What's your favorite analog phaser?

[boing]

Does it seem intuitive to use? It looks like there's a TON of different sounds in that box.

You can get comfortable quickly. The controls are all accessible and they readily make sense when you start twiddling knobs. It’s great for knob twiddlers.

 

[bass-shy]

I realize each phaser has its signature that others don't have. I feel like you need 2 phasers. One which can do so much and have presets like the polaron and one simple MXR 90.

Definitely! I'm using four on my board right now.

One is a block Phase 90 clone that I usually use with dirt pedals, a Blackout Effectors Sibling that is set super fast so it sounds like a tunable ring mod, a VFE Enterprise that is set to half phaser and half vibe for when I want to act like Jimi on bass and a Homebrew Electronics Psilocybe with a healthy amount of regeneration for the pseudo-Maestro thing.

Can't ever have too many phasers, IMO.

 

[fauxtoe]

I had been running the Earthquaker Devices Grand Orbiter v3 for quite a while, but it just got replaced by my new favorite phaser, the Spaceman Explorer (not the deluxe version). The big reason I initially bought the GO was because it had the ability to turn the phase swell off and turn it into a cocked wah/resonate filter. I never used the vibrato function, so that was irrelevant. The Explorer has the ability to turn the swell off as well, but with the inclusion of volume and mix knobs. That's a HUGE positive and it makes a massive difference keeping everything leveled out and mixed to my preference. The extra wave patterns are a plus as well to find more weird sounds that I may or may not use. The GO is really, really good and I still recommend it, but there was just that ever so slight boost that I had to watch out for.

 

[high_fidelity83]

Greenhouse Effects Sonic Orbs are back in stock - and in "gold bar" graphic.

Sonic Orb / SMOOTH PHASER *Limited Gold Bar Graphics now available! — GREENHOUSE EFFECTS

 

[deepestend]

Anyone else currently using a grand orbiter? I just got one and really like it. Would love to know any tips and tricks. Also, how do you use position 2?

 

[bholder]

The mighty and mighty rare MuTron Bi-Phase. Been GASing for one for 45+ years finally scored one off ebay last year. Currently available, I'd say the Moog MoogerFooger MF-103.

Also let me add the Pigtronix Envelope Phasers (not sure if they're analog though), either version. Great fun to have envelope control....

 

[deepestend]

When i had the source audio spectrum, the envelope phaser settings were great.

 

[bholder]

When i had the source audio spectrum, the envelope phaser settings were great.

I also have a Paradox Futura envelop chorus, and yeah, that's also great fun when inline with an envelope phaser - with some of the more subtle slow settings, it's possible to get some really funky "talky" sounds that are natural but not repetitive and which move with the beat of the song. So much fun.

 

[bholder]

If you want to go over the top nuts with envelope phasers, I can also recommend the Horizont by KMA Machines - that gets really nutso crazy really fast.

 

[TheArchitect]

I've been bit by the phaser bug and would like to stay analog. What's your favorite at the moment? Thanks!

I have always been a fan of MXR phasers

 

[superheavyfunk]

Also let me add the Pigtronix Envelope Phasers (not sure if they're analog though), either version. Great fun to have envelope control....

The big box EP2 has the best and most chewy sounding envelope phaser there is. I was gushing about it in this very thread a few years ago. The first version had a cool feature where you could stop the phaser and still trigger the envelope. Those were both analog.

I understand why pigtronix went to the small box, 1-trick pony version but if that’s the only one you’ve tried, I’d highly recommend you look for one of the older big box versions.

 

[bholder]

The big box EP2 has the best and most chewy sounding envelope phaser there is. I was gushing about it in this very thread a few years ago. The first version had a cool feature where you could stop the phaser and still trigger the envelope. Those were both analog.

I understand why pigtronix went to the small box, 1-trick pony version but if that’s the only one you’ve tried, I’d highly recommend you look for one of the older big box versions.

Yeah and they won't even service the older boxes any more, because some of the source parts have become unavailable. Sigh. Nothing good ever lasts.

 

[deepestend]

If you want to go over the top nuts with envelope phasers, I can also recommend the Horizont by KMA Machines - that gets really nutso crazy really fast.

I like thick and subtle. The Grand Orbiter feels pretty good for that.

 

[Wito]

Anyone else currently using a grand orbiter? I just got one and really like it. Would love to know any tips and tricks. Also, how do you use position 2?

The Grand Orbiter is my favourite phaser. I love how syrupy it feels. I tend to prefer phasers with not a lot of resonance (or regeneration, or whatever they call it ) so I set mine to around 9 or 10:00. Depth and Sweep around 2:00. What I really like about the GO is that the change in speed between positions 1 and 3 is exactly the difference between the slow and fast sweeps that I like, so I only need to the speed once (1:00) and then just flip between those positions, short of like presets.
My tip would be to try it before a very low gain overdrive (if you have any). The way it hits the overdrive on the low part of the sweep makes me drool, specially at low-ish rates .
Unfortunately, I never use the 2 position, so I am of no help there.

 

[deepestend]

The Grand Orbiter is my favourite phaser. I love how syrupy it feels. I tend to prefer phasers with not a lot of resonance (or regeneration, or whatever they call it ) so I set mine to around 9 or 10:00. Depth and Sweep around 2:00. What I really like about the GO is that the change in speed between positions 1 and 3 is exactly the difference between the slow and fast sweeps that I like, so I only need to the speed once (1:00) and then just flip between those positions, short of like presets.
My tip would be to try it before a very low gain overdrive (if you have any). The way it hits the overdrive on the low part of the sweep makes me drool, specially at low-ish rates .
Unfortunately, I never use the 2 position, so I am of no help there.

thanks for this! I’ve been running an OD into it but haven’t tried the other way around yet. I see position 1 vs 3 as almost 45 vs 90. Not “exactly” and the general feel.

 

[deepestend]

Where are people putting an envelope phaser? Before or after?

 

[bholder]

Where are people putting an envelope phaser? Before or after?

I always find that an interesting question, because depending on what's important, I want it in different spots - I like distortion before, to give the phase a thicker signal to work on, but that crushes out some of the envelope dynamics. So when I can, I use the trigger input (if present) or a control pedal input driven by the Autopilot FX Autodialer, which I can put early in the chain to sense raw dynamics, but then control a pedal much further down the chain - best of both worlds!

 

[Nunovsky]

I love phasers. They're my prefered modulation for bass. I've tried a few but the one I find to be more musical with bass is the Electro-Harmonix Small Stone. There's something about the way it modulates the frequencies that makes it sound really good to my ears and I also love how it sounds with dirt feeding it.
But there are some on my list that I want to get in the near future, one is the new Maestro Orbit Phaser pedal, and another is the Strymon ZelZah.

 

[Vlad5]

Infanem Compact Faye-sing
Subdecay Quasar DLX

drive/distortion into the Faye-sing for sinthy/electric nasally gritty bass.
Quasar set to uber boost the low frequencies.
Plus other fun things, but these are the two most frequent uses of both.
Often both at once.

 

[benevan]

For bass I prefer 6+ stages. By far my favorite is the Maxon PH-350, with the 6- and 10- stage modes absolutely amazing. The Maxon PH9 6-stage and MXR Phase 100 10-stage are also quite good.

A whole lot of orange...