox.

Zoom.

I've never been a fan of digital multifx pedals though: they just never seemed to sound organic enough for me.

Many if not most of the individual chorus and flanger pedals are also digital (e.g., the Boss you mention).

And i know i want a chorus. I wasn't sure if i would want a flanger (because i wasn't exactly sure what it was). I know what a chorus pedal does

Apologies for not addressing your question - that wasn't clear to me from your OP.
In general, flangers tend to be more extreme and "swooshy" than chorus pedals, though some flangers can effectively operate as choruses with very mild settings. Many pedal manufacturer websites offer sound clips - you might find them helpful.

 

[SplinteredSkull]

Splintered Skull: I bet I know of a person or two who will tell you to go with Source Audio's Orbital Modulator. It has a bunch of effects, all based on modulation, including both chorus and flanger effects (as well as a couple others). It's a highly tweakable pedal. It looks pretty excellent. I myself am on the fence between the Orbital Modulator and the Tech 21 Bass Boost Chorus (which is only a chorus pedal). I'm going to get one or the other soon but I just can't make up my mind.

Look into the Orbital Modulator, I've heard 99% positive, glowing things about it.

Just listened to a bunch of vids on it: extremely cool for sure. I don't think it's quite the sound i want for what i'm doing (Tech 21 would be better) but i'd definitely want one to play with.

 

[SplinteredSkull]

@bassbrad @kreider204

None of the zoom pedals i've tried were easy to work with or produced a sound i really enjoyed. And i've always been aware of a rule not to get digitech (save a model or 2) because the break out from under you in under a year

 

[jmattbassplaya]

If you do want to buy anything, might I suggest going the used route. You can get a Boss chorus and flanger pedal for around $50-$60 each. That's the same price as one new pedal.

 

[tomnomnom91]

I don't really know enough to add anything to what's already been said on a technical level, but I will say I have a chorus and a flanger, both Boss, in my pedal board, and I use the chorus a hell of a lot more than the flanger. The chorus adds great depth to the sound, and is a lot more versatile in a tonal sense than the flanger. Try both out and see what suits you! I will say, though, whichever you go for, make it Boss.

 

[bigchiefbc]

A Boss Chorus pedal is only $99 new. And the only multifx pedal at an equal or lower price that i'm aware of is a Digitech or a Vox. I've never been a fan of digital multifx pedals though: they just never seemed to sound organic enough for me. And i know i want a chorus. I wasn't sure if i would want a flanger (because i wasn't exactly sure what it was). I know what a chorus pedal does

The bass track on this song was recorded using the Boss Flanger. Flangers get a lot more extreme than this, but this is a good example of what a subtle flange can do to your signal

 

[SplinteredSkull]

If you do want to buy anything, might I suggest going the used route. You can get a Boss chorus and flanger pedal for around $50-$60 each. That's the same price as one new pedal.

I always try and see if i can get a used one in good condition first. Hard to find things like that around here though..

 

[SplinteredSkull]

The bass track on this song was recorded using the Boss Flanger. Flangers get a lot more extreme than this, but this is a good example of what a subtle flange can do to your signal

Is that what that is?? Now i want a flanger.. lol. I love tool, and that's a song i like to practice. Now i know how to make it sound exactly like such

 

[Bassist4Eris]

One of the reasons I wanted a chorus pedal was because I really liked the tone that Scott Thunes was getting with Zappa. Later, I learned that he was actually using a flanger. Go figure. I have no idea what the moral of this story is.

I have never personally found a flanger that I liked, but I haven't tried a whole bunch of them either. It's just not a sound I hear in my head.

Chorus on the other hand... sweet, liquidy chorus. I play a lot of chords, and it sounds fantastic with chords. It also sounds really good with slap.

I currently use a Boss CEB3. It sounds good, not outstanding. Honestly, I think if I were willing to spend some time and money, I could find something better. But I do like it, enough in fact that I am unlikely to go on any chorus quest any time soon. The feature that keeps me faithful is the "low filter", which lets the lowest frequencies through unaffected.

 

[Baird6869]

and the Tech 21 Bass Boost Chorus (which is only a chorus pedal)

This is my favourite chorus pedal by far. I absolutely love mine. It is different than many other chorus pedals as it doesn't seem to suck your mids and it definitely can cut thru a band mix.

I use it for soloing or intros (Sweet Emotion is a good example of where a chorus can sound great), for chords and even during a few guitar solos to fill out the sound.

I can't recommend it enough.

Downside? It has a large footprint (not heavy though) and pretty expensive ($189 new).

As far as flangers go, I really can't seem to incorporate it into my bass playing. I love it for guitar (Van Halen, Rush, etc.) but not so great IME for bass. YMMV.