Recommended HARDWARE FLANGER for metallic percussion fx sounds

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Hi everyone,

I was wondering what your FAVOURITE HARDWARE FLANGER pedal is for achieving metal fx sounds for percussion (acoustic or synth) please?

For example, on this well known track, Plastikman used the Ensoniq DP4 unit (with its reverb, flanger and maybe a bit of phaser), to give his already well chosen percussive samples a bit more 3D depth and metallic sound:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pBFAPtyYT-g


I realize that plenty of flangers will give a version of a metallic sound effect.
However, I'm interested to learn about any specific ones you would recommend from your personal experience / working knowledge so I can check these out thanks.


(I'm NOT LOOKING FOR SOFTWARE flanger fx as I already have ones by Audio Damage and U-He which do a great job - and I can get close to the Plastikman track effect by using these - but, as with most software, these lack the specific 3D depth feeling of hardware fx).


Whilst I can purchase an Ensoniq DP4 second hand for an over-priced £700 on ebay, I'd be much more interested in getting a flanger that isn't out of production, isn't 20+ years old and isn't more than about £250 for this metallic effect if possible please.

Many thanks in advance,
Doug

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Last time I was shopping for a flanger pedal (too long ago) it struck me just how different they all are. So it's impossible to recommend any specific one. You have to go out and test them for yourself.

That being said, the Ensoniq DP4 digital multi-fx processor is all software, not what I would call "hardware" at all (with only resistors, transistors & capacitors essentially analog stuff). So chances are what you like best is actuallly software and not hardware. Sorry to piss on that parade...
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For studio I'd lean towards getting a Eurorack BBD (Doepfer should do the trick?) so one can really control the shape of the modulation and play with tone-shaping in the feedback loop. That's over-budget if you don't already have some euro, but quite cost-effective if you do. Of course, it would be cheaper to do it in Reaktor...

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Been quite a while since I owned one, but I always thought the ADA pedal flanger excelled at that "metallic" thing. Looks like the reissues go for $200-300 on Reverb.
Mac Studio Max | 32GB | 12.6 | MOTU 828es | MOTU M4 | Studio One 6 | Logic 10.7

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@Bertkoor - good points and you're right about the Ensoniq software (which I hadn't fully apprrciated before), thanks.
@ imrae - thanks, the doepfer looks good but I'm probably going to stick to a pedal (or possibly a 'box' unit) instead of eurorack.
@ trenolounge - thanks for the recommendation about A/DA. It was definitely one of the shortlisted ones I was interested in. To all extents and purposes, the reissue in both normal and smaller pedal format seem to be pretty identical to the original.


I've now narrowed down my search to five makes (but I'm happy to take other recommendations for the metallic sounding fx as per that Plastikman track):

A/DA flanger;

Chase Bliss flanger (bit expensive but great options);

TC Electronic Behringer Thunderstorm (very cheap);

EHX hoax flanger (discontinued product, good but old);

Electric Mistress Deluxe (discontinued, very old but cheap).

As a final idea, I contacted Richie Hawtin last night to ask him more about the FX he used on his "Elektrix" track, although I suspect it was mainly a preset or two from the Ensoniq DP4.
Hopefully, he'll be able to explain further!

Thanks

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Doug1978 wrote: Mon Oct 14, 2019 9:07 amI contacted Richie Hawtin last night
As you do :shock:
"I was wondering if you'd like to try Magic Mushrooms"
"Oooh I dont know. Sounds a bit scary"
"It's not scary. You just lose a sense of who you are and all that sh!t"

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Mushy Mushy wrote: Mon Oct 14, 2019 9:17 am
Doug1978 wrote: Mon Oct 14, 2019 9:07 amI contacted Richie Hawtin last night
As you do :shock:
:lol:
True.

(although tbf, why not? We're both on Soundcloud and I'm sure he's a decent bloke in addition to being an excellent musician.
I've been lucky to successfully chat with a couple of other reasonably famous musicians, eg Donato Dozzy, about their music via SC previously.
Given free time and a polite message, most pro musicians will probably be happy to answer a query).

:)

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BertKoor wrote: Sun Oct 13, 2019 9:36 am That being said, the Ensoniq DP4 digital multi-fx processor is all software, not what I would call "hardware" at all (with only resistors, transistors & capacitors essentially analog stuff). So chances are what you like best is actuallly software and not hardware. Sorry to piss on that parade...
:hihi:

@OP - Eventide H3000
Doug1978 wrote: Mon Oct 14, 2019 9:07 am I contacted Richie Hawtin last night
OMG this is ridiculous!!! :hihi:

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perfumer wrote: Mon Oct 14, 2019 9:45 am
BertKoor wrote: Sun Oct 13, 2019 9:36 am That being said, the Ensoniq DP4 digital multi-fx processor is all software, not what I would call "hardware" at all (with only resistors, transistors & capacitors essentially analog stuff). So chances are what you like best is actuallly software and not hardware. Sorry to piss on that parade...
:hihi:

@OP - Eventide H3000
Doug1978 wrote: Mon Oct 14, 2019 9:07 am I contacted Richie Hawtin last night
OMG this is ridiculous!!! :hihi:
It's probably my Asperger's coming out again :oops:

But why is it ridiculous to contact the musician who made a track which has a specific and unusual (even for flangers) metallic / watery effect which I admire and want to learn more about?

(Given time and a polite message, musicians aren't usually against talking about their old tracks just because they are famous - eg, aside from my own lucky experiences on SC, Paul Hartnoll of Orbital is happy to answer questions on Gearslutz about former songs, as are Bob Clearmountain and a host of other very famous producers over there).


With the Eventide H3000: it's a great box but can you really find it for approx £250, as per the op?

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Ps: I had a go at recreating the 'watery metallic effect' on "Elektrix" (best heard around 40 secs to 1 min and 20 secs, and then subsequently), using just software plugins on a hihat sample.
Not bad, but didn't quite nail Richie Hawtin's sound/feel on "Elektrix":

https://soundcloud.com/user-243746339/m ... at/s-xK69t

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maybe not what you are after, but the electric mistress from ehx is a lovely sounding analogue flanger imo :)

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Hi Vurt, thanks for the recommendation.
Many people on GS and Youtube also think that the Electric Mistress (and particularly the Deluxe version?) is an excellent pedal capable of some great metallic sounds at extreme settings.

Athough I'm probably tempted by a newer pedal, if only for reliability / support issues etc, I'll certainly give it a good consideration not least 'cos you can get 'em pretty cheap :tu:

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they're still available new. and below your budget :)
the deluxe stereo one, yep.

it's not exactly the same as the original, but that's a bonus for you, for guitar the internal noise on the original, not a huge problem. could be a bit intrusive for your needs though. but the newer models pretty much cleared that, which many purists weren't so pleased about :hihi:

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Ah brilliant thanks vurt - even more tempting :)

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no probs.
thanks for taking me back in time with the track :tu:
saw hawtin live a couple of times :hyper:

id suggest experimenting in software with a delay with short delay time high feedback.
see if that's more controllable
the flanger pushed as far, wont give you a great range. the delay will allow you to drop the time and get stutters and such.
just a thought 8)

before you buy any hardware, not instead of.

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